Natalie: Hi Marguerite. Welcome to the Burnt podcast where we talk about mess-ups, kitchen failures, and advice on keeping it all together. How are you?
Marguerite: Oh, I'm so good. And I have so many of those stories, so [laughs] excited to be here.
Natalie: Yay. Our first Episode and I'm so happy to have you. So Marguerite, can you let us know what's your background in the culinary industry?
Marguerite: It's all, it's a long background. I'm completely self-taught and I've been, you know, in and out of restaurant kitchens and in and out of like of embassy kitchens. I mean, I've done it truly from front to back. I actually did it backwards where I didn't think I actually had the skills to be in a professional restaurant kitchen. So I tried going out on my own and I really learned and did a lot of, you know, huge failure mistakes on the way. And then finally, when I was like 30, I got into a really great kitchen working under Jose Andres's amazing chef team and learned that I had done a couple of things wrong for, you know, a decade or so. You know, I've just learned so much over the last 15 years that I've finally able to like get out and put my own company out there and just really enjoy the kitchen for the first time where I don't feel the pressure of just getting everything perfect. It's just like fun now, which is so exciting.
Natalie: That's awesome. So before we dive into your stories of the kitchen where can folks find you.
Marguerite: [laughs] Oh, well, so I have just relaunched my company before I was doing catering for up to 800 people and we were like a very official catering company. But since COVID, I've been able to scale it back and like make it a company that I truly enjoy being at again. So you can find me at eatreallygoodfood.com. It's my website or Le5FootChef. I recently had to change my Instagram name. I've just restarted all of that and it's gonna be an adventure to say the least.
Natalie: That's so awesome. I mean, catering for 800 people is - that’s daunting, I can't even imagine.
Marguerite: I can't go back there. Yeah. So now we specializing in allergy friendly cooking for you know, every palate to make sure that it tastes really good for everyone, but you know, it's safe for others to eat and we're only capping it now at 150 people where my friends are like that's still a huge party, but it doesn't seem all that big anymore. So- [laughs] but yeah, we're doing parties and receptions of people from 2 people to 150 and now I'm finally so excited to be able to offer classes for kids, teens, adults. And one-on-ones like, you know, if you have a teen who's really interested in getting in the kitchen or learning the basics or kids who you were at home with them for the past 20 months, [laughs] maybe you want them to be able to cook something now. So yeah, it's just like a fun learning exploratory place where we come to you and teach you stuff. So I'm excited.
Natalie: That is awesome. So I know before we hopped on our call I remember we were talking the other day about some stories that you have up your sleeve- [laughs] about some mishaps in the kitchen. What kitchen failures- they can be like really I guess so subjective, right? Cuz they're things that personally happen to us. To one person, it could be like- that's not that bad! And then to the person that it’s happening to it's like, no, no, no, you don't understand, like this was bad [laughs].
Marguerite: After this. Absolutely.
Natalie: [laughs] So what is your story that you wanna tell us that has happened to you that may have been like a kitchen failure or a mess up or something that seemed really big at the time, but you learned from you know. Now that you can look back in hindsight that you know, you're still alive and your hair is not on fire anymore.
Marguerite: [laughs] Yeah, well thankfully my hair has never, I do have very long hair, so thankfully it's never caught on fire in the kitchen. A t-shirt has, but no when you had asked me about this, the first thing that popped in my mind was when I was working for the British embassy. So in DC, if people don't know there's like, you know, embassy row and thousands of diplomats and dignitaries who are here either for three year turns or briefly over a couple months. So they have houses that they are located at. So I was a resident chef for a higher-up at the British embassy and like the nicest family you could ever meet, we still chat now. Like I adore these people and you know, it was- they truly started my career really.
It was kind of a fluke that I did a party for somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody and then I did another party. And then, you know, they were like- “Oh, you're a chef. Can you do the resident stuff?” So I was like yeah, sure! Of course, like total imposter syndrome where I was like yeah, I can be your chef. No problem. So, you know, I did I think a total of 85 dinners for them over three years and I really got to know the family and again, they’re just so lovely. But there was one time that I had practiced this dish three times cuz I really wanted to nail it. I got it down to a science, like timing and everything. I had put out the appetizer I had, warm the plates, I got the vegetables ready, everything was just so ready to go.
