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The Cafe was loud with construction work, lunch preparations, and laughing students when a slim man in a chef’s coat quietly went to work filleting two giant, beautiful fish. One by one, students stopped what they were doing to watch the man wield his butcher knife with perfect precision and, within minutes, the whole room was silently observing the show in awe.

Chef Michael Ruoss of Camellia Grill, Salu, and Byblos, was the man in the chef’s coat and the fish he was preparing was the main ingredient of his Signature Chef Thursday special:BBQ Salmon Corn Maque Choux with Spicy Onion Rings and a basil aioli.

Chef Mike is no stranger to the cafe; he has employed Reconcile graduates at many of his restaurants over the years. Originally from Maine, Chef started as a dishwasher and moved up the ranks over time. When he uprooted to New Orleans, he got a job on the line at Emeril’s NOLA, eventually working his to Executive Chef. Today he is the corporate chef of 13 restaurants, a position he says he earned by “keeping his head down and showing up.”

After his very impressive demonstration, Chef Ruoss stuck around the cafe all day to cook with our students and Brandy, a graduate who works for Chef at Salu. As the lunch crowd shuffled in, the salmon started flying off the grill and onto the plates of our very happy customers. Signature Chef Thursdays are always exciting opportunities for our students to meet exceptional chefs from around the city and a great chance for our customers to try a different menu. Thanks to Chef Ruoss for a phenomenal day!

Chef Mike holds a captive audience

Chef shows Shayla and Edgar how to remove the bones from the salmon

Chef Mike smiles with Brandy, a Reconcile graduate employed at Salu

Chef Ruoss shows off the final product!

Life Skills students are happy to finish the sample plate!

Ariyauna and Lareal smile with the dessert special, a raspberry cream cheese tart

Jean-Mark Sens is quickly becoming a staple in the Reconcile student’s experience. The Nicholls State University Collection Development Librarian has now spent three mornings demonstrating French cuisine to our students and putting them to work as his sous chefs! This time, Chef prepared Salmon en Papillote: a simple, elegant, and healthy fish dish that can easily be replicated in the home.

Folding parchment paper into a package, Jean-Mark placed a small bit of olive oil on the bottom of the paper packet. He then layered mushrooms, a filet of salmon, and vegetables in a colorful arrangement and drizzled it all with olive oil. Folding up the edges of the packet, he explained that 15 minutes in the oven would be enough time to perfectly bake the fish for a easy and healthy meal. Once he had set the example, Jean-Mark invited our students to participate in the process and, before long, they were moving like lightening without need of his direction.

Merci, Jean-Mark, for another delightful display of French culture and cuisine!

Jean-Mark explains the importance of cutting in a uniform size

Students listen carefully

Lareal and Edgar watch and learn

After seeing the process twice, Lareal and Alisha jump right in!

Delicious and healthy!

When Andrea entered the program at Cafe Reconcile, she already had a job.  In fact, she had two.  But the fast-food industry didn’t pay well and it didn’t offer any opportunity for advancement, so Andrea enrolled in Reconcile’s program to “make something” of herself.  One year after her graduation, the now-line cook at John Besh’s American Sector has done just that.

While at Reconcile, Andrea enjoyed working in the back of the house and helping create the dessert of the day.  She learned a lot at Reconcile, but it is Chef Joe’s “8 Habits of Success” that she still uses “every day in the workplace, and in life.”  It was at Reconcile that Andrea learned how to control her anger and that, she says, has helped her stay employed at a top New Orleans Restaurant for almost a full year (that, and her cooking skills, of course!)

To future graduates, she offers the sage advice of one who has been in their uniform black slip-resistant shoes: “Take everything the Reconcile staff says to heart.  If you don’t, you’re just wasting your time.”  And wasting time is something that Andrea simply won’t stand for.

Andrea and Executive Chef Todd

Heating up the kitchen!

This is what success looks like!

Twenty chefs from the area have been honored as “New Orleans Rising Stars” by StarChefs.com, and twenty of our Reconcile students and graduates were there to see them honored.

The festivities began on Wednesday, when all of our current students and some graduates attended a ‘How to Make It’ panel where the rising star chefs discussed their experiences in the culinary world. Then, on Thursday afternoon, twenty students and graduates headed down to NOMA where they worked to help the honored chefs prepare their tasting menus for the award gala. The opportunity to work side by side with other young people who are quickly gaining recognition but who have also worked their way up the restaurant ranks is an invaluable experience. Our students represented Reconcile with absolute professionalism and they had fun doing it!

