From the Front Lines
The Twenty-Something Chef
Nobody wants to grow up to be a Line Cook. A very wise Chef Rhodes once told me, way back when I was twenty, that I had better have a plan because, “nobody wants to grow up to be a...
Avoid Getting Trashed
It’s a hell of a market these days – a limited number of positions and a seemingly unlimited number of applicants. If you are on the job hunt end of the equation, let me let you in on a few...
You Know It’s Time to Give Your Notice When…
The restaurant industry is not your typical workplace. Things are somewhat backwards. Especially when it comes to appreciating employees. High turnover and unpredictable income has made workers somewhat disposable. So, whether you are from the front or back of the...
There Are No Sick Chefs
The endless articles and comments regarding NOMA’s recent norovirus contamination highlights a topic that is particularly troubling to me. Why aren’t kitchen staff sent home when sick? I’ve been working in professional kitchens for 12 years and have watched cooks,...
Resume Writing Tips
Sure, your wit, tenacity, crazy skills, and stellar personality speak for themselves, but unless you’re dating or related to the hiring manager, your resume has to communicate how amazing you are, sight unseen. Get in the door by making that...
Eat Your Greens
Try the Freakin’ Herbs; They Won’t Kill You When I see a plate come back to the kitchen, herbs strewn to the side, all food eaten and tossed into the dish pit, I want to walk out to the dinning...
Write a Better Job Posting, Like NOW
Listen up restaurant owners, hiring managers, and HR professions: you can do better. Yes, the job market is still slow and there are many people looking for work, but that does not negate you from some of the shoddy job...
A Strange History
Most chefs seem to have fond memories of dining out with their parents; not so for the Kitchen Ninja. As a child, most of my dining experiences were within the confines of ‘hunting lodges’. These are a popular German...
The Kit
It’s hard when an entire career must fit in a nylon bag, zipped up, slung on your shoulder moving from place to place. However, it is a comfort to know that you have what you need to make a meal...
You Dirty Little Stagiaire
If you’re a cook you must understand the concept of a stage: you work for free and show ‘em what you’ve got. It’s basically a working interview. I’m not sure why, but some of you show up forgetting all the...
In Memorium: Robert Reynolds
This just in from Portland Monthly: Robert Reynolds, 1942-2012 In Memorium: a lifespring of culinary creativity and leader of Chef Studio, Robert Reynolds passed away this morning. An educator, storyteller, mentor and firebrand, Robert inspired and challenged many of the...
PoachedJobs Makes The News
We’re happy to see that The Oregonian has been doing a series of articles on Portland-area start-ups and felt lucky to be featured last week. Some highlights: The site, launched about a year ago, allows qualified applicants to post résumés...
Restaurant Dot Wrong
As restaurant owners, our feelings about Restaurant.com resemble those of any bad relationship: We’re mainly elated… that it’s over. Don’t really want to talk about it. Chalked up to “lessons learned”. So the article in The Oregonian caught my attention....
How To Get Hired: Springtime Redux
Across the Poachedjobs.com nation, countless restaurants and bars are expanding their seating capacity by opening their patio and sidewalk tables, while catering calendars fill with weddings and summer celebrations. The industry’s staffing up and that means more employment opportunities, but...
Poached Cities: Our Efforts to be Less Trashy
With the City of Seattle’s recent announcement that all takeout and fast food containers must be compostable or recyclable, we thought we’d take a look at green-leaning food service rules and resources around the Poached Nation. Seattle thinks to-go should...
Intermediate Kitchen Tips
So you’re no longer a beginner. How can you take your game up a notch, and be the best? 1. Organize your space! When you come into a new kitchen, chances are someone has already set up your station. Chances...
Straight From the Spout
Since the ripe old age of 18, when I first dove behind a bar along the murky shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, I have been slinging drinks, procuring inhibition and quenching the general public’s thirst. This liquid trade has...
Basic Advice for Kitchen Noobs
Written by Hanna Youngling 1. A burn is a burn, is a burn. Put cold water on it, put burn cream on it, put that stupid compressed air shit in the jar like you clean your keyboard with on it...
Welcoming San Francisco to the fold
We still have a pink glow in our cheeks after a fantastic (sunny!) sojourn to San Francisco last week. The PDX and SF poachedjobs.com teams clearly play well together and we’re all excited to have our Bay Area job board...
Welcome to Portland. Now get a job.
So you want to work in the fantastic food and drink world of Portland? You’re not alone. Restaurant, bar and café work is huge in Portland. The industry appeals to a variety of people spanning all ages and backgrounds. Competition...
Two Curly Fries, One Foie Gras Sandwich, and a Shot of Makers To Go
There are a couple of women who travel SE Portland pulling along a cooler filled with tamales. They stop in at Stumptown on Belmont and sometimes I buy a couple. They’re pretty good and homemade. You can’t help but admire their plucky entrepreneurship....
Loving Your Own Feet Is Not A Fetish
Servers are the only people we know who would rather not sit down until the day is over. We may find you, on a slow day, taking a quick swig of coffee or lingering over a crossword, but always erect. We...
Do We Really Care What You Think?
Recently a reviewer on Yelp suggested that a chef friend of mine, “stay home and make his family miserable with his cooking.”
Follow Us
Favorite Item
The OXO Jigger
$7.99 @ Amazon.com
