Yesterday I spent an hour or so serving food with the Loving Hearts Club at “tent city” in Reno. I’m ashamed to say that it’s first time I’ve been on the “front line” helping the homeless. I should have done this a lot more in the past as it really opened up my eyes.

The folks that put this group together, Billy and Karmin, are simply amazing people. They are taking the shortest route they see to help people in need. Find some hungry people and feed them. Simple right? I originally met them doing an interview for All Reno Radio for their band.

I finally made it out yesterday and went through an interesting personal journey in the process. Since this was my first time really being one on one with these folks, I saw things a bit differently. There I was in my brand name clothes, having just finished $24 worth of sushi. I rode up in my truck listening to streaming music from my iPhone. Then, I walked up to a line of 300+ people that didn’t even have enough resources to feed themselves dinner. WOW.

It quickly made all of the little material things that I have much less interesting. The folks we were serving seemed to come from all walks of life. Older gentleman that looked as if they’ve been on the streets for a while. Middle aged men in somewhat clean clothes that may have just hit this stage of life. And, sadly, young kids and teenagers.

It was the family of four that really got me. Mom and dad, probably mid thirties, wearing respectable clothes and doing their best to look like they didn’t belong there. A teenage boy, close to 14 I would guess, with his headphones poking out of his shirt. I imagine those are about his only respite from his surroundings. Then a young boy, about 5, that was so excited when I put a slice of pizza on his plate. I couldn’t help but wonder if he saw this as normal life. You know, like when you went to friend’s house for dinner as a kid and it was a bit different than your house. Did he know that this dinner was out of necessity and not choice? I don’t know how long they’ve been eating at tent city, although I heard Billy talk to them as though he knew them. It’s possible that this is what dinner is every Sunday for the little guy.

Some of the folks were surprisingly upbeat. One gentleman shuttled away the empty pizza boxes as if he was being paid for the task. Many of them were excited to see the syrup that was brought for the pancakes and waffles. And every one of them said thanks as they walked away.

It wasn’t all cheer though. I could see the pain in many people’s eyes. There was another young man there that stuck in my head as well. Probably 16 years old, wearing torn jeans, a t-shirt way to big for his small frame and shower slippers that were at least four sizes too large. His voice was a bit weak and his eyes darted away as he thanked me and left. To me, it looked like shame. But I can’t imagine what a person of his age could have done to be in that position and cause shame. I watched him walk away from the table and head off in the corner by himself. It didn’t seem as though he had anyone, or maybe no desire, to share his dinner.

The faces and words of these folks have been running through my head since I left. The one constant for me is knowing that each and every one of them has a story. Good or bad, they are in a different spot in life than most of us. you and I have the freedom to tell our story freely if we choose. They don’t. I also wonder about the simple things that they are missing to improve their quality of life. Remember the kid with the headphones? How long has he been listening to the same music? How long has it been since they sat down and watched a movie, read a book, had a shower, or drank a beer with friends. Simple things that we have an abundance of. Maybe that’s something I could share. Give them a bit of a break from the stress of life and at least a few moments to be carelessly happy for a change.

If you’re interested in helping out the homeless. I strongly suggest getting in touch with The Loving Hearts Club. They do it simply out of their own love for people. No overhead, no bullshit. Just helping people in the most direct way possible.

P.S.- Some of you may be thinking that it’s not a good idea to give beer to the homeless. I get that. I also get the fact that it’s a simple pleasure that I bet most of them would cherish. But, I probably won’t be walking into tent city with a case of brew under my arm anytime soon.

Tonight I ventured out to see a long time buddy by the name of Rick Metz. I’ve known Rick for probably 15 years, originally as a customer of Butcher Boy. Rick is a sax player, and a damn good one.

He does a few shows a week with his band “First Take” but unfortunately it’s been WAAAAAAY too long since I’ve been out to see them. And tonight was actually the first time I’ve seen Rick with these bandmates, and in an open stage, sit in setup. I was pleasantly shocked at how amazing it was.

