A SWISS CHEF'S CAREER: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE YUMMY (10)

CHAPTER 10

                     It was June 1970 and the host country for the World Cup was Mexico. My Boss was German and of course was able to book the whole German team inclusive their wife's in the Hotel Maralisa. Needless to say, the Swiss chalet had to wait for my attention  and for 4 Weeks I spend full time at the Maralisa. I remember at that time England was my favorite Team but of course the circumstances changed my mind and I rooted for Germany. It was on exciting time with the press here and meeting all the players. Beckenbauer and Muller where the most famous ones. I was very busy to take care of the big entourage but the team itself brought in their own chef. That made my job easier and I just had to help him with the food ordering. 

                            

                              Once the World Cup started all the player moved to Leon were they had the first games. Most of the entourage and wife's stayed back at the Maralisa.  The team got us, my boss and I great  tickets to all the games Germany played. Of course I could not afford the travel to Leon, but we went to one against England. Yes it was a great, exciting game and Germany won 3 to 2. 

                               Again I realize that all this is part of the benefit to become a chef. There is always something exiting going an around you and you meet some great people. Just to let you know, Germany eventually lost against Italia and Brasil won the World Cup.  

Restaurant Swiss Chalet in Acapulco

                                I finally got to the Restaurant Swiss Chalet and El Patio.  In my mind the Swiss Chalet had a great kitchen crew. I saw one problem, way to many regular boring  menu item and not one really related to SWISS . That was easy to solve for me. Specifically, the # 1 Swiss national dish  to organize. First of all I had to go out and buy some Fondue dishes and in a short 4 weeks Cheese fondue was #1 seller in the restaurant. With a few more additions like diced Veal in mushroom cream sauce, bratwurst and roesti, schnitzel with morel sauce , homemade salad dressing etc,  something still was missing. Desserts!! They had been non existent.  I found out why, there was no location to produce desserts, there was no pastry shop.

El Patio beside the restaurant Swiss Chalet

                                 

                                Also  El Patio served no pastry. It was right outside the Swiss Chalet, a wide open 60 seat garden restaurant with only umbrellas offering some shadow. The food offering was mostly authentic Mexican food like ceviche, posole, carnitas, carne asada tampiquena, tacos, huachinango, chile rellenos, enchilada, mole etc.  Again a great kitchen crew and very nice service personnel in Mexican costumes. 

                                  At that time I had a long conference with Mr Harbich and phone calls to the headquarters in Houston. Two days later I was permitted to hire Xaver Odermat from Switzerland as Executive Pastry chef and to my surprise he accepted. Now I had to hurry and convert a large existing room in to a Pastry shop with walk- in cooler and freezer. Also machinery like Dough roller, mixer, steam kettle and Convention oven. The rest of the necessities I decided was up to Xaver to buy when he arrives.

                                  Xaver was amazing! He arrived with Trudy his wife and seemed to be very happy to be here. He hired him some help and start producing tasty, beautiful, state of the art desserts for all 4 establishment. He was an instant hit for the company and of course I could take some credit too.

I always went to work, teach and  help out were  it was busiest 

                           

                                  At about that time Teddy Stauffer approached me to start a restaurant at our own, close to the Hotel Villa Vera. We called it Teddy's Hideaway. We had a piano Bar with Jack Trommer playing every night . The restaurant had a unique setting, the main floor with 6 large tables and the rest of the tables on different levels with view of the Acapulco bay on a 50 yard hill full of tropical plants.  It was sensational but a pain in the neck for the servers. I made a very limited menu easy for two cooks to handle on a busy night.                        

This was the billboard on the street below the Hotel Villa Vera

our first attempt  promoting the restaurant

                 Note:                  

                              I am sorry for the poor quality of all the photos at the time in Acapulco. In actuality I took a lot of Slides in that time, unfortunate I lost them all on my move to the USA. Most of the photographs you see where given to me by friends.

                                  Like the name of the restaurant suggest it was hidden and not easy to find, but with all the followers of Teddy the restaurant was packed  every day from day one. Henry Kissinger was my first famous customer. He came with a whole entourage and secret service. Two of the secret agents even watched me cook their dishes!

                                  There where lot of movie-stars who spend vacation in Acapulco at that time and they all came to see Teddy.  My favorite was John Wayne, he stayed for two weeks. During the day he went fishing on his yacht and later he brought me his catch to prep for him and his people. It was just a great satisfaction to have a conversations about food and fishing with a gigantic super star like John in my kitchen. Again I was happy that I choose cooking as my profession. 

