Executive chef is a putts

Chef Leif Eric Benson is a worthless tool. He shows up for occassional holiday dinners to garnish the dishes from the expo line, but never actually cooks anything. He wears a chef jacket that looks like he’s out of star wars. He definetly is from another planet.

This faux knowledge and skill level is become more evident as the years pass. Within the food/culinary/hospitality industry, one will find increasingly a circle of culinary professionals that haven’t a clue to as what they’re doing. Be it Executive Chef or grunt lead line…..

Unfortunatley when those Exec. Chefs and lead line cooks get the hire paying jobs to be complete idiots, it makes it harder on the rest of the crew that isnt totaly incompatent.
Why as a business owner would you want someone like that running your restaurant. I know I wouldnt. I would want a person in there that would be respected and looked up to by the other employees. That way people are more willing to work together and make their work enviroment a better place, or at least a pieceful one.

who is timber-slime

let me know

Timber slime is all you worthless self indulgent over easy eggs that come from the BIRD! Working for the BIRD HOUSE is like being part of a cult, your in! or your not! You better be ready to get over worked, underpaid, under-appreciated, and do it all for the BIRD! Leif Eric Benson ( also known as the BIRD ) is not only worthless, i wouldn’t even call him a chef. Lets see, I’ll perch out in my office all day, probably drinking wine cause my bird lips are permanently stained purple, while i stare at my life size self portrait on the wall, and then I’ll probably reapply my makeup on the way out of the coup so no own will know, to fly around the kitchen chirping in everyones ear hoping they get annoyed so he can call them difficult and then comment on how he trusts everyone so they can trust him. I wouldn’t trust someone who has a major disturbing company write all the menus and then promote priding himself on the freshest ingredients, when most of the food comes from FSA, which usually shows up in almost spoiled condition, to sit in the walk-in coolers that no one closes which leads them to breaking down on a constant basis, but the food never gets thrown away? and the health department never finds out because some how the bird knows they’re coming huh. Don’t ever make suggestions about ANYTHING to the bird, especially if its about consistency or to make anything about timberline better because he’ll tell you,” you certainly didn’t invent it” or create it that is, he did. He probably thinks he built timberline itself. but lets say one thing about being a good leader, set by example. timberline has become the sesame street! Big bird has all his little muppets scared for there jobs, so they will become part of pee-wee’s play house, and like pee-wee the bird should be cooped up for the occasional grab ass. don’t get sucked into anything about timberlines restaurants, or you certainly will pay a high price.

hope this works

it did just click on the underlined birds the word to find out how i really feel.

By the way…Timberline is so proud of their fresh, local Hood River Pears. It turns out Hood River is actually in California!! Really.

Laif’s under-age son got caught drunk on his shift and wasn’t fired. Go figure. Possible promotion? Roxanne the pastry ‘chef’ doesn’t wash her hands after using the restroom. Also, TRUE. Spread the love.

guys ,

I wonder who writes these kinda things . let us know who you are. and we will discuss about it. jesus will bless you.