I can’t say I’m a huge jazz fan. I like it well enough but it’s not the first thing on my playlist if you know what I mean. But I am a fan of true musicians. Artists. Guys that can pick up their instrument and entertain you effortlessly. Ladies that can grab a mic and lay down a tune that captivates you. That’s First Take. And the fine folks that stepped up to join them are right there all the way.

As I sat and watched them play I started to make connections between their playing and my career as a chef. Watching a band rearrange a tune and play it a bit different for the first time isn’t that far removed from a kitchen brigade throwing down plates “on the fly” as we say. You have to know your job, and the guy next to you. You have to understand how what you’re doing affects him and how it all works together. After some practice the team lays out a feast, whether it’s food or jazz, that please the audience.

I never really considered myself an artist until recently. It took quite a while to realize that making edible art isn’t just about the look. It’s about the feeling it invokes in the folks that consume it. Kind of like music. You get people to feel something a bit different, move a bit and send a bit of a twist through their thoughts about what they just experienced. That’s the joy that artists get from their craft. When I realized that, I realized I was an artist.

The other thing I noticed is the humbleness from the band. Letting other folks step up and play, regardless of who they are or what instrument they have, takes a bit of humility. You have to understand that it’s not all about you. That’s the same problem with a lot of folks in my business as well. Chefs that are full of themselves and can’t stand back and let someone else have a bit of fame. We all go through it, I’m still not all the way out of it yet at times.

So now, I gotta figure out a way to combine cooking and live jazz into a performance art. Because I really want to work with these guys- true artists, real people and honestly, I can’ sing……

Go check out First Take, look at their schedule and you’ll see that they’re all over the place. But when you see them, do yourself a favor and close your eyes and just listen. It makes all the difference in the world.

I recently watched the movie “Food, Inc.”. After hearing about it for years I figured it was time. I’m not normally impressed by these shockumentaries since they usually have hidden agendas. From my background, I can tell you that a lot of what they shared regarding the meat industry is true. But what really caught my attention is the thought that you can eat prepared foods more cheaply than wholesome, real food. That thought is a bit scary to me in fact.

I figure it’s because of two main reasons- the government subsidies that they discuss in the film and the fact that your average American really has no clue how to prepare food from scratch. And when I say scratch, I’m not talking about fixing a box of Mac n’ Cheese or cooking frozen ravioli and adding sauce from a can. When I talk about cooking from scratch I mean making the pasta from flour, eggs, salt and oil then making the sauce from real milk, real cheese, etc.

This is where the challenge comes in. My roommate and I have been really experimenting on the food front lately. Making cheese, beer, wine, bacon, paté and sausage all from scratch in the last week. We collectively decided that it would be fun, and a good challenge, to rid our kitchen of any prepared foods for  month. I’m talking nothing more than items that contain one ingredient. No mustard, ketchup, salad dressings, pasta, bread, lunch meat, cereal or cheese unless we make it ourselves. Truly making everything from scratch, while still eating a diverse and balanced menu.

The first step will be to clean out the cupboards of any prepare foods, then restock with whole foods (not the store , well…unless they sponsor us!). Then it’s all about making the basics that will ease the prep for each meal such as condiments, lunch meats, etc. We are cheating a bit though- since cheese takes a month or better to age it will be already be finished when we start our month, but still made from scratch.

I will be blogging, recording and writing about everything we do. I can’t promise that each and every recipe will be shared but the ones that are paramount to this type of diet will be. Homemade mustards, cereals, etc. aren’t something that most people ever even think about making so that’s the stuff I want to share and show how it can be done without a lot of fuss.

My roommate Chris is also committing to some blogging and sharing on a daily basis. It should be interesting to get two perspectives, mine as a professional chef and his as the average guy that likes to cook. Together it should make for a good view of what it takes to live completely on real food. Since there are two of us and it’s a dedicated project I will have it on it’s own blog.

Speaking of real food, we aren’t necessarily limiting ourselves to organic, all natural or local. That’s usually the preference anyway but it may make it too difficult to do everything we want for this project. The simple limitation is that we buy only items that have one ingredient. The only exceptions will be when it’s impossible or severely impractical to find. Things such as milk come to mind, since it has vitamin D added, although we did just stumble across a source for raw milk so we may just take the cream from that for cheese and go real old school on the dairy! Either way, we will share what we are using in the recipes so you can see if we “cheated”.