My first fresh shark to dress and cook

                                   It was also a great employment to see how my Parents loved the attention they got from all these people and I was glad being able to give them that experience. 

                                   My two year anniversary in Acapulco was close and everything was going great in my life and career,  but just in a few hours it again changes even to the better.                                                             

                                  Three gentlemen came to the restaurant for dinner and after they invited me to their table. It was the GM , the food and beverage manager and Executive chef from the Princess hotel under construction. It should open end of 1971 and was already recognized as #1 hotel in the world. It is unreal but they offered me a chef job as of right now. Needless to say two weeks later I started my new job at the princess. A whole new experience! But  that comes in my next chapter.

Huachinango Veracruzana

                        2 each  1 to 1.5 lb Red Snapper

                                                      Clean and scale the fish without cutting off the head or tail with                                                              a sharp knife score the fleshy part on both side of the snapper.

                        1 tbsp    olive oil

                        4 tbsp   butter

                        1           medium Onion sliced

                        1/2        julienne of red pepper  

                        1/2        julienne of yellow pepper 

                        1/2        julienne of green pepper
                        1 tbsp   chopped fresh garlic

                        1 tbsp   Tomato paste

                        1 cup     peeled and sliced fresh tomatoes 
                        2 tbsp    capers
                        1/4 cup  white wine
                        1/4 cup  clam juice or chicken stock
                            salt , pepper, lemon juice and chopped parsley
                       Season fish with salt, fresh black pepper, lemon juice and a little Worcestershire 
                       Saute red snapper in olive oil and some butter golden brown on both side

                       add white wine and simmer fish for a few minutes

                        In a separate pan saute Onion, peppers and garlic
                        ad tomato paste, capers and clam juice or chicken stock  

                        Simmer for 2 minutes and ad the tomatoes
                        ad to the cooked Snapper and serve with the peppers on top and chopped parsley               

Enjoy

                                 

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

A SWISS CHEF'S CAREER: THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE YUMMY (8)

Chapter 8

Famous Chateau Chillon at the
lake Geneva in Montreux

                            Before I go further I would like to share a very dear story related to my career what happened October 1966. I was approached by Mr. Gachet (My ex masterchef from my apprenticeship) to join him to work, organize and serve a gala dinner for 150 people in the grand hall of the  Chateau Chillon. It was for a marriage between two wineries. At that time I worked at the Kursaal Bern. I took for that weekend off, asked my friend Heinz to join me and we left for Montreux.

                                 It was exiting for us to work in this historic building where 1,000's of tourists visit every year. We had a of work to do, but we didn't mind. The party was medieval themed  and all guest came in costumes, it was amazing.
                                 We served them to start a half Lobster tail Thermidor, followed by a clair Turtle soup. (they were not a protected species then) after this of course followed a small version of the montricher salade. During all this time we had 8 lb piglets on spits rotating in the fire place in fact there been in there exactly 6 hours when it was time to get them off. We had fanfares playing when 8 of us picked up the spits with the roasted pigs and traveled all around the dining hall for every one to see to bring them  back to the kitchen. It was not that easy, we had to hold drip trays below to avoid making a mess.  It was a unique experience I will never forget, standing ovation, goosebumps ect, ect. We served the Pig with Dauphin potatoes and green beans. We also had to whole out 150 medium size Pineapple, and filled them with chopped strawberry and pineapple mixed with white wine sabayon made with their personal wine St Saphorin. Beside a good professional experience, outstanding satisfaction and being proud to having accomplished a task with great success, we got well payed to.

The grand hall with a fully functional fireplace-rotisserie to the right!

same place when it was set up

Small Lobster Thermidor appetizer

Montricher salade

Claire Turtle soup

Small Pig an a spit, we had 8,  2 at each spit.

I just had to bring this up before I now go back to my regular continuation of what happened next in my career

                         I arrived 1 week before the hotel opened the doors for the 1969 season. Executive Chef Kurt Hartman seem to be very happy that my effort during the winter to recruit Pastry chef Xaver Odermat and Gardmanger Rudy Egli where successful and with my friend Heinz and other employees from the year before I think Kurt had his best Kitchen brigade in the Lodore hotel ever. What made it really so much more special in my mind was the addition of Xaver. Even I was a certified pastry chef, the production of hotel pastry and dessert are well different from what I learned and produced in the pastry shop. Xaver showed us all some new elegant, refreshing and artistic desserts  and every day some different kind all season long. Of course I recorded all his recipe in my recipe book knowing it will help me tremendously in the future.

I have 10 Pages like this helping me throughout my career

                         I remember in that year Chef Kurt was very happy and relaxed and everybody loved working for him. End result, we had nothing but impressed and satisfied customer.

