Last week was soup week- I decided to volunteer for shrimp bisque because I knew it would gross me out. It did, I know me so well! After peeling and deveining a pound of shrimp and doing the other prep work for the soup we had to add lobster parts. I literally mean parts. The heads (eyes and long eye brow things) legs, and other nasty parts and the shrimp shells and legs. It was disgusting. So then after you cook it properly you grind all of those parts together to make the bisque. It was gross. I couldn't even taste it. I need to get past that. The other soups were good, but the chili was my favorite! Yum!
One of the best parts of soup week is something Chef Greg said. Each group makes their own batch of a soup and then we pour them together in a community container. Most of us tried to pour slowly to prevent splashes but Chef Greg yelled "Hard and Fast!" lol he thinks it is best to just pour it hard and fast, obviously so you get it over with. I thought it was funny though.
The AI team did not win Chef's Challenge, but we did have a blast. Chef Rob, Chef Andy and Chef Jim's team won and went on to the Iron Chef competition where they lost as well. Even still, I made some friends who are super smart and have taught me a lot already!
The first night we had a welcome dinner where we had Michigan Beer and Wine which was lovely. The food was not good but the alcohol was. It was so good- I danced! Another reason to have other Chef friends, most of them don't have rhythm either, haha. Then we went to the main lodge and had dinner. If you ever get the opportunity to go out to dinner with a chef, or a group of them, be prepared to share your food and/or drink. It is just what happens. We all tasted each others food and discussed the problems with each dish. Most people still continued to drink but Eric and I are old married people so we stopped after the first dinner. Basically everyone got to know each other before we worked together the next day.
We had to be up and ready at breakfast by 8am. This was a difficult task considering the events of the night before, however we managed it. We ate breakfast (same routine as last night's dinner) and went to set up our table at the competition. Since there were 15 of us Chef Steve told us to ask other groups of they needed help.
My new Jewish friend (he makes jokes about it so that's what he will be affectionately referred to, I seriously love Jewish people just in case you thought it was rude) and Dee found a group who needed us to de-bone their smoked white fish. I was a little nervous after last weeks lobster head and shrimp shell bisque, but I dug in, and with the help of the Jew, we deboned 14 white fish. I tried to wash my hands with soup and Lemon but I still smelled fishy- Eric and Chef Steve both informed me of this.
After that it was time to start, so we again had to find groups who needed help. I offered to pour beer for Mt. Pleasant Brewery so I poured some beer for about an hour and then I took a break to try some food. I can't remember what I ate other than I tried the whitefish I de-boned and it was decent. Then I got to cook...
Well actually I sauteed some croquettes, and I learned to plate with the help of the Jew, the Champion and Wu. It was super fun...and then it was over and time to clean up. I learned a few neat tricks about plating, sauteeing and cooking in general and the trip was awesome.
After we lost, Chef Steve said he would meet us for Burgers at a nearby bar. So we cleaned, help set up the Iron Chef Competition and then most of us went back to our room and tried to fit in a nap and a shower. Then we were out again for dinner and drinks. Eric and I talked to everyone while we ate and then our plan was to go swimming. That didn't happen...like I said we are an old married couple. We got back to our room and fell asleep at 8:00 and didn't wake up until 8:30 the next day. Awesome.
The trip was a success and I am glad to have made new friends and connections. I definitely learned a lot.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
A few updates/information
There is no time that goes by faster than the time in a kitchen! The 5 hours i have in Skills class are not enough. It is go go go from the time we walk in until the time we leave, and I love it.
I have Chef Greg for Skills and he is a wonderful instructor. He is as much of a Chef as he is a man and I do mean that as a compliment. Being a Chef is in his blood, it is something that he just is. He has talent for sure but he knows why food acts the way that it does. He always has an answer and I swear he can fix anything but burnt. Chef Greg floats around the kitchen. The way that he moves in the kitchen is as if he were dancing. I realize how I am making him sound but push all the innuendo's aside and read what I am really saying. He has these fluid movements that make even the simplest tasks look awesome. I really admire him for being able to cook and teach. I enjoy his class and hope I have him next quarter for American Regional.
