Job History Update

For the last couple of months now I have been trying to document my job history on Mondays so I just wanted to update what I have done now between the time I took the bartending course in 1979 to the end of 1989. Hey that is 10 years! A good time to just note some of the places I have been up to this time and before I get to what probably rates right up there with the worst time of my life in 1990. How I went from such a high in Switzerland to mass confusion in a matter of months was astounding to say the least. You will see next Monday 1990 was like a decade rolled up in one. For those of you who have been reading this post on Mondays next week's will be one which you will not believe.

But for now here are some of the jobs I remember having and have noted on the blog. Other jobs such as commission sales jobs and other restaurant jobs I worked at for less than a week I have omitted.

Hilton Dorval Airport
Willows Inn
Holiday Inn
Credit Valley Golf Club
Bristol Place Hotel
Ramada Inn ( twice )
Boulevard Club
Badminton Racquet Club ( twice )
Dunfield Club
Saskatchewan River Crossing
Marilyn's Hamburgers
University Club of Montreal
SS Norway
1987 - went to French School
Eden au Lac - Montreux Switzerland

These are the main ones. I moved 9 times. Owned 6 cars. Took a Hotel Restaurant Management Course. Learned French. Was Assistant Food and Beverage Manager in Switzerland , Bartender on a ship and sommelier , Bar Manager of a Private Club , Head Waiter out West.

And you know what else? I was still broke , no address of my own , no girlfriend , nothing!

But I did experience a lot of things which I guess is what you want to remember when you are 80 years old.

Next week , 1990.

Marsala

To continue from last week on Madeira and on fortified wines that were pretty popular in the past but not so much now , we are going to talk a bit about Marsala.

Marsala comes from the island of Sicily and it's name derives from the port of the same name located at the northwest tip of the island. The port was initially called Marsah-el-Allah under Arab rule , later Marsala.

Marsala began being shipped all over as far back as 1773 by a chap named John Woodhouse who is credited with starting to produce this fortified wine.

It can come in dry ( secco ) , semi-sweet ( semi-secco ) , or sweet ( dolce ) , and can be classified by colour as well from gold ( oro ) , amber ( ambra ) , and red ( rubino ). How is that for an Italian lesson?

To fortify the wine some neutral spirit is added and if a sweetened variety is appropriate some local grape concentrate is included for the finished product.

There are four categories of Marsala that you will find. Beginning from the lowest category to the highest is the Marsala Fine , Marsala Superiore , Marsala Vergine , and Marsala Solera.

Marsala Fine is aged for just a year and not necessarily in wood and has at least 17% alcohol by volume. This is a very cheap tasting Marsala by all accounts that I have read.

Marsala Superiore is aged for at least two years in wood and if it is a riserva it's aged four years. This must have an alcohol of at least 18%.

The Marsala Vergine variety is aged for at least 5 years in wood or 10 if a riserva. No grape concentrate is allowed therefore comes in the secco version only with the minimum alcohol being 18%.

Last but not least and of the highest quality is the Superiore aged the same way and secco version only. The same percentage of alcohol is required.

The best grape to make Marsala is the original grape variety called Grillo. There are other grape varieties as well native to Sicily but for ease of remembering just think of Grillo. Like grilling on the BBQ.

There are some flavoured Marsala as well from chocolate , orange , and banana. There is even a Marsala that contains 80% Marsala wine , eggs , and a minimum of 200 grams of residual sugar per liter. It is really sweet as you could probably imagine!

Some food matches for the dry version of Marsala would be an antipasto with olive oil or an aperitif with nuts. For the sweet version try a sticky toffee pudding or a cake with some chocolate and almonds.

Unfortunately Marsala is not normally found on many wine lists. Usually the kitchen is ordering a couple of bottles to use with their sauces in the kitchen. There must be a tug of war between Madeira and Marsala in some kitchens to gain the upper hand.

A style between Madeira and sherry , marsala can find a niche in the kitchen and hopefully one day a real good marsala will regain it's popularity it once had in the mid 19th century. What do they say , " what goes around comes around."

Answers to the Quiz Earlier Today

Okay here it goes. The answers from the quiz earlier today.

