Salt Pepper Garlic Shrimp

Sometimes or most of the time I think about my next meal. Tonight, my mouth was salivating for one of my favorite dishes. Yep, Salt Pepper Garlic Shrimp. The traditional way of making it is never skimping on the ingredients. I love to buy size 16-20 gulf shrimp (more flavorful, devein the back through the shell and peel away the tiny legs on the bottom. Set aside. I can see fresh cloves of garlic smashed with the side of my high carbon steel cleaver (the best), with super small diced scallion, super small diced onion, freeze dried garlic granules and white pepper. Can you imagine appreciating the aroma? Get canola or vegetable oil.
Add a dash of oil on a hot wok (high carbon steel), add the oil, allow to get hot (its smoking), add the aromatic garlic cloves, garlic onion, salt and garlic granules, scallion and stir fry. The mixing of these flavors is so aromatic but stir fry not allowing the ingredients to sit in one position, throw in the shrimp and stir fry everything, once the shrimp turn opaque after 40 seconds, take everything out, I can taste how succulent that moist and tender shrimp is. mixed with the aroma of the aromatics.
There you have it, that anticipation of grabbing that morsel of size 16-20 shrimp already butterfly with the aromatics covering the shrimp and slowly bringing it my anxious mouth for a flavor packed punch. along with some delicious aromatic jasmine rice from Thailand. The combination of the shrimp and the rice toped with the oil based aromatics is better than true romance! Really! No kidding! How that shrimp tantalized my taste buds and how my nose took in the aromatic aroma was simply tintilating.

By Chef Woo Can at www.chefwoocan.com
​#shrimppeppergarlicandsaltdelicious, #sosenuousthanromance

Harford Community College I will be introducing...….
​
So, I'm pretty excited  to start my class in January. Time has passed since I last taught there. Taste has changed and style of food has changed. I will still offer a few delicious mouthwatering dishes but introduce some new quick meals for the family:
Stir Fry Maryland Crabs Cantonese or delicious succulent lobster Style (A class favorite)
Ground Beef Peas & Carrots
Lettuce Wrap
Korean Beef Tacos with Kimchi
Thai Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
to name a few.
The preparation will be so much easier for a busy lifestyle but still be flavorful for the Winter cold months ahead.
Stay tuned. Marylanders, you'll be getting the Harford Community College brochure booklet soon, so be on the lookout!
By Chef Woo Can at www.chefwoocan.com
#chefwoocanaHCCteachingsimpleandquickmeals .  

The Secret Formula for Business

I must be crazy but I shake my head in bewilderment of what fast food or family style fast food restaurants are not doing to increase their market share and retaining devoted customer base.
In the age right now, the generations are changing, no longer are the baby boomers are the market being catered too. The Millennial generation is setting the trends of what they want, how they want it and what they are looking for in terms of service.
Business is just in a fog? I thought there are marketing companies that can be contracted to advise these businesses what happening in the marketplace. I guess these marketing companies haven't changed either or they're too expensive to be hired as an accountant? 
Instead, businesses are investing millions of dollars making their place look good or attempting to show a new image. That's fine and dandy but they fair to instruct the employees how to maintain the premises, like using clean towels to clean tables or pickup paper napkins on the floor only when told by the public. This must be a 24 hours task, not when they feel like it, especially those franchise operations where the owner is never present. Let's say the owner invested thousand of dollars to represent the brand, why does he have to be at work overseeing the operation? Well, they need to but their view is that the brand will sell itself no matter how the premises looks. That's a salesman mentality. Then with that why are franchise operations closing all over?
The key to success is customer service 24/7, teach employees about pride working for the organization and first impressions are important (radically), whether its how you greet the customer to where a customer sits in a nice atmosphere that clean and not sticky. Management must stress the importance that that first  7 seconds are very important and the customer will make a judgement whether to come back. That's the key, do you know how much businesses will be able to save on non essential items that they deem as important? Millions of dollars. 
Product development means nothing if the customer is treated rudely or the employee has an attitude or the place is a filthy mess? It means nothing. So all the research and development goes down the tubes.
Years and years ago my family owned a Carvel store and we'd get visits by quality control mNgers ensuring operations is functioning and pointing out product presentation, sanitation practices being followed and employee attitudes and greeting. Today, I doubt if businesses have it, it cost money and they can't be bothered. I guess they are playing the numbers game.
Of 2,400 locations, maybe 2% are poor but they don't realize that that 2% is talked about and slowly becomes 5%, then 10%. then 25% then eventually another business takes over and is #1.
Business, please listen to Chef Woo Can, just because you have money and just because your relying on a couple of sales executives to increase profits, your missing the boat by not following or coming to reality of what's really needed:
1. Customer service training
2. Franchise contract MUST require Owners to be present 24/7.
3. Standard Operating Procedure for quality and sanitary control implemented at the highest standard, 24/7.
4. Bathrooms MUST be immaculately clean. 24/7
and then you might see an increase in sales.