I switched from a biology class that made my high school biology class seem graduate level, to Purchasing and Product ID with Chef Rob who I have for Safety and Sanitation. I really like him as well. He is funny and laid back. The Purchasing class is math and initially I was a little worried because for those of you who know me you know that math is not my strongest subject. However, I want to learn this and and I need to and really it is simple. So I ended up getting one of the best scores on my quiz even though I missed the first day- go me!
The 23-25 I joined AI's team for the Chef's Challenge in Boyne! I am super excited because last year AI won so hopefully we can do it again. Obviously since I am new I will be in the back but still I will have been on the team. Plus we get to stay up at Boyne for free. Fun! Anyway I am looking forward to it. Google Chef's Challenge 2010 for information and a video. It is promoting Michigan produce, beers and wines, which is pretty cool.
I am still enjoying school, although it is a lot of work. I have so much homework and my brain never shuts down. My poor husband gets less dinners made for him now than before I started school. He is supportive and so wonderful and I could not have done this without him.
I will update again soon,
Heather
I have Chef Greg for Skills and he is a wonderful instructor. He is as much of a Chef as he is a man and I do mean that as a compliment. Being a Chef is in his blood, it is something that he just is. He has talent for sure but he knows why food acts the way that it does. He always has an answer and I swear he can fix anything but burnt. Chef Greg floats around the kitchen. The way that he moves in the kitchen is as if he were dancing. I realize how I am making him sound but push all the innuendo's aside and read what I am really saying. He has these fluid movements that make even the simplest tasks look awesome. I really admire him for being able to cook and teach. I enjoy his class and hope I have him next quarter for American Regional.
I switched from a biology class that made my high school biology class seem graduate level, to Purchasing and Product ID with Chef Rob who I have for Safety and Sanitation. I really like him as well. He is funny and laid back. The Purchasing class is math and initially I was a little worried because for those of you who know me you know that math is not my strongest subject. However, I want to learn this and and I need to and really it is simple. So I ended up getting one of the best scores on my quiz even though I missed the first day- go me!
The 23-25 I joined AI's team for the Chef's Challenge in Boyne! I am super excited because last year AI won so hopefully we can do it again. Obviously since I am new I will be in the back but still I will have been on the team. Plus we get to stay up at Boyne for free. Fun! Anyway I am looking forward to it. Google Chef's Challenge 2010 for information and a video. It is promoting Michigan produce, beers and wines, which is pretty cool.
I am still enjoying school, although it is a lot of work. I have so much homework and my brain never shuts down. My poor husband gets less dinners made for him now than before I started school. He is supportive and so wonderful and I could not have done this without him.
I will update again soon,
Heather
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Eau de Mirepoix
I finally started school and....I LOVE IT! Granted it has only been 2 days but I loved the school before this and the classes are insane. I am having so much fun, it doesn't seem like school. Synopsis, here we go:
Day 1- My first class is Safety and Sanitation with Chef Rob in this weird room that is kind of tucked away downstairs, away from the other classrooms. So I had a little trouble finding it but thankfully Chef Rob was late so he didn't notice. You would think that Safety and Sanitation would be boring and that 3 hours would drag but it doesn't. Chef Rob is highly entertaining plus he likes to show is YouTube videos. The first video was about how all accidents in the kitchen are preventable. I believe that the State of California made these ads but I am not sure. Anyway, it shows this really pretty girl standing on the line in the kitchen and she says,
"I am the sous chef here and with any luck by next year I will be head chef. I have this amazing finace and that I am supposed to marry this weekend, but that won't happen because I am about to be in a horrible accident. I really should have cleaned up that grease."
So then she grabs this huge pot of boiling water, slips on the grease spill and falls spilling the boiling water all over her and its gross so I will spare the rest. I am only telling you this so you will see the humor it what happened in class next.