I think I was going on vacation the next day. So I was like- oh, another 45 minutes and I'm outta here. I can enjoy myself. Well they have two ovens in that kitchen. So one started smoking out and instead of smoking out the entire dining room- I quickly, cut that off and popped the lamb that I had seared. It was for the New Zealand embassy. So I imported New Zealand lamb, you know, like went above and beyond and I was pumped cuz I knew this dish in and out. So I seared the lamb, popped it in the oven, took it out 13 minutes later and my thermometer gauged it perfectly. And I was like, oh yeah, perfect, medium-rare. Let it sit for six minutes and it'll come up. So I was really excited. And then the appetizers go out, I clear them back and you know, I do a 13-minute drop for appetizers and usually like a 26-minute dinner or entree drop.
So I brought them- I still get a little antsy over this. I bring back the appetizer plates and I'm cutting into the rack of lamb and it is like purple stone, cold jelly in the middle. Like nothing has cooked because my thermometer wasn't calibrated correctly and the oven was in Celsius and only blowing cold air.
Natalie: Oh my god!
Marguerite: [laughs] It was something else. Yeah, so you know two minutes pass, usually within 45 seconds of clearing, I am bringing out the first two dishes and so like four minutes pass, six minutes pass. And the politician comes in with his wife and they're like “Marguerite are you okay?” And I was like, [pretends hyperventilation] like not knowing how to handle this situation. I was like, you guys, it's just, it's completely rare. I don't know what to do.
And they were like “What can we do to help you?” Which is so rare in a client. Cuz usually people are like, I don't know like you're the chef ding dong like figure it out. But I was like, just please entertain them. Like I'm trying to sear it off. And I went- oh bloody hell! And he goes “Marguerite! Please do not curse in my home”. And I was like, oh my God, I forgot. Bloody like means something completely different in England -[laughs] than it does here. Like I just, my foot was so far in my mouth. I had a different leg coming out of my behind.
So [laughs] I was just panicking. I was sweating. Like it was horrible. And he was like- “You know what? They're from New Zealand. They like rare lamb, this is definitely a dish for them. Like this would be the only people you could serve this to. So just cut it and let's get it out and we’ll help you serve”. So, you know, I am beet red if not completely purple at that point. And I serve it and out of eight people, I think four guys had like kind of eaten it and everybody else kind of left it on their plate. I don't even- I think I served something chocolate to go with the lamb. I don't even remember, but it was such a blur where I was like okay, all right. That was it. That was my final dish. That was the send home on Master Chef. That was the send home on chopped. That was- I'm never getting back in the kitchen ever again. It was horrible. And I get a call Monday being like “Hey, we need a dinner on Tuesday”. And I was like- oh my God, you want me back?
He goes “Maybe just don't do lamb?”. [laughs] But for weeks, probably two months after I would wake up and just be like - you did that! Do you remember? And you did that. Like I could not get over it. I kicked myself harder than anybody could have kicked me. You know, it was just unending for me, but they have completely forgotten about it. I laugh about it now. But it just seemed something that was so insurmountable. You know, being a chef, I guess for seven years at that point where that just shouldn't happen, but it did! But you get over it, you know, [laughs] just sucks while its happening.
Natalie: It definitely- it sounds like it's one of those stories where like the thing that could go wrong, went wrong where it's like no one ever wants to serve anything raw and especially to a high profile client. Right? It's like one thing to serve something raw to your family, right? And they're like, really whatever order takeout, but where it's a high profile client. Someone who's like an ambassador or something like that.
Marguerite: And you're getting like $600 for the dinner where they're like, that's not somewhere that you really screw the pooch, but man did I. But you know, even one of the guys came up after and he was like [tries to do a Kiwi accent] “I really liked-”. I can't do that accent. I'm not even going to try. “I really liked that. That was great”. And I was like thank you. I'm gonna go. And I'll sit in my car. And it was at that point that Brexit was happening. So I would plate everything clear and then serve dessert and leave so that you could talk, you know, all the political things where I was like- it's really cute that you think I remotely understand what's going on and I can sell those secrets. [laughs] I'm the perfect person for this job. Cause I have no idea what's going on. Yeah, then I didn't see them for a week.
And I came back with my tail between my legs and knew whatever- like he's had a career for 35 years doing this. He's probably had over a thousand of those dinners, not raw dinners, but a thousand of those, you know, rubber chicken dinners. And it was like no skin off his back or teeth or whatever that is. But you know, it was just wonderful having a gracious client where I've run into other issues where it's like, it really is the end of the world for these people and they refuse to pay you or trash you online or, you know anything can go wrong at any moment in the kitchen. And it's just nice to have somebody in your corner.