do the chef’s behavior and management policies make it necessary for those who work with him to bring about a policy change? yes. sadly, the majority of employees working for timberline lodge are recognized by the upper management as either “inferior,” “cumbersome,” or “unintelligent;” most likely taking on the embodiment of all three traits. dont forget, these words are only a few of a long list of FALSE emotional projections bestowed upon the working- level staff from their superiors. they’re looked upon wantonly as “the help,” easily replaceable and highly disposable when need be. i have met some of the most personable and creative people i know at timberline- but with the treatment they receive from the higher- ups they are almost conditioned to believe what their bosses make them out to be. and it shows. the basic idea of this type of psychological effect can be summed up plainly:
when a worker comes in to work ready to do the job set in front of them, they will at first do the best job they can do in completing their tasks. they do this because it is normal (and in timberline’s case romanticized) to believe that if they show their superiors that they can surpass the challenges put in front of them in a timely and appropriate manner they will in turn be rewarded, at least recognized (or thanked), for the good job they’ve done. when they see no return for their efforts they will at first TRY HARDER, holding out the thought that, maybe, if they work a little faster, smile a little bigger, and act a little more proactively they will surely be recognized as a vital asset of the company and therefore secure the opportunity for job advancement. at the very least they’ll be given appreciation for the work they’ve put forth. when no return is given, morale takes a swan dive. Employees will start to act in the ways that they feel they are looked upon (remember “inferior” and “highly replaceable”). they will start showing up late for work. they wont worry about coming in to work hung over as hell from the night before because nobody will notice it anyway. -side note- t line is always there to tell you what you’re doing wrong. employees will not worry about overall cleanliness, with their uniforms and personal hygiene, because they’ve learned that the bosses think most of those people working under them are stoner gypsies.
THE POINT IS THIS
if you want to see a change with the way this business works, every employee must not play by the management’s rules. they must not step on others’ toes in order to get the recognition they crave, nor play into the management’s idea of everyone “keeping a safe eye on everyone else.” each employee needs to recognize that it is the lowest- level workers that keep the business alive. without them, timberline would not be able to operate. employees need to watch out for each other. they need to be willing to help others with their tasks not because of incentives like shoddy “working hard cards,” -bleh!- but because they know that the favor will be returned unto them in the future…and it will…i promice….they should also be aware of when health and safety inspectors are around, and have the courage to stand up and let the state know of things like vermin running and burrowing in the kitchen all summer, as well as improper food storage and preparation, and, here’s the big one guys, that most of the food service staff in all food service departments are unable to present food handler’s permits- and in some cases OLCC licenses. remember, the lower level employee will not be harmed if there were to be someone to communicate these facts with the authorities, because it is not in the state’s interest to single out employees. takes too much time for one, and usually amounts to negligence on the employer’s behalf. they will punish those in charge, the ones who are negligent.
anyhoo, thanks for reading my rant….hopefully someone made it to the end.

