Soups, lobster guts and food snobs

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. 

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

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...