UGH! Lesson Learned!
#9
  Re: (...)
Big tournament yesterday - MS Society. Probably the third most important tournament for us wit lots of big shots golfing - bankers, insurance, etc, people that you want to put your best foot forward and make a big impression and hopefully generate more business from.

This year they decided to have us do the food, selected prime rib. We had a dinner count of 131, I had ordered 8 prime ribs and had several in the freezer from a sale earlier this summer (when they joined my wall of steaks). We hired a new cook a few weeks ago to assist my main cook, who also assists her dad in the auction business. Of course yesterday, she had an auction so the new girl was in the kitchen. A recipe for disaster.

I should have been overseeing the kitchen, but instead was stuck scoring the tournament. My partner comes in and tells me we have run out of prime and there are a bunch of people left to eat, what are we going to do? How in the h*ll could we have run out of prime? BJ says she was getting 15 slices out of each piece, but she only sliced 7. I thought we were cooking 9. We frantically start pulling steaks out of the freezer, throwing them on the grill, I am apologising right and left and promising steaks asap. We get 30 steaks on the grll and I look at BJ completely baffled about why this is occuring and ask what should have been obvious to me - are you sure that there isn't a pan of prime in another oven or one of the hot boxes. Hard to believe - there were three primes in the low boy. I knew they were there since I had temped them earlier, but I guess that information never got conveyed to the one who mattered.

So I guess I chalk this up to a lesson learned - the first year we learned that you need to double check the hot boxes because the server left a completely full pan of pot roast in the hot box.

And this is why I feel the need to oversee every darn detail, cause when I don't it bites me in the butt! I so wanted this tournament to go flawlessly and instead what they will remember is how I ran out of food. Or lost three dang prime ribs!
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#10
  Re: UGH! Lesson Learned! by iBcookin (Big tournament yeste...)
I've got to get busy, but I'll be back later this a.m. to read this Linda...... played too long.
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#11
  Re: UGH! Lesson Learned! by iBcookin (Big tournament yeste...)
Oh, Linda, that stinks! Hopefully, they were so impressed with the steaks, they didn't care?
Daphne
Keep your mind wide open.
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#12
  Re: Re: UGH! Lesson Learned! by cjs (I've got to get busy...)
Yikes! Now that's a bad day! So sorry this happened to you after all your hard work.
Maryann

"Drink your tea slowly and reverently..."
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#13
  Re: Re: UGH! Lesson Learned! by Mare749 (Yikes! Now that's a ...)
Oh that had to be so incredibly frustrating So sorry that happened! I can't imagine how stressful that had to be. But I am sure with all the experience you've gained you pulled it off beautifully
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#14
  Re: Re: UGH! Lesson Learned! by DFen911 (Oh that had to be so...)
Sat down with a glass of wine instead!! The minute I read, " so the new girl was in the kitchen." I thought, on no, spread too thin!!

I'll bet your cook will always remember that and if she has any hutzpah (how do you spell that??? ), she'll never forget this lesson. (nor, will you ) Hey, you probably had a pretty happpy crowd serving them steaks!!!!
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
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#15
  Re: Re: UGH! Lesson Learned! by cjs (Sat down with a glas...)
Never served the steaks! By the time we had 30+ steaks opened and on the grill, we had discovered the lost prime, so we cut that and put it out. So now I have 30 some steaks more than half cooked.

Such an expensive lesson in more ways than one. But you are right - it will never be repeated!
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#16
  Re: Re: UGH! Lesson Learned! by iBcookin (Never served the ste...)
Oh my, I can just imagine how you felt. I'm glad it all worked out, I'm sure they happy as they all got fed. Hopefully they remember how good the food was, and not the wait time.
Practice safe lunch. Use a condiment.
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