These notebooks contain menus and recipes from my early restaurant years. Steno pads gave way to three-ring notebooks, as my arsenal of information grew and I needed tabs to separate "custards" from "doughs,” “sauces” from “stocks.” Most of the ideas and dishes in these notebooks are original, though it’s easy to trace the influence from various kitchen lines and mentors. Examine them chronologically, you’ll see an evolution of tastes and ideas.⁠. They are like stepping stones. 📚
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I used to write in pencil, until I learned how quickly graphite fades. I always wrote in shorthand (AP, XVO, soda, #), and only noted what I hadn’t memorized. Often, I omitted instructions altogether, thinking I'd never forget to puncture the cracker dough before baking or soak the prunes for the rabbit terrine. ⁠🧄 These days, I take notes like a historian, archiving processes and opinions about each thing I make. My recipes fill file folders and boxes. They are more professional, I suppose, but where they are complete, they are also lack context, informed by memory. 🥬

A first piece of advice I give young chefs is to document well—all ideas, all experiments. Credit others, where due. Use pen. 🖋 #thenimblecook
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