Natalie: Oh my goodness. Yeah. I mean, what do you- how do you think this affected your confidence? Like you said that it took you a while to kind of snap out of it.
Marguerite: Yeah. I think two months was being generous too. It was probably like six months.
Natalie: Yeah. I mean that can really set you back, right?
Marguerite: Oh for sure. Cause then you also- well, I know from my own experience that once I've had that, it doesn't matter if the next client you talk to knows that story. For some reason, I'm like, I'm always an oversharer anyway. But you know for some reason felt like I had to tell people that. Where I'm like- why am I giving these people a warning? Like I am good at my job. I do know what I'm doing, but let me tell you this one really huge mistake I made on accident. Yeah, it took a really long time for me to get the confidence back. I think being self-taught like you and I are both completely self-taught. Where I've learned on the fly. I've learned in situations. Then I went to restaurant work where I was like- ah, had I known that 10 years ago that would been really good. But it just takes a long time to really must up the confidence to be able to put your name on something and say like, I am serving you this in front of your face. Here's my face so you know who did this to you! You know, [laughs] It's just really nice having non-difficult people to work with.
Natalie: Amen to that. [laughs] So yeah- this brings me to the next question. What do you feel you learned from this experience? Like what were your takeaways after it happened after maybe like the six months of trying to regain your confidence? And to kind of remember that you actually are a skilled chef. That just because of one mishap or one really crappy situation that happened in the kitchen, doesn't define your whole career. What were your takeaways from the situation?
Marguerite: Always bring two thermometers, one that's digital, and one that is just a regular old read thermometer. [laughs] Always have more than one of everything in your pack. If you can afford an extra protein, always bring not a different protein, but like, if you need a backup, go ahead. It's better to serve something that's a little more rare than overdone cuz you know, some people are super weird about that. But it's choking it down and going- alright, that was a really bad night. And having the tenacity to get back out there and not just sit on your hands and be like, welp, can't do that again. It's just like having that face to face. I think 2020 all taught us that self-care is very important now. And instead of being so down on your luck, so hard on yourself, just go, okay. And it's impossible. I mean, nobody can shrug anything off [laughs]. It's just being amply prepared to the point where you're driving yourself nuts because you're too prepared and you're like, all right, that's when you freak out cuz you’re too prepared. But yeah, just extra thermometers I think [laughs].
Natalie: Have you made lamb again? [laughs]
Marguerite: Oh, I have. Oh yes. Oh, man. But not, uh, rack of lamb [laughs]. I made every other kinda lamb. Just not rack [laughs].
Natalie: Yeah. There's definitely a couple things in my arsenal of recipes that I've tried myself that I might have done well a couple of times and then I epically failed and I was like- okay, I'm not doing this again. Or I just like failed and I was just like- I'm not trying this again. I think one of the things for me was probably profiteroles. It took me a while to learn how to make-
Marguerite: Oh my gosh.
Natalie: Yeah, cuz I mean- for listeners, profiteroles are basically choux pastry, which is the pastry dough that's used to make eclairs or-
Marguerite: Classic British Bake Off.
Natalie: Yeah, cream puffs. So that dough- to make that little hard shell is so hard because it's all baked on the stove. It's all cooked on the stove I should say. And then you form it and make it in the oven. But like that crucial like 5, 10 minutes that are on the stove are so hard sometimes like you can scramble eggs.
Marguerite: Whipping it, right! It's like, you're going really hard at it. It's exhausting.
Natalie: That was one of the ones for me. Ooh.
Marguerite: Yeah, that's a hard one, but a delicious one when done right. [laughs]
Natalie: I mean I got over it, but yeah, there's always- I think everyone has their thing where it's like, it takes 'em a while to get back into the saddle. It took a couple of years for me to be proficient at that dough and I finally can do it way better than I used to. But yeah it's just, you know, takes time.
Marguerite: So that's what is so special about being a chef. Is that- okay, yes…when you're at the actual event or you're on the line, you don't have the time, but it is something that is always being recreated. You are able to take the time and say like, all right, well that one really failed. I know I'm not a baker, so I don't really try out baking recipes. But I had like all last year, I just worked on different recipes. And like when I first started with gluten-free food, oh my God. You know, I was diagnosed at 19. So a disgusting amount of time ago. [laughs] But at that time, gluten-free was just kind of coming into being a fad. So everyone's like- “Hey, you're gluten-free. Are you for real?” Like, you know, made fun of me for it. And now it's the hot new trend and whatever.
