A SWISS CHEF'S CAREER: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE YUMMY (9)

Chapter 9

                        

                         Sometime I have the feeling that nobody really  understands what it takes to be a Chef. I believe most people adore famous TV chefs. Let me clarify these characters are no chefs, they are TV Stars. Agree their  food mostly looks spectacular but you could not produced it in a regular establishment and be profitable. Its all entertainment! And some of them even give us chefs a bad reputation.    (We are calm and collective at all time even under pressure!)

                          My last entry was 8 months ago because last summer I was very busy with landscaping around our house,  world cup,  vacations in Florida and Switzerland  and during the holidays (Christmas confectionery).
                         There are three reason wile I am back now. First I had encouraging discussion with some friends and family members, second it is winter and freezing cold with snow and ice outside,  third I like our new office set up inclusive my new companion Alexa!

I finally find some motivation again to continue my blog about my career path!

our deck, to cold to go outside 

our new office

                                       
                               Okay, here we go, I was sleeping in a great room on the top floor at the Warwick hotel in Houston for over two weeks like a hotel guest using all the facilities like restaurants and pool all for free. I was informed they had some problems with Immigration and it was impossible for them to get me a work visa like promised. I was not allowed to work, occasional I went to visit the chef and his crew in the kitchen.  If you think I enjoyed that time your are wrong I actually felt miserable and thank God for Marieteres Odermatt who came by when ever she had time and show me a lot of the town inclusive of taking me to see the Houston Astros in the Astrodome! She made my wasted time there much easier and I still be thankful for that.
                               After two weeks the general manager called me to his office. He was very apologetic and informed me of the Impossibility to get a work visa for me in the near future!  He also payed me some cash for the last two week even though I didn't lift a finger. He made me two offers!
One was giving me a airline ticket back to Zurich and the other was to take over as corporate executive chef position for the Warwick corporation in Acapulco Mexico. I remember my heart was pounding of enjoyment!!  Only then I found out that the Warwick Corp. had Hotel Maralisa, Hotel Villa Vera, the biggest outside Restaurant in Acapulco "El Patio" and the Restaurant Swiss Chalet!
                               Coming here to Houston I was offered a Sous chef job and after 2 weeks without working I got promoted to corporate chef . Unreal, but it was happening, luck was on my side. Two days later I was on a plane to Acapulco with a work visa for 6 months and I was the happiest dude in the world.

Acapulco , Mexico

It was December 1969  and stepping out of the plane in Acapulco a 95 F degree wind hit me in the face and I realize I was the first time in the tropic! It felt wonderful. Something else hit me, everybody was speaking Spanish. I could not understand a word. My luck didn't stopped here. My new boss general manager Karl Harbich was German. He met me at the Airport and drove me to the hotel Maralisa where I get assigned a beautiful hotel suite,  my habitat for the next 2 years.

Hotel Maralisa, Acapulco

                              The next morning I was finally standing in uniform in a kitchen after 3 and a half weeks off. My crew was small, only 12 people and only one was speaking broken English.   
The maitre d of our dinning room came to my rescue. He spoke perfect English and helped me every day with the translating of my food ordering, menu writing, scheduling and teaching me Spanish! I remember learning fast and in a short 2 months I could handle it comfortable on my own! Right of the back I was very successful. My crew teach me authentic Mexican food, but the tourist where more interested in international gourmet food. I introduced  different theme buffets, special wine dinners etc, etc. We start getting lots of walk-ins beside all the hotel guest.

Saturday night buffet at the Hotel Maralisa 1970 

on my right is sous chef Pedro Suarez

After 3 months the management ask me to start making changes in the other establishments.
                  I promoted Pedro to head chef and started working at the Hotel Villa Vera.

Hotel Villa Vera

                       Since  Villa Vera was about a mile away my boss gifted me his old VW Beetle. I remember being surprised and very happy having some wheels to get around. To me it was amazing
how helpful and generous all the people here in Mexico were.
                       I checked  out Villa Vera 3 or 4 times before  on my day offs. It seemed to me the kitchen was working good and there was Paul Read a young chef from Canada  for the past 6 Months.  Paul and I got along great and I knew I will have a easy time to implement changes to the food there.
                      Not exactly what happened! Just at the same week I went there Paul was notified about problems at home in Canada and he had to leave immediately. So from on easy it went to a very difficult job. Villa Vera was a exclusive, high class and very expensive establishment. I knew I could not handle it with just kitchen helper. I needed professional help in there. With my boss permission I called my best friend Heinz in Switzerland and 2 weeks later he was here and became the chef in the hotel Villa Vera and my assistant overall.
                       The hotel was managed by Houston Warwick company but was owned by Teddy Stauffer a famous band leader from Switzerland who used to be married to Hedy Lamarr.  He adored what I did to the food in his place and he let me invite my parents from Switzerland for over a months vacation absolutely free of charge for room and board in his villa in Acapulco right beside the hotel. 
Episodes like that is one other reason to become a chef and like it! Even my brother came to see me in Acapulco and enjoy the vacations

Teddy Stauffer on the right and Jack Trommer his pianist on the left

Teddy's villa in the background

                          There was another happening worth mentioning at that time. Paul Read was the owner of a Triumph 900 motorcycle. It was not in best shape and would never make it all the way to Canada. He had to fly home and he give me his motorcycle for a few pesos. 

I  enjoyed that bike few months before I had to junk it!

                                Heinz and I upgraded or changed all the menu items. We left some Mexican flare. The boss even let me buy some new serving dishes and our customer loved it.                            
                                My friend Heinz did a fabulous job for me  and only a few weeks later I could engage my professional attention to the Restaurants Swiss Chalet and 'El Patio' .
                             
                   Lots more to come about  my career in Acapulco in my next chapter.

                    It is time for my recipe and since we are in the Hotel Villa Vera this is the dish with record sales at  the pool bar-restaurant.

SEAFOOD CAMPECHANA VILLA VERA

         
            2 cup diced white fish (grouper, flounder, red snapper, sole etc)
            1 cup diced scallops
            1 cup diced cooked shrimps
            1 cup lumps of cooked King crab meat
            1 cup diced lobster meat

     Mix fish and scallops in a glass bowl and cover with pure lemon juice. 

Let marinade for at least 6 hours or over night.

                Sauce

            2 cup finely diced Onion
            2 cup diced peeled fresh tomatoes
            3 each finely diced Serrano or jalapeno peppers . ( more if you like it spicy hot)
            1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
            6 oz tomato juice
            6 oz seafood cocktail sauce

 Strain fish and scallops from lemon juice and ad to sauce

 add rest of seafood to sauce 

 Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve

BON APPETIT