Photo Credit: NYDailyNews.com

Chef and restaurateur Andrew Carmellini is an Italian American chef based in New York City. Well known for his restaurants such as Locanda Verde and The Dutch, chef Andrew shared his experience as a line cook serving the notorious mobster John Gotti.

Photo Credit: www.grubstreet.com

The story itself is quite intriguing. The fact that it is based on a real life experience in the 90's which was John Gotti's prime. The "Dapper Don" made back then "line cook" Andrew drop everything in the middle of a Saturday night dinner service run down the block in search for some "sole" for the mobsters to consume.

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The story ends with Chef Andrew Carmellini learning a valuable lesson that night with him stating "big lesson... doesn't matter who is coming into your restaurant... you have to treat them with respect!"

Another lesson should be embraced as well. At the end of the meal John Gotti's associates went around the restaurant and personally tipped each employee from the waiter to the pastry chef $50 and saying "Mr. Gotti would like to personally thank you for tonight"

We may not have the finances to tip every staff $50 every time you go out to eat, but maybe we should take a page from John Gotti's book and show other ways to appreciate BOH (back of house) staff. Some restaurants are even offering options like a round of beer for the line cooks on their menu's.

A round of beers doesn't sound so bad after all, but can they drink it after they serve us? 😂

What do you think?

Story Time: What Do You Do When John Gotti Comes to Dinner? | On The Line

NoHo Hospitality Group - Chef Andrew Carmellini

GOTTI Official Trailer (2017) John Travolta Mafia Thriller Movie HD

The feeling of nostalgia hits when someone mentions girl scout cookies, then the next emotion is a sense of urgency to "place my order now before they run out!". Fast forward to today with ordering online and having it delivered to your door. This option is very mainstream and the norm for the majority of us.

How did going from a door to door sales in your local neighborhood expand to nationwide online sales and shipping?

Girl Scouts know how to adapt and get creative with their challenges in order to accomplish their goals and find solutions. It is the mentality and skill set that is developed and trained in order to earn a badge. Their website states that "Girl Scouts unleashes the G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ in every girl, preparing her for a lifetime of leadership—from taking a night-time hike under the stars to accepting a mission on the International Space Station; from lobbying the city council with her troop to holding a seat in Congress; from running her own cookie business today to tackling cybersecurity tomorrow.
Our Girl Scout Leadership Experience is a one-of-a-kind leadership development program for girls, with proven results. It is based on time-tested methods and research-backed programming that help girls take the lead—in their own lives and in the world. 
Research shows that girls learn best in an all-girl, girl-led, and girl-friendly environment. Girl Scouts is a place where she’ll practice different skills, explore her potential, take on leadership positions—and even feel allowed to fail, dust herself off, get up, and try again."

GirlScoutCookies.Org

In over a hundred years of feeding us, the Girl Scouts have added new flavors including gluten free options. Girl Scouts now have two facilities that produce their cookies. ABC Bakers produces Caramel DeLites, Peanut Butter Patties, Peanut Butter Sandwich, Lemonades, and Shortbread Cookies. Little Brownie Bakers produces Samoas, Tagalongs, Do-Si-Dos, Savannah Smiles, and Trefoils. 450 million Thin Mint cookies get made in one day, so its obvious why they have more than one facility to make these cookies! To peak your knowledge, do some baking, and have a good laugh... check out the links below that will satisfy your Girl Scout cookie cravings. Enjoy!

LINKS:

Purchase/ Donate Girl Scout Cookies

The official website for Girl Scouts, where you can learn more about their programs, history and of course purchase cookies! You can also make a donations with multiple options as well.

Troop Beverly Hills Movie- It's Cookie Time!

A 1989 American comedy film about a self centered materialistic Beverly Hills wife, finds out her husband is cheating on her and decides to get divorced. In order to distract herself she invests her time volunteering as her daughters troop leader. After realizing her lifestyle and typical tactics do not meet the "Wilderness Girls" standards, Shelly Long who portrays the mother/ troop leader, learns to become selfless and lead her daughter and the rest of the troop members to valuable lessons and hilarious moments!

How Girl Scout Cookies are Made - Insider/ Little Brownie Bakers

Insider literally takes you inside Little Brownie Bakers facility and show you how the girl scout cookies are made with fun facts. Be prepared to drool!

Pastry Chef Attempts to Make Gourmet Girl Scout Cookies - Gourmet Makes- Bon Appetit

Join Claire Saffitz in the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen as she attempts to make gourmet Thin Mints, Samoas and Tagalongs. That's right, Claire's making Girl Scout Cookies. Did you know the Girl Scouts started selling cookies back in 1917? But it wasn't until 1951 that the Thin Mint, the cookie most synonymous with the Girl Scouts, was introduced and swept the country like a tidal wave. And now here we are, in the Test Kitchen, watching Claire make them herself. What a time to be alive.

livescience.com

When someone mentions lobster, you automatically think, "we are eating good tonight!" Lobster is known to be an expensive item on the menu and no one questions the price unless its cheap. Then it is considered fishy! What consumers don't realize is how lobster was once considered " peasant food" or the "poor man's protein" and my favorite, "the cockroach of the sea". At one point, it was the standard diet of prisoners because it was so inexpensive! In the colonial times, lobster would be washed ashore in 2 foot high walls where everyone can take as many as the please. Native Americans used lobster as fish bate and fertilizer. The question is how did it go from one extreme to another? Watch these YouTube videos below. Each video has a unique perspective on the topic and discuss different details on how the history of the lobster has controlled our stomachs and wallets. So the next time you eat lobster, it will taste much better because of the knowledge you have learned!

YouTube Video Links:

Why Were Lobsters Once Prison Food? - The Infographics Show According to The Marshall Project, a nonprofit publication that covers the criminal-justice system in the US, the budget per meal in jails and prisons in the United States is as little as $0.56. An example of a meal from a state prison might be something like 2 to 3 ounces of meat or meat byproduct, half a cup of vegetables, three-quarters of a cup of a starch, and three-quarters of a cup of salad with dressing. That doesn’t sound too bad but then on such a low budget the prison kitchen is never going to be serving up a Masterchef meal. However, there was a time when some items on the prison menu looked more like what you would see on a 5-star restaurant menu. And that’s what we’ll be looking at today, in this episode of The Infographics Show: Why were lobsters once gruel and prison food?

Why is Lobster so Expensive? - Business Insider

Lobster went from prison food to a well-known delicacy. Seafood was left out of rationed foods during WWII, and with the advent of railway transportation, lobster became known as an exotic delicacy.

This History of Lobster in America - Now This News

Lobster used to be the least classy food in America.