The Chef's Jacket: A Culinary Journey

By Raymond Hollanda

If you have ever thought about becoming a Chef, Raymond's account of his career is a must read.  Watching cooking shows and competitions along with making great meals at home has little resemblance to the hard life of being a Chef. Raymond's insider view of the realities and the journey a young cook must take to become a Chef are honest, insightful, descriptive and above all motivating.  Until now there was little information to provide a real view into the business for aspiring cooks, this book should be required reading for anyone considering Culinary schools. Cooking is a vehicle for expressing love for others by delighting their pallet, lifting their mood, or soothing their pains. It is this passion that drives a Chef to endure the challenges that Raymond aptly describes. Raymond delivers a dose of reality, that every young culinarian should devour and will leave restaurant patrons a bit more thankful and in awe of the team behind their next great meal.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 9, 2021
• ISBN: 9781098384074

Book preview

The Chef's Jacket

A Culinary Journey

Title

THE CHEF'S JACKET

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Author:

Raymond F. Hollanda ([e-mail])

Editorial Manager:

Roosevelt N. de Holanda ([e-mail])

English Edition:

Kate Hollanda ([e-mail])

Cover Design and Book Layout:

Raphaella Lima ([e-mail])

Photos Credits:

Personal Archive.

ISBN: 978-1-0983840-7-4

To all the young cooks aspiring to grow to become a Chef.

DEDICATION - VISION - ENDURANCE

FOCUS - KNOWLEDGE - SKILLS

COMMITMENT

CHEF

Make a plan, keep networking, work harder, dream beyond the job description, be an asset to the company, be a team player and most of all, don’t close any doors, you always will need a reference. Opportunity will knock, you just need to be ready.

Index

Acknowledgments

English Editor’s Note

Editorial Manager’s Note

Introduction to the Kitchen

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel

Student at the CIA

My Internship in New York City

Back at the CIA for Graduation

Professional Life Begins

My Internship in France

Pâtissier Station

Bernard Loiseau Kitchen for a Day

Executive Chef at Mount Kisco Country Club

One if by Land, Two if by Sea

Executive Chef at Saks Fifth Avenue

Executive Chef at The Lotos Club

Extraordinary Events at Lotos

COVID-19

Word of Advice

Culinary Discoveries

State Dinner Menus

Pan-Seared Sea Scallops

Hudson Valley Foie Gras

Lobster Risotto with Black Truffles

Roasted Salmon with Pernod Sauce

Mediterranean Sea Bass with Romesco Sauce

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, Remoulade Sauce

Halibut with Honey Glazed Beets

Grilled Veal Chop with Legumes

White Asparagus with Wild Mushrooms

Smoked Salmon & Crab Marquise

Crab Salad Parfait & Avocado, Peppadew

Roasted Pheasant & Dried Fruit Compote

Yellowfin Tuna Tartare & Avocado

Roasted Rack of Lamb & Mango Chutney

Duck Breast & Leg Confit

Butter Poached Maine Lobster

Rainbow Trout, Parsnip & Kale

Filet Mignon of Beef & Bordelaise Sauce

Foie Gras au Torchon

The City I Love, New York (Lyrics)

Acknowledgments

When I reflect on the dozens of people who have been mentors to me in the many phases of development of my life, the first person who comes to mind is my father, the most hardworking man I have ever known. My father, blessed with a love for nature, animals, and life, decided to buy a small piece of land in the northeast of Brazil in the town of Pajuçara, in Ceará, and start a farm. This idea was a hobby for him, a distraction from his accountant job and not necessarily another source of income. At that time, I asked him, What has happened to golf, traveling, or just going to the beach? He responded, No we need a farm... With six dairy cows, hundreds of chickens, a few pigs, a bull, and a donkey named Slow.

In the morning, more precisely at five a.m., my dad and I were already up, partners at work, getting everything ready to milk the cows. The first glass of milk was always mine. Warm and creamy, pasteurized by nature. My father milked the cow by hand, squeezing with tremendous pressure until the milk was sprayed into the cup with sugar, producing a lot of foam that reminded me of a warm cappuccino, no coffee added. My other morning jobs included helping to feed the animals, cleaning the cow’s manure and spreading it across the land, watering and fertilizing the plants.