Chef Rob continues to browse YouTube to find another accident video. He clicks on one that he thinks will be appropriate. It starts out with this man in a suit leaving a motel and he says,
"I am an investment banker and with any luck by next year I will be a senior investment banker. I have this amazing fiancee and she lets me crap on her face."Pretty much everyone busts out laughing and Chef Rob scrambles to stop the video. Once he gets it to stop everyone is still laughing and Chef Rob is covering his eyes repeating that he is sorry but chuckling at the same time. I doubt that every class will be that exciting but still, it was humorous.
My next class is Skills, which means we are in the kitchen developing our skills. Anyway I head up to the kitchen and take a seat at a tall stainless steel table by myself. I am in my uniform looking around at everyone else making sure mine is on right. I tied my neckerchief like a bandana around my neck because I didn't know any better and I see another girl, Natalie showing others the correct way to tie it (like an actual tie). Finally Chef Greg comes in and he is setting papers down a little harshly and being a little scary. All of us are making eye contact with our soon-to-be friends and thinking "What are we in for?". Turns out Chef Greg is great! He really pushes us and he knows a lot. How he manages 5 groups of 3 beginners I have no clue. Anyway this other kid comes and sits next to me and another guy. We will call this one K. The first thing K says to me and other other guy, G, is that he has anger issues. Hmm, well I am super excited about you having access to knives! Then he tells G and I that he was in the military and was discharged for mental instability. Great... So K, G and I have to make mirepoix (meer-a-puah) which consists of 50% onion, 25% carrot and 25% celery and we each have to cut the proper amount for the stocks we will be making the next day. That was a disaster I had to do all the math (yeah, I did) and tell them what to do. CUT THE VEGETABLES GUYS! So after a short 5 hours (Im serious, time is your enemy in the kitchen and 5 hours has not been enough so far) we head home.
I made friends the next day in my Concepts and Theories class and a new group ended up trading another kid for me! So when we made our stocks it was good team work and not the disaster I had prepared for. G was jealous I had the idea first. Anyway thats a short synopsis of Day 2 because this post is already a mile long. Now for pictures...
Monday, March 29, 2010
First nights in a REAL kitchen!
Friday night was my first night in a real restaurant kitchen and I LOVED it! As dorky as it may sound it was such a high! One minute there are a few tickets at the window and the next thing you know the window is full and there are tickets pouring in. It was insane.
The hardest part for me was figuring out where the tables were! I started to get it my second night but I still got confused. Luckily most people are nice so they didn't mind helping me. Both nights I worked with another girl but she is in Cancun next weekend so I am on my own and I am nervous! The last thing I want to do is deliver food to the wrong table. Chef does not like it when that happens.
Speaking of Chef, everyone said he was mean but I didn't think so. I think he has high standards and wants the best from his staff. If you have ever watched Hell's Kitchen, Chef stands at the pass and makes sure the food is good enough to go to the customer.
There is a lot of noise and yelling in the kitchen, calling out orders, yelling "behind!", "hot", etc. It is organized chaos.
I have my orientation for school on Thursday. I feel a bit better starting since I have been in a kitchen, even though the only food I have touched is parsley and cilantro. Regardless I am nervous and excited to start.
Wish me luck,
Future Chef Ruby
The hardest part for me was figuring out where the tables were! I started to get it my second night but I still got confused. Luckily most people are nice so they didn't mind helping me. Both nights I worked with another girl but she is in Cancun next weekend so I am on my own and I am nervous! The last thing I want to do is deliver food to the wrong table. Chef does not like it when that happens.
Speaking of Chef, everyone said he was mean but I didn't think so. I think he has high standards and wants the best from his staff. If you have ever watched Hell's Kitchen, Chef stands at the pass and makes sure the food is good enough to go to the customer.
There is a lot of noise and yelling in the kitchen, calling out orders, yelling "behind!", "hot", etc. It is organized chaos.
