CHEF SAMBRANO Food Articles Video Recipes
Yesterday I had the pleasure of giving Chef and Restaurateur D.K. Kodama a lift to the Kapalua West Maui Airport for his flight back to Oahu. I asked D.K. how he was doing and he said he was kind of burned out, his lates adventures is yogurt, didn't get much out of him but yogurt is what he and his investors are leaning on. So from Sushi to Steaks and Italian, and Wines. D.K. is trying to venture out in all aspects of food productions.
We talked about if he and his staff ever ventures out and checks out other new food places especially on Maui, he said that he's too busy to do that, but asked me what was happening on Maui since he's too busy doing his own thing. I mentioned that lots of people been checking out Star Noodles, and lots of people are checking out Beach Bums. He said if he's got time in the future we'll both go and eat and check out those new places.
Sansei will alway be the bread winner I personally think for D.K. it is the child he gave birth to that gets lines of people out the door in Kapalua and in Kihei. If D.K. wrote a book on how to succeed, I'd buy that anyday.
D.K. Kodama at right in picture.
For something Asian for the two of you for a special night IN HOME dining, contact me
Ron Sambrano ronald.sambrano1@gmail.com
One question I got the other day from a young man wanting to become a chef, he asked me how proficient I was at butchering meats, my answer was factual, "I am terrible with a knife." He looked at me astonished, "Man I see you whipping up some awesome stuff on your cooking videos, you are joking right?"
No folks, I do have some form of arthritist happening, it runs in the family, my hands aren't as strong as one may think, so I don't butcher meats, or for that matter clean up huge ahi or mahi mahi, I leave that to the experts. As far as young chefs to be, when you take a culinary course to get your certification, you will have a meat cutting course more than likely so as if to give you a basics on how to do it. Like myself, I do know the principals and the methods, but I am not practiced at butchering, that takes years of practice.
I vistited Alex Franco at Maui Cattle Co. and watched the real pros do it, cutting up all of the cattle into the pieces of steaks that we purchase in the markets, Alex told me that he only hires the most skilled people, and it shows.
So if you want to be a chef, just learn how it is done, and "No" you don't need to be an expert butcher to be an excellent chef, a chef's job is to create awesome dishes and meals that are healthy for your customers, but understanding the concepts of butchering does help out, and in the event you someday may need to clean out the loin section, at least you'll understand what you need to do.
Good luck and God Bless you future chefs of America!
Ron Sambrano
For a meal at your place that is healthy contact me ronald.sambrano1@gmail.com
Going to a video taping gig is cool, especially when my gigs are culinary related, I do get to meet cool people, restaurant owners, chefs, and of course cool women that mix drinks, now they aren't bartenders, they're mixologists. That's right... MIX OLO GIST.
The shoot went off well, and got about 15 minutes of raw footage of Barbara Cobey, a seasoned mixologist from Sin City, where she trained exclusively at one of Las Vegas's premier resorts and casino. She's been in the culinary profession since age 15, and just by talking to her, she knows the business, though soft spoken, and charming, you get the sense that, if you mess with her, she can slash you like a sushi chef slicing grade A sashimi.
Barbara demonstrated some really cool drinks that I got to sample, and since I've been alcohol free for a few years, a bit of tasting does set off a slight buzz. The day was nice, sun was out, a very light breeze blew, the ocean was blue and tempting. (See Pic at top)
The four drinks that I filmed her do will be broadcast on Akaku TV as soon as I get a chance to edit it and hand it to my buddies at programming.
(Picture at left) Siren's Song. And being mostly a beer drinker in the past mostly cheap ales and mid range lagers, I found the Siren's Song pretty good, was it my feminine side? Ha ha, but Barbara rocks man! She does. She also made a few other drinks, like the Makawao Mule, made with a special house Hibiscus Hawaiian Ginger Syrup that was very pleasing, it kinda woke me up.
And a Brazilian influenced Caipirinha, and the orange drink you see below the Mango Tini.
