Chef Matt and Ritz Carlton New Orleans Comes to the Café
On Thursday, April 8, we welcomed a longtime Reconcile supporter, Chef Matt Murphy of the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans. Six members of Chef Matt’s staff performed two cooking demonstrations, as well as a table setting and a serving demonstration. They also spoke with our students about different opportunities in the hospitality industry. The first of his staff to arrive, Chef Matt jumped right into our breakfast conversation about “compassion.” He spoke about “taking care of each other” as a critical aspect of success on any staff, especially in the culinary industry.
Russell Miller, General Manager of the Ritz-Carlton, offered a few highlights from his thirty years in the hospitality industry. Russell grew up in the Bahamas and started working at hotels at an early age. He got his big break when he was able to enroll in a few hospitality-related summer classes taught by a visiting professor from Cornell University. Russell’s hard work paid off, and he attended Cornell for four years, earning a degree in Hospitality and Tourism. He encouraged our students who are interested in the hotel industry to work hard because there are always opportunities to move up, and hard work is always noticed.
Chef Bradley McGehee followed Russell with one of the day’s cooking demonstrations, a Waldorf Salad, which is made with chopped apples, grapes, walnuts, raisins, and mayonnaise. Chef Bradley started by making a homemade mayonnaise, which none of our students had tasted before. He then mixed the ingredients and presented the dish in a small hollow head of Iceberg Lettuce. Some students were reluctant to try the mixture because it was foreign to them and seemed like a weird combination. Nonetheless, Chef Bradley encouraged our students to try new foods every time they had a chance because they could discover new things they might like.
John Gomes, the head of Food and Beverage Services at Ritz-Carlton, showed students how to set a table in a fine dining establishment. First demonstrating four different ways to fold a napkin, then identifying the use of each piece of silverware, he finally showed students the correct way to serve a dish to a customer and the importance of the position of the server’s hand and eye contact with the customer.
The second demonstration was done by Executive Sous Chef, Azar Mohammed. Azar prepared a Blackened Tuna with Cajun Rice and a Pineapple Salsa. The students enjoyed all the demonstrations because they learned some interesting facts, but most importantly because the staff made our students believe in their own ability.
Thank you Chef Matt and his amazing staff for their support of our mission and dedication to our students!
