{"id":1293,"date":"2012-11-09T18:59:50","date_gmt":"2012-11-09T22:59:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/~travelwriting\/?page_id=1293"},"modified":"2012-11-09T18:59:50","modified_gmt":"2012-11-09T22:59:50","slug":"our-writer-gets-rare-chance-to-work-behind-the-scenes-in-kitchen-at-whisk","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/?page_id=1293","title":{"rendered":"Our writer gets rare chance to work behind the scenes in kitchen at Whisk"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted November 9, 2012<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

By BRITTANY WEINER<\/p>\n

SOUTH MIAMI, Fla. \u2013\u00a0I walked into Whisk timidly, shaking from my sunglasses down to my brand new pair of flats. I was no longer going to be sitting at table eating, but shortly, going to be the chef.<\/p>\n

\u201cCrap,\u201d I thought as I looked down at my feet. \u201cI probably should have changed my shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n

As I looked up, Brendan busted out of the silver titanium doors with the wide complacent grin he always wears when greeting customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou excited?\u201d he asked.\u00a0 \u201cGet your apron on and put up your hair.\u00a0 We\u2019re going to have you working back there.\u00a0 Oh, and you might want to change those shoes.\u201d<\/p>\n

I knew it.\u00a0 I walked into the business room, where Brendan\u2019s co-owner, and sister greeted me gingerly.<\/p>\n

\u201cGo and change your clothes in there sweetie,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cHere\u2019s an apron.\u201d<\/p>\n

And so I did.\u00a0 Hair up.\u00a0 Apron on.\u00a0 Shoes— well shoes on, although not the best.\u00a0 I was crossing my fingers that these brand new babies would make it through the kitchen.<\/p>\n

Originally a small catering business on 4702 Le Jeune Road in nearby Coral Gables, Whisk is now a full service restaurant on Sunset.\u00a0 It was started by Brendan Connor, who was born and raised in Miami and has had a passion for cooking his entire life.<\/p>\n

Since opening at the new location, which has been up and running for a little over three years, Whisk has received multiple awards such as the award for the best burger at the Burger Bash in the 2012 South Beach Food and Wine Festival.\u00a0 They also have been rated highly by Zagat.<\/p>\n

I have been frequenting the restaurant multiple times a week ever since it was the small catering business.\u00a0 I now have the luxury of sitting in their restaurant, and not having to wait on the lines out the door in the blazing heat for a seat at one of their two chairs.<\/p>\n

And so, I was led into the world of Whisk, which I have been an outside spectator of for years.\u00a0 Through the cutout window people can easily spot what\u2019s going on back in the kitchen, and I myself have been one of those people mysteriously wondering who\u2019s cooking and what\u2019s going in to my food.\u00a0 But today, I got a chance to see what actually happens.<\/p>\n

I was first greeted by the sous chef who introduced himself to me as Starlyn.\u00a0 I called him Stardom a couple of times and he thought it was quite funny.<\/p>\n

The first thing he said to me was, \u201cSo you ready to cook, ma?\u201d<\/p>\n

I was as ready as I was going to be.<\/p>\n

My first task was to peel beets for the garden vegetable salad- one of Whisk\u2019s signature dishes, created by Chef Brendan himself.\u00a0 The beets are roasted in rosemary, thyme, vegetable stock, or \u201cveg\u201d stock, as Starlyn likes to call it, balsamic, and oil.\u00a0 They are roasted for about an hour to an hour and a half, and then they are ready for peeling.<\/p>\n

I watched as Starlyn peeled the flacid skin off of a beet with a spoon.\u00a0 It\u2019s a little more tedious than it sounds but I felt like I could handle it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, use this,\u201d Brendan said.\u00a0 He handed me a towel.\u00a0 \u201cI use the towel to scrape off the skin.\u00a0 It\u2019s much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n

And much easier it was.\u00a0 I started scraping away beet skin after beet skin, peeling every two beets for every one that Starlyn was peeling, until the tray was finished. I then though to myself, \u201cWhy would the sous chef be doing this with a spoon while I\u2019m scraping with a rag?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I don\u2019t want my hands to be stained red for a week,\u201d Starlyn said.<\/p>\n

Oh, that\u2019s why.<\/p>\n

Starlyn then started to explain to me the workings of the kitchen from the front of the house to the back of the house and all of the restaurant abbreviations they use in the back of the kitchen.\u00a0 I listened respectfully as I stared down to my toes, yes, no beet juice on the flats so far!<\/p>\n

I then get led to the next station, where whisk makes its famous sandwiches.\u00a0 The \u201cTavo<\/em>\u201d as they call it, or the turkey avocado sandwich was what I was going to make. It\u2019s the signature whisk sandwich, and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.\u00a0 I was going to be able to make this magic little sandwich all by myself at home from now on.<\/p>\n

