Lobster Fest

Lately we've been bombarded by lobsters in the kitchen and what a great problem it is to have. Here are some pictures from a function the other day that required 400 live lobsters to be boiled and cleaned. It took a total of six chefs to complete this 60 minute task right before the guests arrived. We boiled gallons of water seasoned with salt to taste like the ocean and added the live lobsters for about 10 minutes. After they were cooked, we scooped them out and partially broke down the lobsters for the guest to easily access the meat. The tail was split in half and both of the claws were cracked. Cracking lobsters is a messy job and it always changes the atmosphere of the kitchen to fun. As an experienced chef you never realize that what we consider "common knowledge" when cooking, our younger chefs have no understanding. The basic anatomy of a lobster was a mystery to half of my staff since the economy has been in the dumps and nobody has purchased high cost items like lobsters, which enables them the education and experience. I wonder if any of them have actually smelled the sweet perfume of a large black truffle or tasted the creamy center of a seared piece of foie gras. Hopefully, the recent increase of purchased lobster dinners are a hint of a $$$ flooded market.