I have my orientation for school on Thursday. I feel a bit better starting since I have been in a kitchen, even though the only food I have touched is parsley and cilantro. Regardless I am nervous and excited to start.
Wish me luck,
Future Chef Ruby
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Food Prep? Just kidding...we actually meant Bomb Squad member!
So Tuesday was my last day at ACS and it was sad. I had the pleasure of working with some of the most kind, smart and caring people in the world. I will miss them, but I look forward to a continued friendship with them.
After leaving ACS I went to begin my new culinary adventure. When I interviewed for this job I was told that it would entail food preparation and bringing trays to the patients. Ok great, food prep is kitchen experience and that is what I need. So I go to the orientation and I am thinking that it will be short and sweet. Boy was I wrong. Thankfully there was another kid there so it wasn't just me and the scary director lady. She went on and on and on...and on! For eternity it seemed like, about the codes at the hospital and what they mean.
I definitely want to know which code means fire (or run in my case) and other disasters that have the potential to take my life (or the lives of others, I am not selfish). Anyway, the Scary Director Lady says that this hospital is state of the art, so if there is a fire we do not evacuate, this building is THAT safe. Supposedly it is divided into "smoke zones" that are independent of one another and if there is a fire in Zone 1 for example, Smoke Zones 2-4 are perfectly fine. Really? Well that's great so I won't die from inhalation due to the "zones". Does the fire just magically stop at the next zone? It's raging in Zone 1, comes to Zone 2 and says "SHOOT" can't go over there, that's zone two! Yeah freakin' right lady. I was taught to run outside if there is a fire. My Poppa was a Fire Chief, so I consider myself somewhat fire savvy. Regardless of all that, I have no intention of keeping my butt inside a burning building, whether or not the fire is in my "zone". So Scary Director Lady goes on to say, if we happen to be taking trays to patients and there is a fire we have to shut all of the doors so the fire doesn't spread. Sounds smart right? Well then she says if a fire is in the patients room and the patient is in there, we have to tell them it is going to be ok and shut the door. Seriously?! I will not do that. No way am I telling someone its going to be ok when I am shutting them in a room with a fire! No thank you. So after this lovely tidbit about fires she moves on to bomb threats.
So, if there is a bomb threat the loudspeaker will say the code. Then we are supposed to come back to our unit and LOOK FOR THE BOMB! Yes, thats right, LOOK FOR THE BOMB. Excuse me? I am NOT a Bomb Squad member, just in case you thought I was.
So I sign on thinking I am doing food prep and find out that is not the case. So needless to say I was PRAYING I would get a real kitchen job at a great local place. Well ladies and gentleman, I did it! So hopefully I can say goodbye to the Bomb Squad before I even start. Wham, bam, thank you Ma'am!
So I start taking food from the kitchen and serving it and then I move to salad and then to hot foods! I start tomorrow, woo hoo! Can't wait!
-Future Chef Ruby
After leaving ACS I went to begin my new culinary adventure. When I interviewed for this job I was told that it would entail food preparation and bringing trays to the patients. Ok great, food prep is kitchen experience and that is what I need. So I go to the orientation and I am thinking that it will be short and sweet. Boy was I wrong. Thankfully there was another kid there so it wasn't just me and the scary director lady. She went on and on and on...and on! For eternity it seemed like, about the codes at the hospital and what they mean.
I definitely want to know which code means fire (or run in my case) and other disasters that have the potential to take my life (or the lives of others, I am not selfish). Anyway, the Scary Director Lady says that this hospital is state of the art, so if there is a fire we do not evacuate, this building is THAT safe. Supposedly it is divided into "smoke zones" that are independent of one another and if there is a fire in Zone 1 for example, Smoke Zones 2-4 are perfectly fine. Really? Well that's great so I won't die from inhalation due to the "zones". Does the fire just magically stop at the next zone? It's raging in Zone 1, comes to Zone 2 and says "SHOOT" can't go over there, that's zone two! Yeah freakin' right lady. I was taught to run outside if there is a fire. My Poppa was a Fire Chief, so I consider myself somewhat fire savvy. Regardless of all that, I have no intention of keeping my butt inside a burning building, whether or not the fire is in my "zone". So Scary Director Lady goes on to say, if we happen to be taking trays to patients and there is a fire we have to shut all of the doors so the fire doesn't spread. Sounds smart right? Well then she says if a fire is in the patients room and the patient is in there, we have to tell them it is going to be ok and shut the door. Seriously?! I will not do that. No way am I telling someone its going to be ok when I am shutting them in a room with a fire! No thank you. So after this lovely tidbit about fires she moves on to bomb threats.
