Kitchen manager: A competent staff spells the difference

Fifth in a series for Maine Restaurant Week.

Karl Okerholm, kitchen manager at El Rayo Taqueria, talks some shop.

Title: Kitchen manager/sous chef
Training: Bachelor of Arts degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales, worked at Street and Co, Black Point Inn in Scarborough and the A1 Diner in Gardiner
Best part of the job: I'm surrounded by people who like doing things that I enjoy
What he wishes he'd done before El Rayo: I wish I'd taken a break and traveled somewhere — taken a road trip or gone hiking somewhere; outside of the United States, I have only been to Canada.
What's underrated: I think a restaurant's staff. Without a competent staff, even the best restaurant with the freshest ingredients won't produce as well as one with a good staff. As far as ingredients go, I'd say vinegar. A lot of people limit themselves to white distilled but there are so many more to explore.
The music he'd like to cook to if El Rayo had a closed kitchen: Metal bands like Man o' War. They're a cheesy '80s metal group with the long hair. They dress like Vikings but they're from New Jersey. They're very funny.
Food TV he likes: Alton Brown's "Good Eats" is one of my favorites and I really respect Mario Batali.
Who would play him in the movie of his life: Michael Cera. His characters are pretty laid back like I am.
What Portland is missing: A tapas bar, similar to the Bar of Chocolate but focused on tapas and desserts, no entrees. We need more affordable places and fewer high-end restaurants.
Favorite pizza place: Leonardo's
Beverage of choice at the end of a shift: Maker's Mark Manhattan.
Shoes he wears at work: Dansko clogs. I used to like the Birkenstock kitchen shoes but they're really hard to come by these days.
The dish his family always asks him to make: I'm always in charge of the green bean casserole at Christmas time. Of course, I make my own sauce with shiitake and crimini mushrooms, I cook onions and shallots and deglaze them with Madeira. If I have a fryer, then I do my own onions but in a pinch I'll go for the can of French's.
Place he'd like to open: Every cook probably has one or two places in their head they'd like to open. I think I'd like to do home-cooked meals-roasted chicken or meat loaf. I just want to cook them better than your momma.