Also, special congratulations go to our new board member, Chef Brian Landry of Borgne, for being honored with the “Community” Award. What a proud night for Cafe Reconcile!

For more information, visit: www.starchefs.com.

Reaching for the stars!

As the current Reconcile students packed up to leave at the end of the day, several familiar faces trickled into the cafe and were met with hugs, handshakes, and cries of congratulations. Fifteen students returned to Reconcile last night to receive their certificates of completion.

As Glen Armantrout, Interim Executive Director, announced the names of each student, the packed house roared with applause. When the standing ovation finally quieted down, Chef Joe began the ceremony with a prayer of thanksgiving and praise. Reconcile’s founder, Craig Cuccia, then gave a brief history of the program, telling the students that they were the “living bricks of Reconcile.”

Mental health specialist, Onassis Jones, then played the piano as Arianne Keelen, wife of case manager, Tyrone, brought down the house with her rendition of “You are the Wind Beneath my Wings.” So powerful was her song that guest speaker, Sally-Ann Roberts, refused to begin her speech before another round of applause was made in appreciation.

But when the anchorwoman of WWL-TV did begin to speak, she did so brilliantly. She spoke of the hard work of our students. She recognized their determination and praised their persistence. She told them to soar and she let them know that everyone in the room believed that they could fly. With these inspiring words in mind, Program Director Luke Crochet began the distribution of the certificates and every name called was met with a new explosion of support.

Graduate Markeita then took the podium as a representative student speaker. Addressing the audience without notes to guide her, Markeita spoke from her heart to share her experience in the program. Twenty-two years old, a mother, and homeless, Markeita told the audience that she entered the program knowing that it was her last opportunity. Now employed at Salu on Magazine Street, her life has drastically changed and her future is bright. When Glen Armantrout retook the podium to make his closing remarks with watery eyes, he did not need to explain to the sniffling audience why the student reflection was his favorite part of the evening.

After one last round of applause, family, friends, staff, graduates, and board members finally walked across the street for refreshments and camaraderie. As the noise level grew and the cake was cut, one graduate, Eddie, remarked that even though his family was unable to attend the ceremony, his “Reconcile family” was there in full force. And what a joyful family it is.

Glen Armantrout welcomes our guests

Rochelle (now a floor trainer at Reconcile) enters the ceremony to a cheering crowd

Sally-Ann Roberts inspires the room

Eddie shows off his diploma!

Markeita shares her personal experience

Graduation is a family affair!

Congratulations, Graduates!!

Chef Pete, Executive Chef of Desire Oyster & Bistro Bar in the Royal Sonesta Hotel, has a college degree in mathematics. And to earn the PhD he thought he wanted, he started working in restaurants to pay his way through graduate school. Somewhere along the way, Chef Pete’s passion for cooking trumped his love of numbers and he hasn’t left the kitchen since (lucky for us!)

Today, Chef Pete demonstrated his famous Shrimp and Grits to our Reconcile students. Creamy yellow stone ground grits, bits of juicy tasso ham, savory roasted red peppers, and local Gulf shrimp tossed in an unbelievable Alfredo sauce had our students going wild for the samples. But before they got to eat, Reconcile students learned the meaning of terms like “brine,” how to practice proper sanitation practices, and safe cutting techniques.

All their new knowledge was then put to the test when Chef Pete waved goodbye and left them with the responsibility of reproducing the dish for our hungry guests!

Eva is excited for the demo!

Chef Pete and students stir the Alfredo sauce

Interim ED, Glen, jumps in to watch with Terrencio, Glennisha, and Eva!

Steve is put in charge of watching the sauce

Everyone wants a closer view of the sizzling shrimp!

Glennisha is happy to take care of the leftover samples!

This past weekend, Cafe Reconcile joined over 50 other legendary eateries at the French Market for the 2012 New Orleans Roadfood Festival. On Friday night, the sold-out Kickoff Party at the Royal Sonesta Hotel started the weekend off with a bang. Guests of the event mingled with Poppy Tooker, host of public radio’s “Louisiana Eats,” Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of “The Splendid Table,” and our very own Chef Joe over cocktails and Big Easy hors d’oeuvres.

