Well it has been about a month since my last post so i guess it is time to update again....
When in Rome.....it has been quite the last couple of weeks here. Finally feel settled and in somewhat of a routine. I am working 6 days a week and usually from 12 to midnight most days. Its tiring but i get to do a lot of things in the kitchen so it has been a really good experience so far. My day usualy starts off by preping and cleaning. Preparing sauces, pastas, bread, portioning fish and meats for dinner service and cold dishes. Then when dinner service starts, which is around 7:00, i do a lot of the antipasti and apertivi but as we get further into dinner service i help prepare some of our hot dishes as well as start to help with dessert. It can be quite chaotic in the kitchen at times when you get 20 tickets coming in at once and everybody is scrambling around to get dishes out on time. It has been really good to see it though, because it is showing me how to be organized and keep everything in line. The restaurant i work at actually has three parts to it, it has a bar area, it has the osteria and finaly the ristorante. Now you might be wondering what the difference is between the osteria and ristorante and an osteria is a little less formal, your local hangout place while the ristorante is the more upscale, fancy type place with a couple different tasting menus and only a few tables. When all three are busy, like last night, the kitchen is a pretty exciting place with a lot going on. Last night we had probably 140 tickets which probably meant we had about 60 to 70 covers. Last night was pretty busy for us but that is about the norm for most nights and we are open every day of the week.
The biggest difficulty so far has been the language which can be very frustrating. It is getting better but italian is a tough language to learn. I am hopeing that another month and i will be able to at least carry on a normal conversation with someone.
The other exciting news is that i tried slicing part of my thumb off last week. Slicing some guanciale, knife slipped and sliced into my thumb. Its doing fine, so no worries, but definitely something i want to try to avoid. Although i am sure i will have a nice scar from this one.
Definitely missing the states a bit but still really enjoying my time here. Thankfully next weekend i get saturday and sunday off, so i am going to go visit one of my friends in Porto Ercole which is a little town on the coast just north of Rome. It will be a weekend of relaxing and sitting on the beach! Very much looking forward to that. Hope everyone is doing well back home and another update probably after my weekend getaway.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Updates...
In our last week here in Colorno!! Crazy how fast it has gone by. I know some of you must be wondering where i am headed next week......
ROMA!!!!
I will be doing my internship portion of school at this great restaurant in Rome. The restaurant is called Giuda Ballerino and the head chef is Andrea Fusco. I actually already got to meet him back in June because he was our guest chef when we did the region of Lazio which is the region Rome is in. I am very excited to go there and start working. Living in the "Eternal City" and being around all the history that surrounds Rome will be amazing. Hopefully i will do a better job of updating everyone when i am there.
The last 4 weeks have been a blur. First a couple of friends and myself went to the beautiful island of Elba (Isola d'Elba). The island is located off the coast of Tuscany heading towards Sardegna and Corsica. This little island is quite famous because it is where Napolean was exiled and he was king of the island for a little over a year. Beside that, it is also a major snorkling and scuba diving area, so if you love to dive this is one great place to come. It was also a great place to run, they have dirt trails that zig-zag all over the island, you could also hike and mountain bike. My only advice is that be prepared for some sketchy driving, some of the roads are pretty narrow and can be very steep but it makes for some fun driving experiences. I have pictures up of the trip in the slide show on my blog here and also on my facebook page.
The following weekend we had a class fieldtrip to Tuscany. We visited three different wineries, a butcher shop, and the best goat cheese farm on this planet. I kid you not, there is no where else that compares. The farm is called Santa Margarita (not to be confused with the wine) and is a great little place and must be checked out if you are a cheese head. We spent the night in Siena and then continued are journey around Tuscany. One of the wineries we visited, Il Boro, is owned by Salvatore Farragammo, of the fashion fame and we actually got to meet him which was pretty interesting and cool. From there a couple of us got dropped off in Florence saturday night. We spend saturday night and sunday exploring the great city. Definitely a must see for art and architecture fans. Also a shoppers paradise with all the famous european brands but also the unofficial italian leather capital with little leather carts every block. Myself, i picked up some nice italian leather shoes, so starting to blend in a little bit with these italians, although my red hair does tend to stand out.