So, if there is a bomb threat the loudspeaker will say the code. Then we are supposed to come back to our unit and LOOK FOR THE BOMB! Yes, thats right, LOOK FOR THE BOMB. Excuse me? I am NOT a Bomb Squad member, just in case you thought I was.
So I sign on thinking I am doing food prep and find out that is not the case. So needless to say I was PRAYING I would get a real kitchen job at a great local place. Well ladies and gentleman, I did it! So hopefully I can say goodbye to the Bomb Squad before I even start. Wham, bam, thank you Ma'am!
So I start taking food from the kitchen and serving it and then I move to salad and then to hot foods! I start tomorrow, woo hoo! Can't wait!
-Future Chef Ruby
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
First Quarter Schedule
I am very lucky to have been assigned a wonderful group of people at AI to help me navigate through everything. I got my permanent schedule yesterday and I am super excited. My days in Culinary School will look like this:
Monday: 1-4 Sanitation & Safety
5:30-10:30 Intro to Culinary
Tuesday: 1-4 Concepts and Theories
5:30-10:30 Intro to Culinary
Saturday: 8-12 Biology
Sanitation and Safety is about Food Bourne Illnesses and where they come from. In addition, obviously to how we prevent them in the kitchen.
Intro to Culinary is the basics, knife skills, stocks etc.
Concepts and Theories covers the origins of certain foods, recipes and why we do things the way that we do.
Finally Biology, this is not your average Bio course because it really has to do with digestion and how the human body processes food, what we need nutrition wise etc.
Orientation is April 1st and that is when I will get my uniforms, knives and books. Woo hoo!
The more I read my new chef book the more nervous and excited I get. I am still at the beginning of Michael's Culinary experience so I am really trying to learn from his mistakes. He is so detailed in his writing that it is easy to understand the proper and improper way he does things.
Anyway, that's all for now.
Future Chef Ruby
Monday: 1-4 Sanitation & Safety
5:30-10:30 Intro to Culinary
Tuesday: 1-4 Concepts and Theories
5:30-10:30 Intro to Culinary
Saturday: 8-12 Biology
Sanitation and Safety is about Food Bourne Illnesses and where they come from. In addition, obviously to how we prevent them in the kitchen.
Intro to Culinary is the basics, knife skills, stocks etc.
Concepts and Theories covers the origins of certain foods, recipes and why we do things the way that we do.
Finally Biology, this is not your average Bio course because it really has to do with digestion and how the human body processes food, what we need nutrition wise etc.
Orientation is April 1st and that is when I will get my uniforms, knives and books. Woo hoo!
The more I read my new chef book the more nervous and excited I get. I am still at the beginning of Michael's Culinary experience so I am really trying to learn from his mistakes. He is so detailed in his writing that it is easy to understand the proper and improper way he does things.
Anyway, that's all for now.
Future Chef Ruby
Friday, March 12, 2010
Tentative Schedule and Orientation
I just got my "tentative" schedule for school and thank God it is tentative! As you know I got a new part time job so I could watch the kiddies on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday each week...well here is my "tentative" school schedule:
GEN 105 Effective Speaking Wed 1:01pm-5:00pm
CULA 105 Intro to Culinary Skills Wed & Thur 7:00am-12:00pm
CULA 110 Sanitation and Safety Thur 2:30pm-5:30pm
CULA 100 Concepts & Theories of Culinary Techniques Mon 8:00am-11:00am
Despite being a little difficult to read, I am sure you can see the problem. Shoot! Good thing I have a wonderful Assistant Director of Admissions to help me out. She forwarded my request onto another lady who can "hopefully" change my schedule to Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. Aside from the date conflicts I am excited to jump right into culinary.