On Saturday and Sunday, thousands of locals and tourists swarmed the French Market to partake in the free festivities. Staff, students, and volunteers manned our booth selling Roast Beef Debris Po-boys and our famous Bananas Foster Bread Pudding. Chef Joe demonstrated the Bread Pudding recipe on both days with the help of several student-assistants.

By the end of the second day, Reconcile had sold out of all our po-boys and made more than double the profits we had the year before. Thanks to all those who worked behind the booth and for those who tried our fare!

Chef Joe demos Bananas Foster Bread Pudding with Jonas and Alexander

Team Reconcile!

Jonas and Alexander enjoy a well-earned lunch break

Perry is a 21-year-old waiter at Cafe Adelaide with a grin that lights up the room and a knack for making customers feel at ease.  Having held his job at the restaurant at the Loews Hotel for a year and a half, it’s clear that Perry performs his number one duty of ”making sure the guests have a memorable lunch or dinner” with style.

The way that Perry  moves around the room with focus and joy, it’s hard to believe that two years ago he’d describe himself as ”always on the go with nothing to do but get into trouble.”

Perry graduated the Reconcile program in August 2010 and has been working hard ever since. He enjoyed the people he met in the cafe, but it was learning how to speak and dress professionally that has truly changed his life.

Since graduating, Perry’s mentality has undergone a transformation. The idea of “running around the streets and getting in trouble” is “way in the back of my mind now,” he says, “I don’t even think about it.”

As Reconcile moves forward with our renovations and prepares to take on more students, it is inspirational to see the success of graduates such as Perry.  But the Reconcile program is not an easy one to complete and a graduate offers the best advice from someone who knows: “Stay focused.  Do what you have to do.  Listen to what they teach at Reconcile at soak it all in because you’re going to need it.”

Outside the rain poured and the thunder rumbled, but inside Café Reconcile, the students were smiling this morning.  Chef Vinny, the Executive Chef at the Ritz-Carlton, arrived early this morning with Pastry Chef Thomas, Chef de Cuisine Emily, and Charlie Shed, the Director of Food and Beverage.

Chefs Vinny and Emily began the demonstration with a healthy pan-seared mahi-mahi with a fennel and orange vinaigrette over baby greens.  As the fish finished cooking in the oven, both chefs shared how they worked their way through the culinary world.  Cooking, they warned, is not just a job: it is a passion.  There are many years of low wages, long hours, and missed holidays before all that hard work pays off.  But the work is worth it if you love it, as they clearly do.

Pastry Chef Thomas followed with a fiery demonstration of bananas foster over a piece of succulent cheesecake. To wrap up the morning, Mr. Shed gave our students some insider tips on how to impress an interviewer.  A decision can be made in the first thirty seconds of an interview, so eye contact, formal dress, and a great smile are absolutely essential.

It was a busy morning filled with a lot of great information and even more wonderful food!

Chefs Vinny and Emily prep the fennel for the mahi-mahi

Chef Thomas heats up the kitchen!

Pan-seared mahi-mahi with a spread of fennel and orange vinaigrette over baby greens

The Director of Food and Beverage shares his secrets

The students listen closely to soak up all the interview tips

Wil'nika brings some sunshine to the rainy day!

Chef Chip Flanagan, executive chef of Ralph’s on the Park, made music in the kitchen as Reconcile’s March Signature Chef.  Arriving right after breakfast, Chef demonstrated his creamy crawfish pasta made with homemade tagliatelle and his crispy crab beignets .  The students watched, devoured the sample, and then joined right in to help replicate the dish.

Chef Chip took his time explaining the proper cutting techniques and different cooking methods used to prepare each ingredient.  He even worked directly with our student, Dedrick, who will be interning at Ralph’s on the Park come Monday morning!  After lots of prep and assembly-line teamwork, the doors opened at 11:00am and the crowds flooded in.  It was a packed house all day and guests munched on free crab beignets as they waited to be seated.  The energy was high and the praise for the special was echoed throughout our small cafe.  We even had live entertainment as the Wesleyan Spirits surprised our guests and staff with some fabulous a capella!

As always, this Signature Chef Thursday was a lot of fun for all involved.  Thank you to Chef Chip and all those who came out to support our students!

Students watch as Chef Chip cooks up some veggies

Dedrick works with his new supervisor: His internship with Ralph's on the Park starts Monday!

Looks like they like it!

Dedrick and Alexander enjoy the fruits of their labor

The final product!

Cody and Wilnika smile with Chef over a job well done