1. What also goes into the glass shaker for a Black and Tan cocktail that was not mentioned is 2 measures of Irish Whiskey.

2. Denmark is where Peter invented Cherry Heering.

3. Kummel's main flavour comes from the caraway seed.

4. For a Pink Gin it is a shot of gin with the missing ingredient being 2-3 drops of Angostura Bitters to colour it. Usually served in something big like a wine glass. That is how I served it anyway back in the day.

5. The odd one is Mirabelle of France which comes from the Yellow Plum. The other three is of the Blue Plum variety. Slovovitz from Bosnia and Serbia , Tzuica from Romania , and Quetsch from France.

How did you do or should I be asking?? Hope you had some fun!

It Is That Time Again - The Quiz

Okay here we go with the Tuesday quiz. The quiz that is both interesting and useless at the same time because most of these questions however interesting they may be , offer no real help in the day to day service we provide to the patron who comes for food and drink in our establishment. In other words no one ever ask for these tidbits of trivia. Never!

Here it goes anyway.... Answers later.

1. The cocktail Black and Tan is 1 measure Dark Rum , 1/2 measure lime juice , 1/2 measure orange juice , 1/2 tsp sugar all in a glass shaker. Shake it well and strain into a tall glass and top up with ginger ale. There is one ingredient missing. What is it???

2. Cherry Heering was invented by Peter Heering over 150 years ago. Which country did it originate from? In other words where did Peter live?

3. Kummel has what predominant flavour aside from cumin , oris root , and fennel?

4. Pink Gin is a drink consisting of a shot of gin and what?

5. Choose the one that is different from the other three?

Slivovitz , Tzuica , Mirabelle , Quetsch


The answers later on. Good Luck!!!

Montreux Switzerland 1988-89

Now we are up to this point in my hospitality career when things are really beginning to get adventurous. After a short stint on the SS Norway and then going to French school , I heard of an exchange opportunity that existed for hospitality students between Canada and Switzerland. Signing up for it and later securing work , I spent the remainder of 1987 living in a furnished room and practicing my French. This brings me up to the time of departure for Switzerland in January 1988.

Keeping in touch with a friend from the Netherlands whom I met on the SS Norway , I chose KLM to fly me to Amsterdam for a week vacation to visit him first in Amsterdam , then where he lived in Nymegen. Another party town I went to was Hengelo which was teeming with students. I always remember the bar we went to that was just getting busy at 5 AM. I couldn't believe anywhere I would see anyone lining up to go anywhere that early in the morning to get into a bar. But this was the Netherlands. He even offered me the occasion to sleep with his girlfriend which was quite thoughtful of him but I had to decline.

Had a great stopover there , then packed my bags and headed from Schipol airport in Amsterdam for a train connection so that I could get into Bern and then transfer for the final run into Geneva where I had before decided to stay in a youth hostel for a week and tour around.

I could hardly wait to check out the hotel in Montreux where I would be working instead of looking at it through a brochure. Remember there was still no internet at the time. When I did get there the brochure didn't do it justice as it was even better than I could have imagined. Right on the bord du lac on Lake Geneva beside the Casino , it was idyllic.

Working as a stagiare the first year on an 11 month contract then coming back for another year as an Assistant Food and Beverage Manager I obtained experience in every facet of F and B operations. From the setting up of banquets , filling in as Maitre'd , purchasing , inventory , receiving , requisitions , waitering and bartending when required , and just about anything else you could imagine. Where I was required whatever time it didn't matter.

Working about 10-12 hours straight through it seemed like a lot of hours but every night I would head out to the bars and nightclubs and come back get some sleep and be up bright and early the next morning. I was called the crazy canuck. I met people from all over Europe and it really did seem like a working holiday.

When I did get the time off I went to the neighbouring countries like France on the fast TGV train , Italy on the Amalfi Coast , Germany to Munich a few times , Austria and the city of Salzburg where Mozart was born , and of course everywhere in Switzerland on the beautiful trains they have. One of them was the ride from Zermatt to St. Moritz on the Glacier Express. Although it is called express it takes 7 1/2 hours to complete the trip because it actually climbs mountains , crossing plenty of bridges , and goes through tons of tunnels. It also stops quite frequently at towns where this is the only means of getting somewhere else.