This past week was my birthday and we had a great time celebrating italian style. Definitely one of the best birthday's to date. This past friday we had another field trip, this time we went to Piemonte, in the foothills of the alps. We visited another cheese farm and then went to a farm that was devoted entirely to bio-dynamic production. It was a beautiful day and it reminded me of being back home in colorado. Finally, on saturday and sunday i went with a couple of friends to the east coast of italy, the Adriatic Sea. We went to Pesaro and Ancona, two little cities on the coast. Both were very beautiful and the italians call it the california of italy.
In the last two weeks i have also had some very good eating experiences. When we came back from Florence we stopped in Parma and ate at a 1 star michelin rated restaurant that was excellent. I had this black angus ratetouille that was amazing and the desserts were excellent. We ended up being the last people in the restaurant, so the chef invited us to come see the kitchen and walk around. Excellenct dinning experience #1.
The second place was near Pesaro this past weekend. It was another 1 star michelin rated restaurant that sat on the cliffs overlooking the adriatic sea. Being by the sea everything was seafood and was some of the freshest seafood i have ever had. We had shrimp, scampi, swordfish, crab, flounder, all with fresh herbs, vegetables, fresh homemade pasta and breads....all with a couple bottles of wine = greatness!!
Again we spent almost 4 hours at the restaurant (so beware, if you come to italy and want a good meal, make sure you have some time, we sat at 8:30 and didn't leave until midnight) and again we were almost the last ones in the restaurant. There were two couples who were still there when we left. We didn't get to see the kitchen this time but spent some time talking to the chef and staff at the restaurant.
It is still hard to believe that i have been here for two and half months now but i am loving every moment of it and can't wait to move to Rome and spend another two and half months there. My only concern is my italian but i know after spending two and half months in a kitchen where only italian is going to be spoken, i imagine i might be pretty good at it by the end. Hopefully i will have another update for everyone next week sometime and let you know how Rome is.
ROMA!!!!
I will be doing my internship portion of school at this great restaurant in Rome. The restaurant is called Giuda Ballerino and the head chef is Andrea Fusco. I actually already got to meet him back in June because he was our guest chef when we did the region of Lazio which is the region Rome is in. I am very excited to go there and start working. Living in the "Eternal City" and being around all the history that surrounds Rome will be amazing. Hopefully i will do a better job of updating everyone when i am there.
The last 4 weeks have been a blur. First a couple of friends and myself went to the beautiful island of Elba (Isola d'Elba). The island is located off the coast of Tuscany heading towards Sardegna and Corsica. This little island is quite famous because it is where Napolean was exiled and he was king of the island for a little over a year. Beside that, it is also a major snorkling and scuba diving area, so if you love to dive this is one great place to come. It was also a great place to run, they have dirt trails that zig-zag all over the island, you could also hike and mountain bike. My only advice is that be prepared for some sketchy driving, some of the roads are pretty narrow and can be very steep but it makes for some fun driving experiences. I have pictures up of the trip in the slide show on my blog here and also on my facebook page.
The following weekend we had a class fieldtrip to Tuscany. We visited three different wineries, a butcher shop, and the best goat cheese farm on this planet. I kid you not, there is no where else that compares. The farm is called Santa Margarita (not to be confused with the wine) and is a great little place and must be checked out if you are a cheese head. We spent the night in Siena and then continued are journey around Tuscany. One of the wineries we visited, Il Boro, is owned by Salvatore Farragammo, of the fashion fame and we actually got to meet him which was pretty interesting and cool. From there a couple of us got dropped off in Florence saturday night. We spend saturday night and sunday exploring the great city. Definitely a must see for art and architecture fans. Also a shoppers paradise with all the famous european brands but also the unofficial italian leather capital with little leather carts every block. Myself, i picked up some nice italian leather shoes, so starting to blend in a little bit with these italians, although my red hair does tend to stand out.
This past week was my birthday and we had a great time celebrating italian style. Definitely one of the best birthday's to date. This past friday we had another field trip, this time we went to Piemonte, in the foothills of the alps. We visited another cheese farm and then went to a farm that was devoted entirely to bio-dynamic production. It was a beautiful day and it reminded me of being back home in colorado. Finally, on saturday and sunday i went with a couple of friends to the east coast of italy, the Adriatic Sea. We went to Pesaro and Ancona, two little cities on the coast. Both were very beautiful and the italians call it the california of italy.