The Mango Tini is great for women who want something sweet when they're sweating it out on the beach, working the tan, sweet and cool, the taste of tropical madness MANGO! This drink is perfect for the visitors from the cold country.
If you you want, contact Barbara at email: mauionthemind@aol.com
Contact me if you need a meal done
ronald.sambrano1@gmail.com
One dinner I did do was a few weeks ago, the gentleman and his wife just wanted a simple stirfry and some rice, and hot tea. They did not want to travel even a couple of miles in South Maui to get Chinese or Thai, so they hired me, the cost was an even $100.00 for my services. I went to their place and talked to them, they wanted of all things so simple. Beef Broccoli, Garlic Shrimp, Won Tons, Rice and that was it.
So I got some money from them, signed an agreement, went to Foodland in Kihei and shopped for the stuff, it was less than 50.00. So i go back to their condo, they had a wok, and utensils, all I brought was my knives. Ha ha. so their night cost them $150.00, for them it was well spent, no driving, and they drank more wine than if they drove.
So, hiring a personal cook/chef like myself can save you time from driving, and you'll have the comforts of home.
Mahaloz
Ron
ronald.sambrano1@gmail.com
http://www.americanheartassociation.org/
Beef has been eaten since the days of the Bible, and it doesn't kill you to eat beef, vegans or vegetarians will say whatever it is to steer you away from eating beef. But beef, if you love it can be made into a healthy tasty meal, without all of the sodium and sugars.
Let's look at a good piece of t-bone, porterhouse, or New York, and using a grill, for a summer meal that will be good for you. We'll use more veggies and less starches, more good oils, herbs and spices to jack up some flavors. Get used to eating without lots of sodium cholride (salt).
Where does the good cuts come from? The best meats comes from the rib section or loin section of the cattle where the muscles aren't contracting making the meats tough. Grilling beef with the bone in adds flavor to the dish, bone does offer more flavors especially when all of the juices are coming out when grilling it.
No matter which cuts you decide to utilize, a t-bone, porter house, or New Yorkers, you may want to use this simple method or technique to get your meats flavorful without all the harsh sodium and sugars for a healthier meal.
Get some olive oil, some garlic, some parsley, some fresh ground black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, scallions, some red hot chilies. And using comon sense, just add a bit of every item listed here, and then place them in a food processor and process until smooth.
Heat up your grill to medium high heat, if you are using a gas grill, use some foil and place some wood chips inside, but soak the chips in water and cover it with foil, and place on the hot grid, it will add a smokey flavor to your meats. If you are using charcoal, the charcoal will do that automatically. Use hickory, or any fruit wood chips you can get, apple wood, cherry wood, mesquite, kiawe in Hawaii make good smoke.
After making your marinade, place your steaks in a bowl, and pour in the marinade, let the meat soak for about 30 minutes. Then grill your steaks to your liking. Try and get the steaks about an inch thick, or 3/4 inch thick, and like I said grill it to your liking. The flavors from the olive oil and herbs should add flavor to the meats, if you want, just add a dash of salt over the meat to satisfy your taste buds. But omit salt whenever possible.
Call for a healthy steak dinner at your home, dinners for 2, appetizers, entrees, desserts, special diets, hypertension. Contact me for a custom healthy meal.
Cut onions and marinate them with oil and herbs, and grill it. Steam carrots or broccoli and seam it and season it with no-sodium condiments.
Ron ronald.sambrano1@gmail.com
The old school local market Takamiya Market is the place to go for good local food, grab and go and eat. Located at 359 N. Market St. Wailuku, HI 96793 808- 244-3404
www.tristarrestaurants.com
Will be doing a taping of my show for Akaku at Sarento's in Wailea next Thursday May 27, 2010. Getting some demonstrations with mixologist Barbara Cobey and hopefully a demonstration from the chef. The company owns other restaurants including Son'Z at the Hyatt in Kaanapali, Nick's Fish Market in the Fairmont Kealani i Wailea, as well as Sarento's at the Ilikai in Honolulu.
