ChefShane's Blog (8)

DAY 1 Medicate Take an over-the-counter allergy medicine such as Zyrtec. Fast Stop eating for a day. Drink only water. If potassium levels are low, skip to "day 2". DAY 2 Reintroduce fruit to your diet, starting with peaches, prunes, and bananas. DAY 3 Reintroduce vegetables to your diet, avoiding "night shades". DAYS 4-30 Reintroduce one new food each day noting it's effects. If you suspect an adverse reaction after eating a food eliminate it from your diet immed… Continue

Diversification is often a critical component for a thriving business; however it is imperative that every company keeps their focus on their mission. Unfortunately many small business owners and mangers rarely have a mission to begin with, let alone a focus. I believe that Better Way Gourmet could very well fall prey to this conundrum in the name of diversification if we do not occasionally regroup and ask ourselves some important questions. Who are we? What do we do? What is our purpose? How a… Continue

I'm always astounded by the way other businesses will try to duplicate someone else’s model regardless of whether or not it’s a viable concept. Over the past 2 years we've been testing multiple concepts and strategies in order to fine tune the Better Way Gourmet business model in preparation for our official launch. We've had quite a number of good ideas and others not so good. Never the less, without fail, every time we make an adjustment to our strategy invariably someone tries to duplicate i… Continue

Many people often wonder and ask about the complexities of cooking. "How do you cook this? How do you cook that?" I'm often asked by family, friends, neighbors, and even chefs. My response is always the same, "apply heat". While seemingly elementary, this essential fundamental will save you years of frustration and boost your confidence to a level that will allow you to explore new culinary territory without fear of destroying dinner. Allow me to explain. If you bake, broil, grill, poach, sauté… Continue

My birthday went well. It started on Wednesday and lasted until Sunday. Wednesday - Cake Night My wonderful wife made me some awesome triple-chocolate cupcakes that we shared with our neighbors (Thanks for coming neighbors!). Well actually they were double chocolate but that doesn't sound quite as gourmet. Made with super dark chocolate, they were quite tasty. Thanks Sharon! Thursday - Comic Pizza The next day involved a trip to Giordano's pizz… Continue

Tomorrow is my birthday so I think I'll take a couple of days off, especially since my health has been extremely poor lately. I could probably use a break. We're planning on visiting Giardano's for some Chicago style pizza followed by a local comedy show - if I'm well enough that is. Continue

Finally, most of the new social community portion (which is a rather large portion indeed) of the BWG site is built. After that's finished all of the profiles will need to be migrated to the new site - Another daunting task but fortunately no programming code to speak of. Then we'll just need to work the bugs out of the new system. I'll be releaved when this project is complete. It's going to be much better than the first, so it will be well worth the effort and the cost. I'm excited. Well, it'… Continue

Norman Van Aken is a chef who combines flavors of the Florida Keys, Cuba, the Yucatan, the West Indies, the Bahamas, and South America. The results are something that he refers to as "New World" cuisine. A celebrated chef, and recent award recipient of AAA, Mobil Travel, and James Beard, among others, is one that I've come to respect. I find him to be quite relatable as his life's experience is at least remotely similar to my own, having gotten his start in a less than usual way. After having mo… Continue