We will also keep track of all the food purchases and compare it to a regular month of groceries. No doubt we will be eating healthier and the challenge will be rewarding, but we also want to see if we can eat 100% real food for less money. We don’t buy any fully prepared foods now, and never do fast food, so I think we will be close to the regular budget. The real sacrifice, if you can call it that, will be in time. But, I think with some organization we can keep that to a minimum.

We plan to start and finish the challenge in March. Who knows where this will lead. It could be a fun challenge that simply has us eating better for a month. It could turn into a life long dietary change. Or, possibly a cookbook and partnerships to keep doing it. Whatever happens with it, I hope to learn a bunch and share that knowledge with the folks that want it.

Now, all I need is a name for the blog and website to put all of this together. Got any ideas?

Also let me know if you can think of anything you would like to see done 100% from scratch. I’m looking for ideas, as always, to keep myself out of a rut!

I did a short recap last week of 2010′s “three words”. The idea came from my second favorite blog, by Chris Brogan.

So here is the guiding force for 2011 (that’s pronounced two thousand and eleven, not twenty eleven, by the way….). Three words that will help to keep me on track and moving in the direction I want to go. Not resolutions, but ideas that play into everything I do.

Space-

The space around me influences how I get things done. It also influences how others see me. Clutter gets in the way of productivity and slows down the flow. It’s time for me to clean up and organize the areas I spend time in, both physically and mentally. Like parting the Red Sea, pushing things aside and defining a path will get me there faster, wherever “there” needs to be at the moment.

Explore-

It’s time to travel a bit more and explore new cities. Explore new ideas, processes, models and systems. Explore myself deeper and explore my history to see how I got here. Remember when you were a kid and you grabbed a friend and ran off into the forest to see what was behind the hill? I want that feeling back.

Make-

Last year was a year of planning. This will be the year of making, creating and shipping. Setting deadlines to make things and ship them will keep me on track. Make the best, make money, make a difference and make memories.

And that’s it. Every year brings new challenges, new opportunities and new memories. Here’s to having an overabundance in 2011!

It’s been just about a year since I wrote my “three words” to focus on in 2010. The three words idea came from Chris Brogan and really seemed to hit home with me. I figured this would be a good time to revisit the words and how they lead me through the year. I’ve been thinking about the plan for next year and will get them written down on the flight back from Arizona later this week.

A review-

Close

Before this year I tended to put friends and family lower on the priorities list. In fact, work was always number one even ahead of myself. After closing the last business a lot of time was opened up to concentrate on relationships and people that mattered. Hopefully those folks have noticed a change in me, if not then maybe I didn’t go as far as I could have. To me, I’ve noticed a difference in myself when it comes to spending time and communicating with friends and family. But, I still need more effort here so this facet will be included in next year’s list.

Take

Noticing and capitalizing on opportunities was never given much thought in the past. I always kind of figured that I made my own destiny and shut out other people’s thoughts, suggestions and comments. I’ve made a distinct effort to listen a bit better for these opportunities. I started changing my outlook on this area after reading Smoke Signals from the Universe co-authored by my friend and coach Andy Hill. In summary, the book talks about recognizing and opening up to the little signs around us that can lead us in the right direction. This has brought about some good opportunities and the start to many great friendships over the past year. Next year will be more about filtering and acting upon the right ones.

Expand

I’ve spent a lot of time this year on educating myself. I’ve learned a lot more about online marketing, website design, business management, wine and the interactions between people. I’ve spent a lot of time in planning and strategizing my future plans instead of just jumping into things. The people I’ve met and connected with this year will become even better allies as I move forward with plans.

The new list

After reading through this, it looks like next year needs to be more about action. I’ve had enough of a “break” for now, and it’s been a good year of self discovery and education. I feel like it’s time to move on some thoughts that I’ve had and build a new legacy so I can get that extended break again in the near future.

What’s your take? What are your plans for the new year?