First up, Starlyn coached me on how to spread the mayo and mustard on the multi-grain bread.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got to put it all at the top, then swipe, and then do the next layer right over it, and swipe\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Easy, right?\u00a0 Not the least bit.\u00a0 I practiced on two separate pieces and then Starlyn tossed them.<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, you\u2019re ready,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

I did my first professional swipe of the 5 ounces each of mustard and mayo.\u00a0 I then started to pile on the lettuce, three slices of tomatoes, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and then the avocado, which happened to be my next challenge.\u00a0 I learned how to slice and \u201cfan\u201d out the avocado so it looked Whisk-tastic.\u00a0 Then I put on another sprinkle of salt and pepper, which I learned goes specifically over the tomatoes and avocado because they soak up the flavor the most.<\/p>\n

Lastly, was the wrapping of the sandwich.\u00a0 Whisk has its token tight wrap so when you bight into the overly stuffed sandy nothing falls out.<\/p>\n

Starlyn showed me how to do this, and then it was my turn.\u00a0 I placed the sandwich gingerly down on the wax paper, and started wrapping.<\/p>\n

You can do this, I thought– horizontal, over the top, twisting the sides, and then Dave peed, the other sous chef interjected.<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn! That\u2019s your first time!\u00a0 That\u2019s pretty good.\u00a0 That took me weeks\u201d he exclaimed.<\/p>\n

My chef ego went through the roof and then learned that I was ready to master the saut\u00e9 station.\u00a0 I was going to make Whisk\u2019s most popular hot dish, which is their spicy beef.<\/p>\n

Starlyn put eight ounces of oil into the silver pan and let it get hot.\u00a0 He then pulled out a huge tray of raw steak from underneath the stove, and pulled out a couple of slices.\u00a0 They were pre-cut into small triangles.\u00a0 Starlyn sprinkled the salt and pepper mixture over the top, and then they were ready for the pan.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201cHere, lay them down softly and don\u2019t be scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

He saw me staring at the pan watching the hot oil. \u00a0I was extremely intimidated.<\/p>\n

I placed the pieces down one by one, listening to my directions carefully.\u00a0 I kept thinking not to fear the oil.\u00a0 Starlyn then helped me put a heaping of spinach into a pan simultaneously.\u00a0 I told Dave who was passing by that the spicy beef is not that hard at all to make.<\/p>\n

\u201cYea, but try it when you got 15 orders to make at a time.\u00a0 Mastering that\u2019s not that easy!\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Strike two of amateur kitchen comments, I thought to myself.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh right, all those pans at once could be tough to manage!\u201d I said.<\/p>\n

I then found out they just use one big pan.<\/p>\n

The beef seared for about three minutes on each side and then I was ready to plate.\u00a0 As I watched the sizzling pieces of tender beef I was salivating, and I asked Starlyn if he always eats the food.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did at first,\u201d he said.\u00a0 \u201cNow I just take tons of sodas.\u00a0 Free sodas are now my perk!\u201d<\/p>\n

Once the beef and spinach were done cooking, it was time for plating, and to drizzle the special sauce over the top.\u00a0 This was the most exciting part of my day.\u00a0 Each time I ate the spicy beef at whisk I thought to myself— what the heck is in this unbelievable concoction?<\/p>\n

I learned that the token ingredient was coconut milk.\u00a0 It also has honey, garlic, chile sauce, and soy sauce.<\/p>\n

Starlyn grabbed a scoop of rice and put it in the bowl.\u00a0 He then instructed me to place the beef down, and the spinach on the side.\u00a0 Lastly was the drizzle on heavenly sauce that the steak soaked up instantly.<\/p>\n

I cleaned the plate, did the chef-like spin, and put the plate on the shelf for a waitress to grab.<\/p>\n

Just when I felt like a chef, I looked down at my shoes.\u00a0 They were all clean — I just had a notebook covered in beet juice.<\/p>\n

IF YOU GO<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whisk is located at 7382 SW 56th<\/sup> Ave., in South Miami, Fla.<\/p>\n

Whisk does not take reservations, but if you want to avoid a crowd, I suggest visiting at non-peak hours.\u00a0 Make sure you try the spicy beef, fried green tomatoes, and the gourmet burritos.<\/p>\n

Every Friday, there is a signature burger special, which changes weekly.\u00a0 Whisk also has daily specials and soups.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posted November 9, 2012 By BRITTANY WEINER SOUTH MIAMI, Fla. \u2013\u00a0I walked into Whisk timidly, shaking from my sunglasses down to my brand new pair of flats. I was no longer going to be sitting at table eating, but shortly, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":65,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"sidebar-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1293","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1293"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1299,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1293\/revisions\/1299"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/65"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/students.com.miami.edu\/travelwriting\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}