Well this blog seems to be turning into quite a piece! I feel its time for me to add my .45c to the pile. I know its long but its only fair.
I am Bird Pan . Definition: (noun) a pan that catches and collects the fecal matter that rains down from the top of the cage as the Bird defecates, and is then replaced by another fresh and new pan who will be rewarded with the same , being shat upon and discarded.
Enough of me, on to the non-local un-sustainable hormone-infested meat and 3rd world country imported potatoes. Here is some more poop on Toilet-Line Lodge and The Bird. The Bird as so lovingly referred is Leif Benson who does chirp about himself and his “Fresh” and “Local” food. Well as it has been said folks, our purveyor is FSA and unfortunately most of our product is not fresh and indeed comes in half spoiled. The bird doesn’t seem to care and his little hatchling buyer doesn’t seem to know WTF to look for except to make sure the purchases are right so that he and the Bird get their 5-10 % kickback from FSA; not to mention all the other things like concert and game tickets, special events … You know the kinds of things major Corps give out to their best clients. I do believe false advertising is a crime right? And I also know that you can’t (without legal consequence) say you are affiliated with the ACF (American Culinary Federation) and or use of their labels and insignia without their permission. Which, again, Leif does; unbeknownst to the ACF. Copyright infringement I think, I could be wrong. Or, how about the fact that before FSA, we used to have SYSCO. SYSCO is another major food distributor who has perks as well. Perks like menu planning. Oh that’s right , menu planning help in fact Leif used the SYSCO rep to do all his menu planning for him, and Leif even had the balls to keep asking him to do it after Leif switched companies to FSA! I suppose that’s about the same time he started having the Sous Chefs write the menu! But Leif will be more than happy to “Make the granita” as he says! He will be more than happy to place his little sprigs of rosemary in the food at plate up as well. But did he wash his hands? He didn’t wash his hands! In fact the whole time I have been there I have never once seen him wash his hands! Kind of like Roxanne, the Pastry Chef (overblown cake decorator) who fell into the position by default with her daughter in-law was the Bird’s right hand gal. She cant even bake a cake to save her life, but she is really talented at piping butter cream! “Woo hoo I ‘am so proud of myself I made pastry cream!” well sweetheart it’s to bad it was grainy and tasted like crap. But then she forgets to put sugar in her crème brulees! And don’t expect her to clean up after herself. No way!
Speaking of clean, did I mention yet about our 2 Sous Chefs on AM shift? That’s right folks 2 and 1 PM Sous. Why 2 in the morning? Hell I don’t have a clue except that maybe because they both have half a brain cell so together they might get lucky and make 1 thing happen half way decent for the day. They are gross, unclean, unprofessional, entitlement minded, talentless hacks. Full filets of sturgeon sitting out in the walk-in cooler uncovered, 4 day old chili uncovered, hamburger patties hand formed sitting on a sheet pan uncovered all week, fish drowning in their own fluids in a perforated pan no ice. Both shifts not labeling, dating and wrapping properly. You should see how filthy the kitchen and surrounding areas are. I am surprised that nobody ever gets called on getting guests vilently ill. That is probably because they are all tourists and go off to another country before the symptoms set in. You know it usually takes 24 hours or more to see the effects and symptoms of food born pathogens and contamination? That’s something most of the staff has no clue of by how they maintain proper Serv-Safe rules and regulations.
When the inspector comes to do health inspections, Leif gets a call and before he/she starts her inspection its time for catching up and BS in the Ram’s Head bar with a drink… On State time? Oh you betcha! Maybe that’s why we never fail. Sure there are corrections that need to be made but never anything major is said or done. But Joe the Bird Lover will be more than happy to take care of her for Leif, after all he’s the one who fires people for personal reasons under the guise of labor cutbacks and then hires 3 more people to replace the long time hard working employee who stood for something (He took some pages out of Leif’s hand book)…Oh that’s right RL is dead (God rest his soul) and Jeff K is now in the way. His son, the dope head and worthless sack of crap, who was RL’s last choice. But the other brothers didn’t want to take over for dear old dad so here we are.
Since we bring up Jeff K lets ponder a moment why after numerous instances with Leif being a bigoted jerk he hasn’t fired him? Or why Leif is still the Big Bird after his wife Shelby was asked to step down after allegations of embezzlement. First things first, bigotry and sexual harassment are very frowned upon, yes? Why then after he has sexual harassment charges filed against him through the company is he still working? Why does he and Shelby try to get hot young female wait staff to live with them? So they can have a pet for him at home while Shelby goes off to the Resort to pick up on younger men? Why when a Silcox employee and Leif were talking in the pantry and Roxanne walked by and the employee made a sexual connotation and began pretending to grope and feel Roxanne up while dry humping her rear-end did Leif do nothing more than chuckle and smile? Maybe he thought her ass looked good in a swimsuit to I don’t know.
Second, why would she be asked to leave or why did she step down after, according to scuttlebutt, the company was missing thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. I guess them taking the lyon’s share of the tip pools wasn’t enough to maintain their Bentlies or their vacation homes. Oh yes they both get the biggest chunk of all the food departments tips. Why would the Exec need the biggest chunk out of everyone of tip share, and why would his wife the Finance Controller need any of the tip shares at all? She has nothing to do with the food and beverage department, with the exception of …oh wait you guessed it her husband is also the Food and beverage director….The Bird strikes again. And there are plenty of people who have seen and questioned missing payouts weird overages and what happens to funds and tips that weren’t accounted for? Lets say you were a server and you got fired or left and forgot to collect you last tip share, or you worked for banquets and were supposed to get a chunk of their tip out…. That’s right it gets conveniently lost in the pile of Shelby’s paperwork and ends up (allegedly) in their pocket. But hey it was probably a good sign how corrupt they are when Leif’s son got busted for showing up drunk and got caught steeling the liquor and then when he no-show no-called on Mother’s day and ended up showing up in the dining area with his mom ready to eat food Leif had nothing to say when confronted. And this after he told supervisors to show no prejudice toward him…”treat him the same as anyone else.”
Then we come to Leif’s right hand …AKA … “Dark Lord Square Pants” Who is a wealthy ex-lawyer turned wana-be chef. He sucked his way to being Leif’s Mini-Me. He likes to peer out of his peripheral bird vision and spy on everyone to report back to the Bird all the goings on and what’s being said and done… to his own end as well I might add. Kind of like the ravens in “The Lord of the Rings” keeping an eye out for the great eye of Seron. Or like the little tattletale brat in the cartoon “Recess” if any of you have kids. But as Leif has said” Your job ist make me look good.” So don’t bring your hard working ethics and morals to this joint, as long as you get on your knees and do you know what or bend over and take it in the you know what, all the while turning your blind eye to the BS and then throwing yourselves once more into the breech as canon fodder for the Bird, everything will be fine. However if you are labeled difficult you will probably find yourself on the wrong end of a “Seasonal Termination” to satisfy one of Leif’s personal vendettas.(remember Joe this one he learned well)
The Bird and his nest of halfwits has begun the cleansing of good hearted hard working devoted quality folks and replacing them with more symbiots … after all it’s only about making the Bird look good, and wealthy…
Well I think that’s all the dirt in my pan for now, I am sure I left a few things out over the time I have been at T-Line, until the next pan of poo I bid you adieu