                       Without  knowing then, this was another stepping stone in my still short career,  my last Job in Europe. Thinking back it was definitely my happiest one.

My last work certification from  a hotel in europe.



During this summer season I expressed myself various times wishing there would be a chance to  go to America to work, my big goal!  Xaver informed me then, that he is having a relative, I believe he's aunt ( it was 48 years ago)  living in Houston Texas. We wrote her a letter and my resume and Xaver vouch for me. It is embarrassing but I forgot her name. She owned a travel agency and had some influence in Houston. Anyway she organised a job at the Warwick hotel in Houston for me as Sous Chef. I was very happy and super nervous at the same time!
                          It was 1969 and they offered me $15,000 a year plus room and board. At that time I thought I hit the lottery. 
                     
                            So this will be my last recipe from over this side of the ocean and it is a pretty good one. It was very popular on elaborated cold buffets in that time.

Terrine de Pheasant

This is made with 7 lb pheasant meat

     

                    Scale down version:

          2 lb Pheasant ( breast, and liver)

          4 oz Bacon     

          4 oz lean pork

          4 oz Chicken liver

          1 oz olive oil  

          8 oz Fatback

          1 cup peeled apples

          1 tsp Truffle (otional)

          2 oz Cognac

          Salt, Pepper

          2 Quarts Aspic

                                        Cut pheasant, bacon, pork in one inch cubs, ad chicken liver and apples and saute in olive oil for only one minute, flambe with the cognac to bring out the pheasant flavor and immediately  let cool in the freezer. When cold pass to meat grinder 2 to 3 times until consistency is very fine. Place back in freezer. During the hole process the meat has to stay very  cold to prevent  the separation of the fat from the solid. Remove raw pate from freezer and try to make the paste as fine in small portions in your food processor or mixer with adding the heavy cream. Slice the fatback very thin and line out the terrine form. Now finish seasoning your raw paste with salt and pepper to taste. (Some people like diced red pepper, pistachio or walnuts in there, or even diced fatback for visual effect when you are slice it) Place the paste into the terrine form and cover with the rest of the fatback. Place form into double boiler  (water bad) and coke until fat on top is clair and terrine feels solid. Press the top wile let cole overnight in refrigerator. Next day remove from form and clean excessive fat. Fill bottom of form with aspic and let harden enter the terrine and fill the sides with the aspic and let cool.  Submerch the entire form in hot water and dump terrine on platter, ready to serve.

This was on my mind for the next 4 months

                                   The rest of the this season was an exciting time, by end of August I had the acceptance letters from the Warwick Hotel and I had en appointment at the American Embassy in Bern to get a tourist visa. The hotel promist to take care of my work visa over in Houston on my arrival.
                                   Finally my dream is coming closer, I always wanted to go to America and now its happening. It's hard to describe the emotion and feelings I had going to check out this huge country across the ocean. I was 25 Years young and had the support of my parents and I don't remember but i think also the support of my 2 brothers although they hat been busy and have their own career started.
                                   I left England in the first week November 1969, sadly that was the last time I  saw Chef Kurt, much later we stayed in touch through the internet. Everything went smooth, I got my visa, I bought some new knifes and a couple of uniforms, packed my bag and on November 25, 1969 my family drove me to Zurich airport to see me off.
                                 
                                  I was incredibly excited  but also had a little sentimental and sad feeling in me. I realized  leaving a pretty good live behind me, not knowing what my new adventure overseas was going bring me. Here are just a few reminder of my thoughts!

My favorite spot in the Swiss mountain 

The capital Bern

The unforgettable view from our house where I grew up

Mother and Vater

My Mother, Heinz and Toni, with Fabian und Corine, Heinz's children

Heinz, Lilian Fabian and Toni playing with Corine

With my Parents and my Jass partner Else!

It will be hard to leave beautiful Switzerland, my family and friends for good,

but hopefully I be lucky enough to come back in the future in my vacations.

                               I boarded Swissair to London.  I remember changing  to British Airways in London to Montreal.This was my first long flight and at night. I remember flying over a sea of lights in Montreal, it was unreal. they refilled the plane there and we waited in the airport, got something to eat and boarded the same plane 1 hour later again. 4 hour later we arrived at our destination Houston!

I was in America!

                               I remember being picked up by Xaver Odermatt's aunt and I was so relieved, I would be totally lost in this huge town.  It was late morning and I spent the day and first night in America with her family in their house. The next day she brought me to the Warwick hotel to start my new job.



Houston Warwick Hotel in 1969

(where I never worked)

You find out way in my next chapter