By Chef Woo Can at www.chefwoocan.com
#thesecretformulatobusinesssuccess
​#chefwoocanadviceon business  

Terayaki  Grill Food Truck (Black food truck)

This is my first review of a food truck and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the delicious food I got. Of course I can understand there is a limited menu for a Busis a very good sign. iness fair offering 1 type of teriyaki bowl of beef, chicken or shrimp.  The event required registration and in return received a voucher for lunch. Not a bad concept, so all future event planners displaying their event its a great idea.
I didn't know what to expect from the Teriyaki Grill food truck since they were the only truck that had lines which is a very good sign. I ordered the beef teriyaki but I had to wait a little so I asked for the chicken. Wow, the teriyaki bowl was in compliance with the biodegradeable bowl material in compliance with MD law to replace Styrofoam containers. I like that. What I received was a good amount of white rice, a side of cooked vegetables and a fair amount of chicken teriyaki. Now, the chicken was dark meat but with the teriyaki sauce, it was delicious and tender. Utensils were available as well as napkins and hot sriracha sauce.  BUT most importantly, the truck was clean and the staff was pleasant and friendly.
That combination of clean truck, good food and fast service is the perfect combination for success.
I rate Teriyaki Grill from a 1-5 and 5 being excellent, a 5+, so if you see any event with a food trucks, look out for the Teriyaki Grill (It's the black colored truck).

By Chef Woo Can at www.chefwoocan.com
​#teriyakitruckreviewbychefwoocan, #teriyakigrillexcellentteriyakibowl, #teriyakifoodtrucktryit    

Jimmy John's
(There are other choices better)

Whenever I go to any eating establishment I focus all my attention on the food and service BUT sometimes its not just about the food. To me its about the moral value of the owner, I went to the Jimmy John''s at the McHenry complex in Baltimore, MD. I knew I was going to order a hero or sub. I was kind of turned off by the greeting of the order taker, she acted kinda of mechanical, cold demeanor, so it left a bad taste in my mouth. Now this organization is a multi million dollar company and with every sub, you always need the crunch. They go hand in hand but my lunch didn't include in the price a bag of chips? Come on, how cheap is that. When it comes to subs, I like everything laid out so that each bite doesn't push the cold cuts one way which with Jimmy John's it does.  The subway roll wasn't fresh, kinda stale and this was at peak lunch hour. The flavor was bland, no zing to it. Nothing special, and looking into the preparation area, was dirty with scraps of food on the floor with a soggy towel.
It just says to me that quality control is not followed based on Standard Operating Procedure, totally disgusting right before I start eating. I lost my appetite.
Hey Jimmy Liautaud, instead of spending your money killing wild endangered species like the elephant, use the money to get your business in order. Yeah, you have every right to spend your money on whatever you like but your business choice of making food for customers does impact your customers view of you as the CEO and they don't like what you've done killing wild animals that we're losing to poachers on a daily basis. The argument that the animal will be sold and eaten is only an excuse to justify your killing.
On a scale of 1-5 and 5 being the best, I rate Jimmy John's a "0"

By Chef Woo Can at www.chefwoocan.com
#jimmyjonesubsareterrible, #chefwoocansaysnotojimmyjohns       

Peaceful Eating Alone

​With all that going on in the world, the hate, the violence and the sensational journalism taking over our minds, I find solitude when I get a chance whether it be in my man cave or just sitting at a restaurant all by myself and ordering a dish that I've had before that actually made me happy. 
​It's not that I don't want my family with me, its just that I need a time to reset my perspective of things going on.
My way is going to my favorite restaurant which are many. Ordering  dish and just appreciating the quietness of sitting alone. I order an appetizer, look at the presentation and being visually appealing to my eyes, That's a home run there then ordering a hot soup and appreciate the aroma. Then its the main course, looking and appreciating the various ingredients, the color variations, the tenderness of the meat and the uniformity of all pieces. Of course, I'm in a Chinese restaurant. The delicious hot rice is served and I take my chopsticks and grab a morsel of beef, chicken or shrimp and bite into it and appreciate the tenderness of the meat along with a carrot, or pepper and the light savory sauce engulfing the food and taking a small portion of rice from my chopsticks and blending all the exotic flavors, to me is relaxing in itself. No other thoughts go through my mind except enjoying my meal. Then I wash it down with  a cup of tea that purifies my system making me feel extra rejuvenated. That solitude is what everyone should strive for during the hectic schedules. We have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, Hanukah coming up. Don't get me wrong. You can have a meal anywhere as long as your not rushed and relaxed. Yep its the yoga mind! Yoga for the mind.  
By Chef Woo Can at www.chefwoocan.com
#peacefuleating, #chefwoocanyogamindeating