(14) Singing in the rain, with a nice traditional cheese at home!

My first is the best classic musical film ever, with Moulin Rouge a tight second, but the best modern musical film anyway to my taste. My second is essential, for the nutritional point of view, and then for the taste, with respect of the environment and protection of the producer as well.

It is always nice to be able to enjoy a good meal, and cheese has always been part of the end of the meal for any good occasion.

The Greenhouse, last restaurant where I worked (2010)

Going out is a great part of the New Year festivities. This might be difficult for many people this year especially in the UK, but I would like to talk about cheese and restaurants, mainly but this could concern some people working in shops as well.

When going out you are confronted by staff who will try to sell and entice you with their best, and sometimes most expensive, dishes and drinks. Depending on their skills they might succeed. However, this does not mean that they are knowledgeable, only that they are willing, with a good disposition, and know how to present their wares. To be noted that I was given an excuse for a product defect by a commercial person which did not make proper sense. And this proves that training is essential. This help to understand the product, therefore, to sell it correctly and please the customer accordingly.

In the same way that front of house staff is trained as to the menu created by the Chef and all ingredients specified for all the dishes, it is crucial that any person dealing with cheese knows about the product. This can only be achieved by training. It took me 2 years of catering school to learn the basics, and I researched for quite a few years to learn about cheese.

The first time I was put in charge of a cheese selection and trolley was in my first place of work in London, quite a few years ago. I realised the necessity to train my colleagues very quickly, not because the team was composed of non-professionals, quite the contrary was true in fact, but because to augment the sales it was better that the team members had knowledge of the diverse products that we had on the trolley. I created a little leaflet with general information first and specific product details in the second part. This was very helpful, the sales went up, and this was recognised by the customers, and the creator of The Guild of Fine Food, Mr Bob Farrand, who went on to create the great taste recognition system as well. He published a very nice article in his professional publication when reviewing the restaurant, once again thank you.

I kept researching cheese and went to events like the Great British cheese festival a few times as well as Le Salon du Fromage et des Produits Laitiers at the Agricultural Paris Show; I then went recently to the Tours event which is much more professional oriented. I then got some very explanatory books, some well above my natural skill level, and then after some time I was employed as cheese specialist for MARC, a good restaurant company that shut down since.

Anyway, the first time I started to train my colleagues I was a bit nervous, I was not used to be in a position to be standing in front of people and talk, presenting a lesson that I prepared a bit too much like a school lesson. I prepared better for the second time, I was more natural, I talked without looking at a sheet of paper and delivered my lecture pleased with myself at the end. I had prepared a tasting session at the end, this felt good for everybody. I managed to create a kind of curriculum and went through it during the first 9 months, tasting sessions were organised from time to time. I hope that I managed to interest my colleagues. Anyway, the sales were good, and the quality of the cheeses was magnificent.

The customers enjoyed the cheese trolley, its presentation, its service, and the quality of it. That was exactly what was required. I repeated the training the other years, varying some lessons, deepening some, trying to find more explanations. I was gaining in confidence and still studying the subject, I managed to bring more knowledge and offer extra titbits for my colleagues to use when talking about the diverse cheeses to be served. I used more accessories as well, like maps: some historic maps, some cheese maps, and some general maps; and then I created my own visual presentation help like a timeline display, etc…

The other place where training is essential is the cheese shop, and I found that the level of knowledge of shop assistants is not even, to say the least. The worst is when a person tell a fabrication, maybe not a straight lie but not far off one. This is very bad for the business represented, I always said during my training sessions that it is better to ask a colleague than to tell an untruth, you never know who you are talking to, and what they know.

Many other places offer cheese, during the holiday season you might get invited to parties (in small numbers in many countries nowadays), and then you have as well the cocktail parties (even less in the UK) where cheese is usually present in some form or another, even if modern products are used most of the time.

Training is useful most of the time. I found this to be even more relevant for young colleagues. It is good when they are willing and full of enthusiasm, but they need the knowledge. Solidarity at work is crucial when working in a small team, and this is good for everybody to go the same way and pull together towards the same goal, this is cohesion. I worked with two sneaky people in my life, and this is never good for the whole team, and even worse for team spirit.

Going out is an experience, and most of the time when you find a good place, you go back. This is because of the cohesion and good work practice enjoyed by the people there. Believe me, when you enjoy your work, your customers feel it and have a good time. It is even better when the food is good.

So, give life to your taste buds, and above all, enjoy real cheese.