I don’t know these people, but they sound like twisted nut cases. I sure that Josh and Kaleen Deehr will end up where they belong.

I think it is interesting Mr Bob Shun, if thats your name, that you think you can just throw peoples name out there. If you are going to do that then you need to have the balls to do that yourself, which obviously you wont. So next time you through innocent peoples names out there make sure you do the same for yourself. You obviously think you know the the people mentioned, but do they know you? Or are you to scared to show your true name……It looks like the only one with the balls to show their true name was Erol. And what does this mean exactly,”I sure that Josh and Kaleen Deehr will end up where they belong.”,Mr Bob Shun……..

You guys ,

should stop writing stupid things about other people. We work , we love it, work in the kitchen , we love it. Do not waste your precious time who did what? It is none of your business. common guys be real , be honest, be respectful. ok. thankyou

I was told to look up this web site… Sorry I did. Obviously but there is an imposter pastry chef among the bunch… Use your own name or position to validate yourself. If you must continue. You really need to find another way to entertain yourself… or just get another juo…

To those who have made comments on the pastry chef:
Just because you spent a small fortune on your culinary school education and decided to change careers while undergoing a mid-life crisis, doesn’t make you the expert on who is deserving of a job and/or title. One thing that makes a Chef great at what they do is a humble attitude. Obviously that is something that the author “Bird Pan” and original author of this article are lacking. I suppose in ALL of your experience in culinary school, you believe that you learned all there is to know about this industry. Unfortunately that is one of the things they teach you kids in school today, and it will be the ultimate demise of your career. To these 2 authors in particular, it’s quite obvious to anyone who reads your words who you are and I find it quite sad that you think you have the knowledge or experience to make such claims about the pastry chef. When someone works their ass off for 25 years in this business, working a variety of positions, that’s what makes them great at what they do. They may not be the best at every single position they undertake, but bet your ass that person would run circles around you in any kitchen! So move on to the next job, so you can find something else to bitch about. Oh, and by the way Kahleen…something you’ll find in this business: no matter where you go, you will always learn something from everyone you work with, and you will teach them something as well. That’s what makes this business so enjoyable and worthwile, if you are open to the learning. You may think you were teaching the teacher, and in some aspects you may have been. But, I can guarantee that her knowledge and experience greatly outweigh anything that you will ever have, simply because she is open to learning and has a great attitude about it. It’s just too bad that you’re too dense to recognize your own faults, as that will continue to hold you back in life. Find something better to do and just get over it!!