In addition to the animals, we had sugar cane, banana trees, cashews, sweet corn, cotton trees, and more. My God, there was a lot of work to do on the farm, which brings me to the kitchen. Twelve hours is a typical working day. There are always things to do in the kitchen. As I grew older, I realized that I had learned quite a few things from my father very early in life: Work hard for what you believe and love; hold your work ethics high; love nature, and nature will love you back.

I am grateful to Chef John Doherty, a gentleman and a great Chef, for all the help and the learning opportunities that became available to me in my internship, and the cooking lessons that stayed with me. The experience that I acquired at the Waldorf-Astoria opened many doors.

My thanks to Chef Victor Boyd. Victor was a great mentor in my first two years as a Sous Chef at Ardsley Country Club. He was also the driving force behind my first opportunity to step up to Executive Chef.

Mr. Hussein Ali, a great friend and my first manager as Executive Chef, trusted me and gave me room to grow my talent at Mount Kisco Country Club. I still apologize to him for forgetting to order and cook the 50 lb. pig for the Roast Pig Buffet on the Fourth of July.

I am also grateful to my friend David McInerney, a CIA warrior, always with lots of energy. He was a great source of inspiration for me to continue the pursuit of French cuisine. Our devotion to this industry resulted in the opportunity to meet and work with Chef Bernard Loiseau in his kitchen in Saulieu, France. I remember our years fondly at One if by Land, Two if by Sea.

John McGrath, general manager of The Lotos Club and the longest working relationship of my career, is a workaholic, a systematic man with great vision, integrity, and devotion to work. My thanks to him for over twenty years of sharing his vision, experience, and advice in a not-always-easy union kitchen operation in New York City. My success at Lotos could not have happened without him.

I am grateful to my uncle and friend Roosevelt Holanda for his invaluable and valuable attention in editing and publishing this volume. Our renewed telephone contact, conversations, plans, discussions, and joint studies to finalize this editorial project renewed and invigorated our friendship.

My wife Kate and our daughter Morgan are the two most precious things in my life. I am very grateful that they have understood my absences, especially at holiday parties when families usually gather, and for their unconditional love and support.

To my aunt, who was my bridge into the USA, my eternal gratitude. For everything.

English Editor’s Note

The year 2020 will live in infamy globally as the year the world stood still. The devastation was measured not only in the loss of life felt universally but also by the loss of livelihood. New York City has been recognized as the epicenter of Covid-19 in America, as well as the model for how to react to the unprecedented pandemic in modern times. Though we were quickly labeled New York Strong, the fall out of the pause, as it was called in many soundbites, has rippled through every sector of life in this usually vibrant, resilient and wonderful city. The lights historically went out on Broadway and the bustling business of this culinary mecca came to a screeching halt.

The Lotos Club was shut down for over a year, yet Raymond remained busy with projects he had sidelined during the chaos of his regular schedule. I have never known a more ambitious or driven individual. While this personality trait has been instrumental in his success as an Executive Chef, it also makes it virtually impossible for him to be inactive for long. As a result, he decided to try his hand at writing. He teamed up with his uncle in Brazil, a lifelong journalist, to document his story from growing up on a farm in Fortaleza to being an Executive Chef in one of the culinary capitals of the world.

This book has been Raymond’s passion project written initially in his native Portuguese. While working on the translation I learned many things about his life that 20 years of marriage had not previously revealed, and was reminded of many of the reasons I fell in love with him when I was a waitress during college. As an immigrant to this country, Raymond has always been cognizant of the importance and necessity of opportunity. He is not only the hardest working person I know, but also the most humble. He is always striving to be better, more innovative, more successful.

His daughter Morgan and I are very proud of him for this monumental achievement.

Editorial Manager’s Note

Gastronomy — A Life with Art,

or The Future of a Beginning

Raimundo is his first name. It’s also my father’s and his father’s first name. The surname is Hollanda. When trying to relive my memories, I digress a little until I recall that he was born in the city of Fortaleza, the capital of the state of Ceará, in the northeast region of Brazil. The story of his post-adolescent future, whose narrative begins here, actually started in Rio de Janeiro, where for about two years, he honored me very much by living with me. It was never defined whether our relationship was between uncle and nephew, father and son, or simply good friends. In his pleasant company, I shared his first sip of beer (in Petrópolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro) and his first experience on an airplane, on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo and back to Rio de Janeiro.

It was 1982 when his aunt, my sister, who had lived in New York for a few years, suddenly made contact, looking for a young person who was interested in trying to live life