Wow what a trip for two years working at this hotel. It was always full and they had a beautiful Terrasse Restaurant outdoors which unless you had a reservation it was impossible to just walk in and expect a table.

Except for a brief visit back in 90 I haven't been back since but I would one day love to get back there with my wife and kids to check it out again.

Have a look yourself.

Here is the web site www2.edenpalace.ch

Don't forget the 2 after www

Next week is 1990. Picking up speed aren't we?

A Good Night Tonight

Tonight was a good night.

I opened at 3 PM and had a 4 table section. Three deuces and a four top.

My sales were $1490 and I did 38 covers over 17 tables.
My tip out was $52 and I walked out with $247 at 9:15.

What am I nuts to change jobs!!! I am off tomorrow and my two week paycheque is for 38 hours.

It is February and there was a snowstorm tonight and the place was packed. I think I should stick around and not move anywhere.

Madeira

Today's wine post is about a fortified wine that comes from the island of Madeira which belongs to Portugal in the Atlantic. I have had the opportunity of stopping for a day at the port of Funchal doing a crossing of the Atlantic while working on a cruiseship. What a beautiful island it is too!

The story of Madeira starts when the early explorers while heading south toward the West Indies searching for the spices or just seeking out new lands to claim , would bring with them some wine to drink. Over a long voyage without any temperature control in those days , the wine would undergo a transformation in the bottle when it crossed the equator causing the wine to heat up and oxidize. When the explorers opened the bottle to drink in the New World they noticed it was not the same as it was back where they started. Actually it tasted a whole lot better to them. The heating of it gave it longevity as well.

So when we say a wine is madeirized in today's world of wine terminology it means the wine is cooked and oxidized. The main cause is it has been stored in too high a temperature. Not a good thing for a wine but for Madeira it is normal. Unfortunately that is why you do not see Madeira on too many wine lists and is mainly used in the kitchen for that madeira sauce you see on the menu. It deserves better attention than what it is given.

To reproduce the same effect of the temperature changes that took place when the explorers used to cross the equator with bottles of wine , a unique method called "estufa" which literally means stove was begun.

How this works is the wine will be held in stainless steel tanks with a water-jacket containing hot water. Heated gently to about 113 degrees F ( 45 C ) , the wine returns to an ambient temperature over the next 6 months. It is gently cooled so as to allow the wine to develop without any unwanted flavours.

Another more traditional method is to store and rack in heated warehouses so that the wine can adjust to the changing temperatures gradually. This is called the canteiro system by which the more noble wines are usually aged.

Using either method , the wine is must be aged 3 years before going on sale.

The four noble grape varieties to make madeira are malvasia , bual , verdelho and sercial. The other grape variety used to make up over half the madeira is the Tinta Negra Mole.

Malmsey which is associated with the Malvasia grape is the sweetest version of Madeira. Malvasia has an extreme sweetness and strength that comes from ripening late that enables this grape to succeed in making the sweet version.

Madeira colheitas are single vintage wines made from the noble varieties which can survive up to 200 years. These wines must be stored in casks for a minimum of 20 years and bottled for another two years before going on sale.

When you see a Madeira bottle with the label saying malmsey , bual , verdelho , or sercial on it , this means that it must be produced by at least 85 % of the named grape. Usually sold as 5 ,10, or 15 year old madeira and colheita as well.

When you see sweet , medium-sweet , medium dry , and dry , this madeira is made from the workhorse grape Tinta Negra Mole with the four levels of sweetness representing the styles of the four noble grapes.

As with port , during fermentation the wine is fortified to about 17-18%.

Here is a brief description of the 4 noble grape varieties from dry to sweetest.

Sercial - coming from the highest vineyard and harvested very late this wine is the slowest to develop and needs aging before it can be enjoyed as a wonderful aperitif more substantial than a fino sherry.

Verdelho - a faint honey and smokey flavour this madeira is good before or after meals.

Bual - the most planted white grape variety on the island it is slightly less sweet than Malmsey and lighter but still makes an excellent dessert wine.