Ok Now that things have finished with my and my wife’s tenure at T-Line I will finally say something to all of this, And I find it ironic to say the least.
Untill now Neither myself nor my wife has posted anything on here, because we were still employed and did not want to cause any more duress and jeprodize our employment status there.
Its also a shame that this hablog has gone off topic from its original intent, which was about Leif .
Its also clear to see how so many people have guilty conciences and seem to w want to direct it towards m
Do I agree on anything thats been stated here about the original topic? Yes I do I believe that Leif does T-Line and the industry an injustice.
Do I also have similar feelings about many of you like Roxanne or Damian..AKA “Pastry Chef” & ” Bob Shun” ..maybe but its irrelivant to this post. And I would not bother stepping down to that level and talking crap about you here. That would be a new topic all on its own. However I am falttered by your insistance on it having been us, it shows me that what I felt all along was true and correct about so much and so many of you.
Oh and FYI to all of you who seem to take issue with myself or my wife… You know where to find me or her and we would be more than happy to discuss it in person shuold you ever have the intestinal fortitude to confront us face to face. Which I believe we have tried to be as professional and non-backstabbing as possible while we worked there.
It is easy to hide behind a fake name and a computer but there is nothing i wont say here I wouldn’t say to your face.. And since I know who you are and you now know who I am … remember that if and when we see eachother out and about in the community, For I wont forget your cowardess. Thanks for all the insight into what a great place T-Line and its employees are really made of.
And Thanks to Leif for being a coward and an allegid plajuristic empty man of a supposed chef. Its unfortunate that he allows this pestulance to continue , and even promotes it in some instances. I hope that one day T-Line will be known for its integrity and character as it once was.

OK here it goes. I have kept my mouth shut long enough. Now that I no longer am employed at T-line I feel that I can finally speak my mind. For all of those who have claimed and posted my name on here as the one writing the original post shame on you, it was not me. Do I agree with what was said? Yes. For the most part I do. And Damien aka Bob Shun, way to be a coward and put a post up with someone else name in it and not even have the balls to do it your self. So I hope you are all happy up there now that you don’t have to deal with little old Kaleen any more. And all you people can keep on complaining to one another about how the other person isn’t doing there job or being lazy or they cant bake. I don’t have to hear it any more. And some of you will come to find out that if you work up at T-line and have any kind of a back bone and don’t like to get walked on or talked down to you, you wont last much longer. The wonderful fearless leader will decide to go ahead and fire you for being difficult. It might take a few months but it will happen. And I say “thank you” to all who complained about me. I guess I left a big enough impression that you felt threatened enough that you had to complain. Sorry I was doing my job. Just know this, I will remember the people that I worked with and who my friends were and were not. So don’t be surprised you little complainers if I see you in public I don’t take time out of my day to say HI and just ignore you. And if any one would like to come and talk to me face to face about this then they know how to find me. I will be at home taking care of my 8 month old baby. So enjoy your time at t-line whether it be long or short and I hope that one day when management changes it will become a better place to work and to enjoy a nice meal.

I just want to stick up for Roxanne and say that (in my opinion)she is a GREAT lady and certainly doesn’t deserve all this criticism. She would give her right arm to help ANY of you - and would do it with a smile. Roxanne, I love you.

birds the word is back, and surprised i haven’t seen my name come up being one of the first to start this whole joke show. Thats ok though, being the undercover brother has its perks, I know you but you don’t know me kinda thing. Anyway Roxanne, why don’t you just shove your face in one of those amateur pies of yours and shut your bird lovin face. And Bob Shun, you better keep an eye on those Shun knives of yours because they easily end up missing and then end up in your back where the belong. And for josh and kaleen it was a pleasure, many laughs and good times, and you will end up where you belong, on the top. And to end this lovely visit once again, i would like to say one more thing about THE BIRD, and quoting from the great Red Forman from The 70’s Show…… “DUMB ASS”

I left a picture again for all of you, just click below on the underline.

How about the farmers market brunch? What a joke. Nothing comes from a farmers market. Try Sysco market brunch. Laif is a joke of a chef and so are his puppets. Avoid this place for the holidays. Waste of money. Bad food. You’ll get sick. It happens. Often.

so ill almost put a huge post on evrything i dont like but… thats dumb i just thought evryone should know that tip pools are not for managers and that paying salerys out of tip pools is illegal. and half the kitchens tips going to chief is deffiently illegal. alot of peaple there i consider freeinds of mine so i hope you all take care and have a great season of riding

Woaaah! LOL. Who am I? Someone that ate at Timberline Lodge in 1987 and liked it so much I bought the cookbook, which yeilded a few recipes so good that every time I make them people are desperately happy and want the recipe.