In the last two weeks i have also had some very good eating experiences. When we came back from Florence we stopped in Parma and ate at a 1 star michelin rated restaurant that was excellent. I had this black angus ratetouille that was amazing and the desserts were excellent. We ended up being the last people in the restaurant, so the chef invited us to come see the kitchen and walk around. Excellenct dinning experience #1.
The second place was near Pesaro this past weekend. It was another 1 star michelin rated restaurant that sat on the cliffs overlooking the adriatic sea. Being by the sea everything was seafood and was some of the freshest seafood i have ever had. We had shrimp, scampi, swordfish, crab, flounder, all with fresh herbs, vegetables, fresh homemade pasta and breads....all with a couple bottles of wine = greatness!!
Again we spent almost 4 hours at the restaurant (so beware, if you come to italy and want a good meal, make sure you have some time, we sat at 8:30 and didn't leave until midnight) and again we were almost the last ones in the restaurant. There were two couples who were still there when we left. We didn't get to see the kitchen this time but spent some time talking to the chef and staff at the restaurant.
It is still hard to believe that i have been here for two and half months now but i am loving every moment of it and can't wait to move to Rome and spend another two and half months there. My only concern is my italian but i know after spending two and half months in a kitchen where only italian is going to be spoken, i imagine i might be pretty good at it by the end. Hopefully i will have another update for everyone next week sometime and let you know how Rome is.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Luglio in Italia
Already july.....
Can't believe how fast this is going by. It has been about a month since my last post so i thought i should update. The last month has been nothing short of amazing. Each week we have two to three days in the kitchen and the other two days we usually have guest chefs coming from all over the country to tell us about their region and cuisine. It is so refreshing to see different chefs each week and watch and learn from them. Each one has their own style and take on food. All have been good but definitely a few have stood out above the others. We have gone through about half of the regions in Italy so far and as much as i love the mountains of the north i am being drawn towards the cooking of southern Italy. The use of fresh ingredients, spices, pastas, meats, and fish.....they are used so simply but in an elegant way and you can taste each ingredient and when you put all of them together.....well its amazing. As far as my own cooking skills those continue to improve each day as well. I countinue to learn numerous things from our head chef Bruno who is an unbelievable chef with so much knowledge. So, for everyone back home, when i return you will have a good meal made for you.
Outside of the kitchen i have been trying to see as much of this beautiful country as possible. I guess about three weeks ago i went to Cinque Terre with three of my friends. Cinque Terre is in the Italian Riviera and is composed of 5 little towns on the sea with dramatic cliffs, mountains and pristine beaches. If you get a chance to come to Italy in the summertime you must make it a point to visit this beautiful place.
The week after we had a class fieldtrip to see where parmigiano regiano is made and also proscuito di parma. On the next day we drove to regio-emilia to see where balsamic vinegar is made. Seeing barrel upon barrel of balsamic, some that was aged for over 30 years! We also had a tasting with cheese, bread, little cakes and chocolates....again it was amazing. This was just the start of a great day to come. After we left for a little town that was near the Adriatic coast. Here we met a man and his wife who cooked us one of the best meals i have ever had. The man is a master cheese maker and showed us where he ages and makes his most delectable creations. There house sits on top of a hill where you can see San Marino to the north, the adriatic to the east and the mountains of central italy to the south and west. It is one of the best days i have had here in Italy.
Last weekend the same four of us who went to Cinque Terre went to Bologna for the weekend. The home of Bolognese cuisine, mortadella, and one of the oldest universities in the world. The city was a little smaller than i thought it was going to be but made it easy to walk all around and see all the sights. Unfortunately we watched the U.S. lose to Ghana but otherwise had a great weekend.
