Whirlwind Week

     What a week it has been!  I have learned so much, my head is about to explode.  In the past 3 weeks, I have thought about quitting just about every day.  I cry tears of exultation daily at getting through another day.  I am so out of my comfort zone in that big kitchen with all this industrial sized equipment.  I keep hearing my mom's voice telling me to stay away from the hot stove.  Culinary school is different from academia.  I can read text books and regurgitate like nobody's business.  But this is all practical application.  Most of my classmates have worked in the industry and are much more at home than me.  Just when I'm about to quit and retreat back to the comforts of my old career, Chef Bob, my instructor, tells us that it's ok to feel over whelmed and that it will get better.  It's like he saw me tossing and turning at night!  That was just the encouragement I needed to soldier on.  What doesn't kill me will make me stronger.
     On Monday we had a knife practical for which I maimed a pound bag of carrots practicing my cuts.  Even though I sweated bullets over it, it only counts as .03% of our total grade.  The next day we had a quiz that was more like a test as far as the breadth of coverage.  Again, only counting .03%. One day we made four sauces: Hollandaise, Veloute, Bechamel, and Buerre Blanc.  We usually pair up in the kitchen and depending on who your partner is, it can make for a very good or bad day.  Well, my partner that day is one of two people who has already dropped out.  So, you can imagine how my day went.  After making two sauces pretty much on my own, my brain checked out.  The next day we made three soups: a cold Vicchyssoise, consommé, and shrimp bisque.  I am proud to say that my Vicchyssoise was approved by my peers unanimously.  Wednesday, we made potatoes 5 ways.  That was a bad day because I was in charge of making Bechamel for the Gratin de Pommes de Terre a la Dauphinoise and it didn't turn out.  I over compensated from the last time I made it which was the consistency of spackle to hardly any thickening at all.  It was demoralizing.  I think I slept 2 hours that night.  Yesterday was a good day, we made pasta from scratch.  I am in love!  I can't wait to get a pasta machine and cut my own linguine.  Today was another good day.  We made rice.  I know, you are wondering how hard could that be?  Turns out, I have been cooking it all wrong, using way too much water, cooking way too long, and stirring way too much.  Chef said my pilaf was the best!  

Vicchyssoise

     I am already a much better cook.  I can't wait for next week, Chicken Week.  Bring it on, I'm ready!

Coolinary Careers

   I admit, I am not that great of a cook.  I started cooking fairly late.  It was not until the past 10-15 years that I began exploring the wide world of cookery.   I wish that I could say that I have been cooking all my life.  I like to blame my mom for sheltering me from the "hazards" of the kitchen.  The first time I made spaghetti was in college.  I put the raw beef into the spaghetti sauce and boiled it all together.  Then I wondered why it was so greasy.  I am as aghast as you.

    However, I do love to eat and read about food, particularly restaurant reviews.   I have been fortunate to explore many fantastic restaurants.  We are blessed in Denver to have a thriving demand for great food.
My favorite past time is to read restaurant reviews in Denver Post and 5280 Magazine and make a reservation to taste for myself.  
     My dream is to become a food critic/restaurant reviewer.  Imagine, getting paid to eat!  But the possibilities in the food industry are limitless.  Aside from helming a restaurant as the executive chef, there is a plethora of food related career options.  I would also love to work for a food magazine or a research/test kitchen.  I am also intrigued by food tourism where you travel with a group to a particular locale and execute meals from the local markets.  Teaching or demonstrating cooking techniques to home cooks would also be an option.  At this point, I am open but giddy thinking of all the possibilities.  

Breaking Bad . . . Habits

     This week we are "honing" our knife skills.  Boy, do I have some bad habits from home cooking all of these years.  It's like learning to walk again!  I'm embarrassed to be out shined by these youngsters.  But never fear, 10 lbs bags of carrots are cheap and make a good practice tool.  I'm very proud of my accomplishment completing the basic cuts of dicing, julienne, and brunoise, even though it took over an hour!  (See photo below). Like my chef instructor says, accuracy and consistency is all we should care about at this stage.
     I have to say, I've been pleasantly surprised at the caliber of the curriculum.  School has been harder than I expected.  I thought I could take this time off from working and beef up my golf skills after class this summer.  That's not happening.  I'll be lucky to make it past Foundations.  
     By the way, the curriculum is made up of 6 week blocks.  First we have Foundations where we learn the basics: making stock, sauces, etc.  Then we move on to classical cuisines, then regional cuisines, baking and pastry, and local, sustainable and ethical cooking.  There is a 2 week farm to table externship where we actually work at a local farm!  And 10 weeks of externship where we test our acumen in a real kitchen.  Quel horreur!
     I won't lie, the pace of this program overwhelms me.  But in all my years of education, I have never studied anything where I can use what I learned in the class room and apply it later that day.

     

First Week of School

     It's the first week of culinary school, and I am getting butterflies just like in kindergarten! Except instead of wondering if the teacher will be nice or if I'll make friends, I'm questioning if I'll be able to stand on my feet for 5 hours and lift 5 gallons of stock.  
     Having completed my first day of culinary school, I can appreciate what makes a chef versus a cook.  There are a lot of unglamorous background basics a chef needs to know.  It's not just about aesthetics of the plate, you have to make sure you take safety precautions so people don't get sick.  I did not realize, for instance, that wearing make up is a safety hazard when cooking.  It may flake off into the food and cause someone to become ill.  
   As you can see from the picture below, our uniform is not the most flattering, although who's to know if you gain 10 pounds?  A quarter of our grade is based on appearance including: no piercings, all hair up and under the chef beanie, chef coat and pants cleaned and ironed, no fingernail polish, etc.  The chef instructor has a daily inspection check off list.  If you are not clean shaven, he will hand you a razor and off you go to the bathroom.  They take the uniform as seriously as the military.  
    There are sixteen of us in the 7am to 1pm class, equally divided between males and females.

 Believe it or not, I am not the shortest nor the oldest person in class!  I think there is one person older than me and a couple around my age, the rest of the class could pass as our kids.

     

Fond Farewell

Yesterday was my last day at Kaiser Permanente, my home these past 10 years.  In typical generous fashion, I was sent off with the famous office pot luck.  I love these food farewells because they are made with love, and you get a sense of where people come from.

There were ethnic delicacies such as Russian pierogies and Chinese napa salad, popular appetizers such as a 7 layer dip and deviled eggs, comfort entrees such as sausage and peppers and pulled pork sandwiches.  Let's not forget the desserts!  Not only did I get my favorite pies: key lime and pecan, there were homemade oatmeal cookies, brownies, raspberry lemon bars, and the biggest cake I've ever seen!

Not only are my colleagues some of the most talented cooks, they are the most dedicated and hard working group of doctors, nurses, and support staff I have been privileged to work with.

One day I hope to return the love they showed me with some special treats of my own.