But it was just all dense. There was the coconut flour or the brown rice flour that was gloopy and hard and you didn't feel good after eating it. And you know it came to the point where I was like, I love food enough that I don't need crappy food for the rest of my life or just like gluten-free snacks for the rest of my life and like boiled chicken. So that's what really was the catalyst for me, wherein college I actually had to leave college, moved to New York, and met you! [laughs] and I left college to work at Food Network. And like that was really where I saw things behind the scenes where I said, okay, everything is just broken down a little smaller. This doesn't have to be as daunting as I feel it is. An allergy is not the end of the world.
It's just a different world. It's a new avenue to go down. And through that, I've been able to help people who have medically induced diets with whether they have chemo and they can't process things or, you know, cancer of a certain organ where they have to eat very differently than they've been used to for, you know, 60, 70 years. But still making food that is good enough that they still feel like they're getting a treat or they're still eating well. Even when they feel they're very lowest and we've all been there, you know, there's just really tough days out there, but food really helps just everything and being able to create and make something new and make something delicious. Whether you fail at it a thousand times, that thousand and first time might be your breakthrough and you're gonna have the best dish of your life. So [laughs], it's just really a lot of trial and really a lot of failure and really a lot of perseverance.
Natalie: Yeah, that's definitely the top word for it is persevering- perseverance [laughs] so the last question I wanna ask you before we end our call. So what's one piece of great kitchen advice that either someone gave you or you stumbled upon yourself?
Marguerite: Okay, well, so many things are flooding my mind. My grandmother is from Louisiana and for my entire life, she's been throwing parties where she says, it doesn't matter that it's at your home. People should always feel like they have left an event and you should feel successful after that event, no matter how it's gone. But if you're putting smiles on people’s faces that is hugely important. And it was just so daunting to me. And when I was like nine being like, but how do you know how to cook all of this [laughs]? And she said just find something you're really good at it. Start small and work on that excellence. So you're building on that really great feeling where you've created- like making a checklist where you've already done half the things, but you're like, look how productive I am!
So just find something you're good at it. Get good at it- start small, build on the excellence and continually grow from there. You know, if you're not getting the results you want, then stop beating yourself up, just figure out a different way to do it. There's always a solution to the problem where you can either make the problem so big and magnanimous that you feel like you can never get over it, or you can be like, what could a possible solution be? So just find the solution and it's gonna take time, but just, you know, always aim for the solution rather than the problem.
Natalie: That is great, great advice for sure in the kitchen, I think especially for folks who aren't cooks or chefs, or are novices just starting out.
Marguerite: They think- I can't even get in there! Cause they're like- well, I couldn't possibly but you can, you know, if you can add one in one, you can easily make a recipe of one cup of cheese and a half cup of milk and maybe you got a cheese sauce [laughs].
Natalie: That is so true [laughs]. Marguerite, thank you so much for coming on the first episode of the Burnt podcast for the Food For Thought. newsletter. Hopefully, we can chat with you again down line. I'm sure you have other stories that you can recall [laughs].
Marguerite: Oh my God. Another podcast on how much I've embarrassed myself for another time. [laughs] Oh, I'm so proud of you. This is great.
Natalie: Oh, thank you so much. And we will definitely be in touch and we'll make sure that we will blast you for sure. Your website is eatreallygoodfood.com. DC based- Washington DC.
Marguerite: Absolutely. Oh yeah, we do the whole DMV.
Natalie: And your Instagram handle is at LeChef, L-E-5-Foot Chef. Yeah. With the number 5 here- 5 Foot Chef. And that's where you can find Marguerite if you wanna hire her for any of the services that she provides. She's an amazing cook. I have tried her food. I'm not just saying that cause I'm friends. [laughs] Not the lamb. But yeah, you can follow her there and you can check her out. Thanks so much, Marguerite.
Marguerite: Thank you, Natalie.
Natalie: And I hope you don't have to endure any more crazy raw food in the future.
Marguerite: I'm sure there'll be some, well, hopefully not the raw, but crazy times in the kitchen ahead for sure.
Natalie: Awesome. Thanks so much.
Marguerite: Thank you.
Natalie: Bye!
Marguerite: Bye!
Monday we return to Eating A-Z in NYC with a visit to the Bahamas!
Cook. Eat. Repeat.
Natalie
BURNT with Marguerite Bottorf