As for this week it has been pretty good. The only real mishap was on monday when i sliced my finger open when i was deboning some guinea hen. So, i will probably have a nice scar on my middle finger on my left hand but all is well and that is just apart of being a chef. Besides my finger the cooking was very good this week and i got great remarks on all my dishes. We also had to fill out a form about our expectations for where we want to do our internship this week. I am leaning towards Rome but we do not get to choose exactly where we want to go so either way i will be very excited for wherever i end up. This makes me a little nervous but I am sure wherever i end up it will be a great experience. The other part i am worried about is my Italian which is coming along but is still not very good. I practice everyday but more is needed.
Thats is for now. I wish everyone back in the states a happy fourth of July, i hope it is safe and fun! For those of you in Colorado going to the white trash bash i will be there in spirit.
Can't believe how fast this is going by. It has been about a month since my last post so i thought i should update. The last month has been nothing short of amazing. Each week we have two to three days in the kitchen and the other two days we usually have guest chefs coming from all over the country to tell us about their region and cuisine. It is so refreshing to see different chefs each week and watch and learn from them. Each one has their own style and take on food. All have been good but definitely a few have stood out above the others. We have gone through about half of the regions in Italy so far and as much as i love the mountains of the north i am being drawn towards the cooking of southern Italy. The use of fresh ingredients, spices, pastas, meats, and fish.....they are used so simply but in an elegant way and you can taste each ingredient and when you put all of them together.....well its amazing. As far as my own cooking skills those continue to improve each day as well. I countinue to learn numerous things from our head chef Bruno who is an unbelievable chef with so much knowledge. So, for everyone back home, when i return you will have a good meal made for you.
Outside of the kitchen i have been trying to see as much of this beautiful country as possible. I guess about three weeks ago i went to Cinque Terre with three of my friends. Cinque Terre is in the Italian Riviera and is composed of 5 little towns on the sea with dramatic cliffs, mountains and pristine beaches. If you get a chance to come to Italy in the summertime you must make it a point to visit this beautiful place.
The week after we had a class fieldtrip to see where parmigiano regiano is made and also proscuito di parma. On the next day we drove to regio-emilia to see where balsamic vinegar is made. Seeing barrel upon barrel of balsamic, some that was aged for over 30 years! We also had a tasting with cheese, bread, little cakes and chocolates....again it was amazing. This was just the start of a great day to come. After we left for a little town that was near the Adriatic coast. Here we met a man and his wife who cooked us one of the best meals i have ever had. The man is a master cheese maker and showed us where he ages and makes his most delectable creations. There house sits on top of a hill where you can see San Marino to the north, the adriatic to the east and the mountains of central italy to the south and west. It is one of the best days i have had here in Italy.
Last weekend the same four of us who went to Cinque Terre went to Bologna for the weekend. The home of Bolognese cuisine, mortadella, and one of the oldest universities in the world. The city was a little smaller than i thought it was going to be but made it easy to walk all around and see all the sights. Unfortunately we watched the U.S. lose to Ghana but otherwise had a great weekend.
As for this week it has been pretty good. The only real mishap was on monday when i sliced my finger open when i was deboning some guinea hen. So, i will probably have a nice scar on my middle finger on my left hand but all is well and that is just apart of being a chef. Besides my finger the cooking was very good this week and i got great remarks on all my dishes. We also had to fill out a form about our expectations for where we want to do our internship this week. I am leaning towards Rome but we do not get to choose exactly where we want to go so either way i will be very excited for wherever i end up. This makes me a little nervous but I am sure wherever i end up it will be a great experience. The other part i am worried about is my Italian which is coming along but is still not very good. I practice everyday but more is needed.
Thats is for now. I wish everyone back in the states a happy fourth of July, i hope it is safe and fun! For those of you in Colorado going to the white trash bash i will be there in spirit.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
ITALY
Finally here and I may never leave. Sorry everyone back home but if you were here you would understand. These pictures are just a taste and don't give justice to what it is like to actually be here. The top one is our school.
Arrived on Saturday in Milan and spent the day getting lost in the many little streets and piazza's. Then we all got on a bus sunday afternoon and arrived in Colorono. A beautiful little town in the heart of Italy. The living has greatly improved from New York. We have great appartments in town and it is only a 10 minute walk to school. The town reminds me of a mix between Saline, MI and Colorado Springs, CO. It has the small town charm of saline, slow paced, easy going and the beautiful scenery of colorado springs. Not quite the big mountains of the rockies out my window but there are some beautiful mountains not far away.
