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Eric Dela Cruz: My Life As a Google Chef

partysugar — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:03:31 -0700

Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, it's a known fact that the employees at Google live a charmed life. Besides massages and Internet-wired shuttles, Googlers are invited to free breakfast, lunch, and dinner each and every day. The Google campus has 17 gourmet cafés, complete with 700 culinary staffers and 20 chefs. Last Friday I was lucky enough to check out some of the cafés - more on that later! - and speak with Eric Dela Cruz, a chef at Cafe 7. To see what his life as a Google chef is like read more.

Eric studied culinary arts at the City College of San Francisco. Before Google, Eric worked at Draeger's cooking school and as a chef for Bon Appétit magazine. After sampling some of his fresh, California cuisine, Eric and I sat down to chat. Here is what he had to say:

PartySugar: Why did you decide to work at Google?
Eric Dela Cruz: Well, I work Monday through Friday. I get weekends and holidays off. I live the chef's dream. Not too many chefs have a schedule that allows them nights and weekends off. One of my old bosses called to tell me Google was hiring and I immediately knew it was right for me. I get to cook whatever I want with the best quality food around. It's really great because we purchase everything top quality and everything we buy has a positive effect on the environment. We buy 100-percent sustainable, local ingredients. There is no pressure to make money on each plate, I don't have to cook what sells. Food is art and Google is my playground.

PS: What is your day-to-day schedule like?
EDC: I get into the kitchen at 5:45 every morning and start to prep the day's meals. I write a lot of the menus, so I work on those. I answer emails, oversee the arrival of our ingredients. By 6 a.m., I make sure the cooks are prepping the food. The cooks are very important, they are everything. I make sure they know the menus and have decent knife skills. Service starts at 11:30, so we have a couple of hours to make everything. Each day we serve several amuse-bouches, salad and soup bars, a noodle station, two entrées, a veggie station, two pizzas, a sandwich station, and a pastry dessert station. After lunch, we prep for dinner service. I make sure that gets underway with the night cooks and leave around 4 in the afternoon. But we are always preparing, cooking, and serving. In the morning we set out a continental breakfast, lunch service is from 11:30-1:30. At 3 we set out a healthy snack like crudité platters and cheese plates. We have sushi on Thursdays and a full happy hour on Fridays.

PS: Is each café responsible for obtaining their own ingredients or does everyone get the food from some giant Google refrigerator?
EDC: Each cafe functions individually like its own restaurant. We all get our food from the same providers, but since the menus vary, what we order is an individual thing. In my café, there is a person - the receiver - whose job it is, each morning between 6 and 10, to make sure we receive all of our ingredients. There isn't really much competition between the cafés. Naturally you want yours to be the best café, but really what is special is the variety. You know we have 17 different cafés that make totally distinct types of food. You could eat at a new one for 17 days in a row, that's almost half the month tasting new foods.

PS: How do you feel about the chef who left Google to work for Facebook?
EDC: God bless the guy. Congratulations and good luck! You know when opportunity comes knocking, you have to answer the door.

PS: What did you eat for lunch today?
EDC: Nothing. I don't really sit down and have full meals while I am at work. I'm tasting things all day that by the end of the day I am full.

Be sure to check back tomorrow when I take you on a photo tour of the Google cafés!

Ming Tsai Makes Tempura - and Many a Joke

YumSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:00:55 -0700

When public television chef Ming Tsai spoke at last year's Classic, I learned that he was wildly hilarious. Thus, at this year's festival, I couldn't wait to catch some more laughs. Ming shared tips for East-West cuisine while making blue cheese burgers and bacon potstickers, a ginger margarita, and a tempura shrimp cocktail. In addition to offering up lots of advice to home cooks, the Blue Ginger chef and owner also shared his thoughts on everything from eating at Alinea ("I thought it'd be gimmicky, but it was unbelievably sexy, delicious food") to his approach to dining out ("When I walk into a restaurant, I only want to see locals"). Get more of his cooking tips after the break

Going Inside Google: 7 Cafes in Two Hours

partysugar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 07:14:58 -0700

Last Friday I grabbed my camera and headed down to the Google campus - home to more than 4000 Google employees - in Mountain View. Before chatting with chef Eric Dela Cruz, my Google girlfriend and I took a whirlwind tour of 7 of the 17 cafés during their two hour lunchtime. From whole roasted fish to Spanish tapas to fresh wheatgrass, the Google cafés have something to offer everyone. To check out what happened when I went inside Google, click on the "Start" button.