Malmsey ( Malvasia ) - the sweetest of all and the earliest maturing , it has soft texture and very fragrant. Fatty in the mouth you can distinguish it with it's colour of dark brown.

If you get a chance and you see Madeira at your local wine store pick up a bottle of Malmsey and enjoy it on it's own after dinner. It makes a nice digestif.

Malbec

Called Cot in the Medoc where it produces an early maturing , soft , mouthfilling , low acidic wine , it is of not great significance. Where it is popular for winegrowers in the Bordeaux region is the Bourg and Blaye region. However finding a cot from there is difficult to accomplish.

In Cahors where the Malbec grape is called Auxerrois , during the pre-phylloxera days the grapes were grown on rugged limestone vineyards which produced wines full of tannin , flavour , and so much colour they were referred to as the "Black Wine" of Cahors. Nowadays the vineyards are located in the richer vineyard land alongside the river Lot. The wine of Cahors are made up of a minimum of 70% Malbec ( or locally called Auxerrois and Cot in the Medoc ) with Merlot and Tannat making up the difference.

The wine in Cahors is known for it's leaner wines with dry tannins , fairly good acidity with the nose of blackberry fruit and pencil shavings similar to a Bordeaux style.

Where you see Malbec taking a front row seat though is in Argentina where full rich fruity , spicy reds with flavours of blackberries and I detect some chocolate as well. Pretty high in alcohol , somewhat spicy , nice tannins and acidity too , a Malbec partners well with a spicy beef such as a grilled steak with a pepper sauce.

What I like most about Malbec is as well as being a great drinking wine it is of great value in the store especially the ones from Argentina. In today's tight times when people are watching their budgets you cannot go wrong with Malbec. For some of the old world style go with a Cahors and for a new world style that has a bit more fruit go with an Argentine Malbec.

I do not believe you will be disappointed....

Galliano

A distinctive pale yellow , herb liqueur from Italy Galliano was first made as a tribute to a Major Giuseppe Galliano by Armando Vaccari in 1896.

The major held the fort of Enda Jesus for 44 days before he was ordered to surrender during the Italian - Abyssinian war of 1895-96. To this day a picture of this fort is on the label of every bottle.

First made in Livorno Italy , it has since moved to a modern liqueur plant in Salara near the city of Milan. Made from a blend of over 30 different herbs and a variety of flowers , berries , and roots , vanilla and anise is added then all the ingredients are infused and distilled into a delicious spirit.

After distillation it rest in glass tanks for 6 months during which all the flavours are allowed to harmonize then it is filtered and bottled.

Galliano is known for the Harvey Wallbanger and how this drink came about was there was a skilled surfer in California by the name of Harvey who had lost a competition so to console himself he went up to the bar and ordered his usual Vodka and Orange Juice ( Screwdriver ) and floated some Galliano at the top. After a few too many when he got up to leave he bounced from wall to wall earning the nickname Harvey the Wallbanger and from that time on the drink carried his name with it.

Interesting indeed as well as Harvey Wallbanger I like it too with White Creme de Cacao and cream in the Golden Cadillac.

TV Appearance

Yesterday for the second time in over a month I was on Rogers Daytime Show , this time doing a segment on wines as a demo. It went pretty well but I found it a bit difficult to go over a glass of wine and describe in very short 3 - 2 minute segments until the last part which was 5 minutes.

But the good news is they loved it and want me back in the Spring to do some wine and drinks again. Also today 3 more people signed up for the Bartending Course in Alliston being held at the Gibson Centre starting next Tuesday bringing the total up to 11 which is great. I am pretty sure too that the one locally here will have enough people by the 26th , the first scheduled day of that class. So that is two nights of the week that will be devoted to teaching which is Monday and Tuesday , usually slow nights in a restaurant anyway.

My plans this year is to do an e-book and get on a cruise ship to be a guest speaker. The hard thing about the latter is with kids going to school the only time to do it will be in the summer.

I am going to compile all the tv appearances I have done recently on one DVD and make some copies to market myself to do some special dinners such as wine and food pairing ones. All I have to do is find a local restaurant who wants to do it. That should not be too difficult.

There is a lot of options out there and with my 50th birthday soon approaching I am really looking forward to what is going to take place.....

I no doubt will keep you posted.