First week is in the books and it definitely has been a change but it has been a good change. Still getting used to the new kitchen and the way things are done here but it is coming along. We did go to Torino this past wednesday and it was awesome and is definitely somewhere i want to get back to and spend some more time. With the alps in the background and the italian riviera and cote d'azur only an hour away, who wouldn't? We visited this food emporium called Eately and i know you are thinking they went all the way to Torino to visit a grocery store but this place was amazing. All the products are direct from producers and they are high quality products from small producers but at prices everyone can afford. The idea behind it is if they can provide good food then people can live good, healthy lives and if you make it affordable for everyone then more than just the rich have a chance to live a healthy life. There are a few around Italy and europe, some in Japan and Hong Kong and the U.S. will have its first one late this year in New York City.
Hopefully today we will make it in to Parma to see more of the city that is closest to us. And yes it is the home of parmagiano regiano and procuitto di parma.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Desserts, Beaches, and Packing
So, finally i have some photos of the desserts week! Some pretty exciting stuff that was really good and looked pretty good too! 
First we have a strawberry tort that had crema pasticcera in it or a custard filling in english.
Here we have some bomboloni or you might better now them as doughnut holes. They were delicious and were a big hit around the building.
Finally we have profiteroles with crema pasticcera, vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce. These weren't the only ones but these were my favorite and there are pictures of some of the others in the slide show. The great thing was that i got to make the profiteroles in my final that was this past monday.
Speaking of which went really well. My recipes were gnocchi di patate and profiteroles con crema pasticcera e salsa di ciocolato. I thought they were a bit on the easier side for our last final but i took it. I scored a 90 on the practical and it should have been a little better, the gnocchi were a little salty and my crema pasticcera was not as smooth as it should have been but overall not bad. I brought it back with the last theory test, scoring a perfect 100. We then celebrated with some champagne and a beautiful sunset on the rooftop!
The last three days have been filled with just relaxing, running, beaches, and walking around the city. Lived it up in the Hamptons yesterday on a gorgeous day. 80 degrees, sun shinning although the water is still a bit cold so no swimming but definitely enjoyed the sun!
And it was a beautiful evening to be out in the city.
Now, its on to Italy. My bags are packed, my tickets are punched all that is left is getting on the plane. So, if you need me DON'T CALL or TEXT but i will have facebook and email and of course the blog. The next post will be from Italy, so long New York, so long U.S. next time i see you is TBD.
First we have a strawberry tort that had crema pasticcera in it or a custard filling in english. 
Here we have some bomboloni or you might better now them as doughnut holes. They were delicious and were a big hit around the building. 
Finally we have profiteroles with crema pasticcera, vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce. These weren't the only ones but these were my favorite and there are pictures of some of the others in the slide show. The great thing was that i got to make the profiteroles in my final that was this past monday. Speaking of which went really well. My recipes were gnocchi di patate and profiteroles con crema pasticcera e salsa di ciocolato. I thought they were a bit on the easier side for our last final but i took it. I scored a 90 on the practical and it should have been a little better, the gnocchi were a little salty and my crema pasticcera was not as smooth as it should have been but overall not bad. I brought it back with the last theory test, scoring a perfect 100. We then celebrated with some champagne and a beautiful sunset on the rooftop!
The last three days have been filled with just relaxing, running, beaches, and walking around the city. Lived it up in the Hamptons yesterday on a gorgeous day. 80 degrees, sun shinning although the water is still a bit cold so no swimming but definitely enjoyed the sun!
And it was a beautiful evening to be out in the city. Now, its on to Italy. My bags are packed, my tickets are punched all that is left is getting on the plane. So, if you need me DON'T CALL or TEXT but i will have facebook and email and of course the blog. The next post will be from Italy, so long New York, so long U.S. next time i see you is TBD.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Showing the love
Well, only one more day in the kitchen here in new york.....kind of crazy but so excited to leave for Italy next friday.