Um.

So I did a google search to see what the heck Leif is up to now. It sounds pretty horritruceous, which would make sense as my father, a Portland Native, just visited last summer and said the food was … pretty bad… and the hotel staff… were pretty neglectful. He’s proud of the lodge, having grown up less than an hour away; he’s over 80 years old so he remembers a lot.

And then I read all of this. It sounds like a pretty despicable place to work these days, and you have my sympathy.

I just wanna know:

How much of that cookbook (I know it’s very nouveau 80’s but that doesn’t mean some of the recipes are not really delicious) did Leif do the recipes for? Who is responsible for the Lapin Aux Champignons?

Uh, I always use fresh ingredients, so things have turned out well.

Sorry work has royally sucked for you guys. I know what it is to have earnestly slaved for a narcissistic, witholding jerk that rests on laurels others built for him.

Good luck with everything. I’ll make sure my father never eats there again. At his age, he could have died (he did get sick, btw, but it can’t be proven it was from the Lodge menu.)

Caroline

Josh and Kathleen-
I hope Wyatt is well this is the first time I have posted on this site. The hatred you must have to try and smear several people is amazing. I have no problem stating my name. I have never claimed to be the best only to try my best. I am sorry if I do not get off on slandering my supervisors! I have better things to do. I wish you the best where ever you go. I would appreciate it if you would discontinue the slander and libel about myself as well as other workers at timberline. None of us are perfect, but throwing rocks at glass windows is just to easy. I try to be n easy going person, but at some point legal actions will have to be taken. I think it would just be better to realize that all of us were young in our career and made several mistakes. By the way I do not own any Cramer knives.
Respectfully,
Damien

P.S I hope enjoyed the several Baby gifts I gave your family

We were all Friends! We went to school together. How it got to this point is amazing. I think our all better then this. Mistakes were made, but all of us are better then this. It should be ended, and let the past be the past. It is not worth all this petty childless to continue. I wish all the best, and best wishes to the future for all!!

My tenure at Timberline (in the CDR) was brief and many years ago and I must say that I am saddened to read most of these comments. While I do not know any of the “authors” I do know Jeff K. and Leif and had the fantastic fortune of working with and around R.L.(himself) I look back on my employment with fondness and have great respect for all my supervisors. We did the best we could with what we had and I must say I am personally proud of my contribution.

While I am a long time veteran of the food business I am no stranger to the reality of high attrition and gossip mongering though I felt that myself and my Timberline peers were held to and upheld a higher standard. For me, my success as an Chef is measured in how well I set the standard and celebrate people’s strengths not their shortcomings. If I were to write a report about each cambro I’ve had to cover and label and date in my career I would have time for nothing else.

My experience at Timberline made me better in my chosen field, my contact with Jeff K. and his Father and Chef Benson have left a lasting indelible feeling of pride and place that simply was not available anywhere else. Obviously opinions seem to vary but I cannot believe the Timberline in my heart and memory is so much changed today.

Matthew Ramey
Pine Shed Ribs and Barbecue

Please feel free to contact me any time to discuss any issue any time.

I want to hear clear input from you !!!

I learned a great deal from Chef Benson, and his wife Shelby. I now know how to steal thousands from my staff!

Hey erol! Where is the ass pera gosse?

Wow!!

Sorry to hear that Jeff. Self centered people and greed never fail to surprise me with new lows.

Matt

Hey!

No need to be greedy when daddy pays the bills.

Ding dong, the bird is dead, the bird is dead, the bird is dead. Ding dong, the bird is dead, the spineless bird is dead.

what is a “putts”? hey, just a suggestion: don’t use a word if you can’t spell it. sound reasonable? go get another job and stop whining.

In my day we called Leif “the ring-necked loafer” and his bird call was “cookery!” Seems all he ever did was attend the wine tastings on Fridays and scoop cranberry sauce onto plates at the holidays. Oh, and he came up with a dish that consisted of edamame served with a glass of soy milk. Soy, soy–goes together, right? Blech!