I am reading a great book right now called, "The Making of a Chef" by Michael Ruhlman. Michael wrote about his journey through The Culinary Institute of America. Right now I am still reading about his first day and I am nervous and excited for mine. Nervous because I am not sure how I feel about boiling blood and excess proteins out of bones to make stock. Excited because I can't wait to learn! I am excited to be able to cook things that sound french and taste like Heaven. I can't wait to learn the cuisines of over 27 countries(and my husband can't wait to eat them).
For all my band geek friends out there imagine being able to go to school JUST with band kids (Loads of people dorky like me). That is what this school is like for me so far. Maybe it will be like band camp? LOL. Anyway the school is a creative arts school so everyone there has some serious talent. Walk the hallways and you will see everything from photography and paintings to sugar sculptures and wedding cakes. Pretty cool.
You know what else I am excited about, THE UNIFORM. Seriously, I am excited about it. I loved my Marching Band uniform so I imagine I will love this too. Who doesn't like houndstooth pants? Plus the chef coat! I will LOOK like a chef (so what I can't cook like one yet?). Also they are giving me a knife set...yes knives. Super sweet knives! How many of you college students or grads got to bring knives to class, huh? Huh? Anyway, I get three uniforms because I have to wear them in the kitchen, so we have locker rooms that we get to change in so we don't have to wear our uniforms all day. (Who wouldn't want to do that?)
So as you can tell from this long post I am EXCITED! Culinary school is bringing back the band dork!
~Future Chef Ruby
GEN 105 Effective Speaking Wed 1:01pm-5:00pm
CULA 105 Intro to Culinary Skills Wed & Thur 7:00am-12:00pm
CULA 110 Sanitation and Safety Thur 2:30pm-5:30pm
CULA 100 Concepts & Theories of Culinary Techniques Mon 8:00am-11:00am
Despite being a little difficult to read, I am sure you can see the problem. Shoot! Good thing I have a wonderful Assistant Director of Admissions to help me out. She forwarded my request onto another lady who can "hopefully" change my schedule to Monday, Tuesday and Saturday. Aside from the date conflicts I am excited to jump right into culinary.
I am reading a great book right now called, "The Making of a Chef" by Michael Ruhlman. Michael wrote about his journey through The Culinary Institute of America. Right now I am still reading about his first day and I am nervous and excited for mine. Nervous because I am not sure how I feel about boiling blood and excess proteins out of bones to make stock. Excited because I can't wait to learn! I am excited to be able to cook things that sound french and taste like Heaven. I can't wait to learn the cuisines of over 27 countries(and my husband can't wait to eat them).
For all my band geek friends out there imagine being able to go to school JUST with band kids (Loads of people dorky like me). That is what this school is like for me so far. Maybe it will be like band camp? LOL. Anyway the school is a creative arts school so everyone there has some serious talent. Walk the hallways and you will see everything from photography and paintings to sugar sculptures and wedding cakes. Pretty cool.
You know what else I am excited about, THE UNIFORM. Seriously, I am excited about it. I loved my Marching Band uniform so I imagine I will love this too. Who doesn't like houndstooth pants? Plus the chef coat! I will LOOK like a chef (so what I can't cook like one yet?). Also they are giving me a knife set...yes knives. Super sweet knives! How many of you college students or grads got to bring knives to class, huh? Huh? Anyway, I get three uniforms because I have to wear them in the kitchen, so we have locker rooms that we get to change in so we don't have to wear our uniforms all day. (Who wouldn't want to do that?)
So as you can tell from this long post I am EXCITED! Culinary school is bringing back the band dork!
~Future Chef Ruby
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