View Slideshow ›

What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:09:11 -0700

This week we celebrated Grilled Cheese month by going crazy for grilled cheeses, especially this one for a honey-basil grilled cheese.
Can't wait for the Sex and the City movie? Get ready by planning your own Sex and the City Viewing party.
We take you behind the scenes at Google's fantastic cafeterias.
Did you watch this week's Top Chef? We want to know what you thought!
Top Chef not your thing? Then maybe you'll dish about this week's Hell's Kitchen instead.
Be sure to go behind the scenes at this year's Food & Wine Best New Chefs Event!
Read our exclusive interview with Roy Yamaguchi, it was one of my favorites all year!
Hoping to satiate your sweet tooth? Try these portable brownie muffins or this chocolate peanut butter fudge.
And finally, would you eat an entire meal blindfolded? I did!

Yummy Links: From Party Palettes to Marcel's DUI

partysugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:45:55 -0700

Black, white, and yellow makes for a sophisticated party motif. - Simply Stated
The top 10 ways to chop onions without crying.- The Epi-Log
Get a virtual taste of Starbucks mocha dark chocolate. - Baking Bites
Free ice cream! 90210 helps you cool off. - Serious Eats
Lucid absinthe is a tasty way to get acquainted with the green fairy. - Chow
Interesting tip! Use a serrated knife to slice tomatoes. - The Kitchn
Krispy Kreme cheeseburgers surface at the Google cafeteria. - Slashfood
Plan a patriotic beach party for Labor Day. - Hostess With the Mostess
In case you missed it, Top Chef's Marcel arrested on suspicion of DUI. - TMZ

Source

All The News That's Fit To Eat - September 12, 2007

YumSugar — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:57:31 -0700

What makes a naturally gifted cook? Several home cooks let you in on their secrets. Plus, SF institution A. Sabella's is closing, and on the other side of town, Whole Foods opens a new "lifestyle" store. - San Francisco Chronicle

Once a niche product for wine connoisseurs, Riedel wine glasses have found their way to Target stores. - Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
Just because a restaurant is wheelchair accessible, doesn't mean it's wheelchair hospitable. - New York Times
Move over lettuce, seaweed is the new "it" salad veg. - Chicago Tribune
In a post-Google world, it's almost impossible to be anonymous. Restaurant critics can't stay unidentifiable, so they're turning the tables and blowing their own covers. - Los Angeles Times
The Washington area is blooming with independent bakeries all vying for your nose, tastebuds and dollars. - Washington Post

It's not a new idea, but I always love it when grilled cheese grows up. - Houston Chronicle
Looking for more Rosh Hashanah ideas? This pastry chef shares her recipes and memories. - Miami Herald
And finally to end the news on a sweet (but tart) note, here are six elegant and easy lemony desserts. - Dallas News

Yummy Links: From Eggs Benedict to Candy Stores

YumSugar — Tue, 17 Apr 2007 13:32:45 -0700

Okay, this is a bit corny, but it made me smile, and Adam (aka The Amateur Gourmet) is fantastic. Check out how he saves a lady's life with Eggs Benedict. - Serious Eats

So you're having a party and you don't want your friends to bring their children, how do you tell them? Here are some tips to help you out. - Chow
Oh eggs, beautiful eggs. I know, you probably think I have some sort of problem, but eggs make me drool. Be sure to see this recipe for Pappardelle With Bagna Cauda, Wilted Radicchio and an Olive-Oil-Fried Egg. - Wednesday Chef
I have a feeling we all know at least one geek who would love these Chocolate Gadgets. - geeksugar
Learn the art of the Japanese Bento Box. - The Daily Tiffin
New York legend Joseph Ades is still hawking his peelers in Manhattan. - Kitchen @ Apartment Therapy
Los Angeles readers, you're in for a treat. Cybele has put together her list of places to buy candy in LA. I say someone needs to google map it and go on a candy quest. - Candyblog