This past week has been a great week. Actually it really began last sunday when i was lucky enough to have one of my best friends come and visit. It was an excellent day with lunch in the park, wondering through the museum of natural history, shopping a little bit, and ending with some coffee and crossword puzzels. Learning about the temperature of lakes and when the earth might slip into another ice age. It was a picture perfect day and i think she should come to italy next to visit ;)
Then i got to spend the next couple days with my mom. She was in town again for work, so that means eating out at some great restaurants. Monday night was Becco. One of the great Italian restaurants in the city in midtown owned by Lidia Bastianich. The same owners of Del Posto and Esca. It was a happening place and packed but we snagged a place at the bar and had a great meal. Their signature three pastas are excellent and the veal parm was excellent and big enough for at least two to share. Plus they have an entire list of bottles of wine that are $25, you won't find a better deal in the city. On tuesday we went to The Mark by Jean George at the Mark Hotel on the upper east side. Very good food, they make a great grapefruit gimlet, however, it is definitely the place where all the yuppities of the upper east side come to eat. Old money, cigars, jewelry that costs more than my life, and now within the last decade botox and tanning beds galore. Oh, and these people were all at least 65 years or older. There were only two other tables that i could see younger people at. It was pretty entertaining to people watch, so if you like to people watch i definitely suggest it.
As for the kitchen this week, it has been all about executing, timing, and presentation of dishes. On tuesday we were given a menu with four different items: Antipasti, Primo, Secondo, and Dolce. On tuesday i made the antipasti and secondo and then on wednesday made the primo and dolce. Thursday and friday were the same but with a new menu. It was pretty fun and we made some tasty stuff. Spaghetti with clams and oysters and a presecco zambione, spinach and ricotta tortelloni with a tomato and olive sauce, red mullett with asparagus, fava bean, strawberry panzenella sprinkled with lavender bread crumbs, buttermilk panna cotta with cherry compote and pistachio crisps....that was tuesday and wednesday.....thursday and friday as follows: tuna tartar with pickled onions, avacado sauce, and black olive wafers, risotto with pea shoots, roasted tomatoes, and pan seared salmon with balsamic reduction, duck braised in burgandy with poached figs and marsala/burgandy reduction sauce, and finally a ricotta/mascarpone, rhubarb/strawberry compote tart with ginger strawberry sauce and almond ice cream.
Yes, quite the week. Now, all that is left is the final theory and practical on monday. Then Italy next friday! Can't wait!
This past week has been a great week. Actually it really began last sunday when i was lucky enough to have one of my best friends come and visit. It was an excellent day with lunch in the park, wondering through the museum of natural history, shopping a little bit, and ending with some coffee and crossword puzzels. Learning about the temperature of lakes and when the earth might slip into another ice age. It was a picture perfect day and i think she should come to italy next to visit ;)
Then i got to spend the next couple days with my mom. She was in town again for work, so that means eating out at some great restaurants. Monday night was Becco. One of the great Italian restaurants in the city in midtown owned by Lidia Bastianich. The same owners of Del Posto and Esca. It was a happening place and packed but we snagged a place at the bar and had a great meal. Their signature three pastas are excellent and the veal parm was excellent and big enough for at least two to share. Plus they have an entire list of bottles of wine that are $25, you won't find a better deal in the city. On tuesday we went to The Mark by Jean George at the Mark Hotel on the upper east side. Very good food, they make a great grapefruit gimlet, however, it is definitely the place where all the yuppities of the upper east side come to eat. Old money, cigars, jewelry that costs more than my life, and now within the last decade botox and tanning beds galore. Oh, and these people were all at least 65 years or older. There were only two other tables that i could see younger people at. It was pretty entertaining to people watch, so if you like to people watch i definitely suggest it.
As for the kitchen this week, it has been all about executing, timing, and presentation of dishes. On tuesday we were given a menu with four different items: Antipasti, Primo, Secondo, and Dolce. On tuesday i made the antipasti and secondo and then on wednesday made the primo and dolce. Thursday and friday were the same but with a new menu. It was pretty fun and we made some tasty stuff. Spaghetti with clams and oysters and a presecco zambione, spinach and ricotta tortelloni with a tomato and olive sauce, red mullett with asparagus, fava bean, strawberry panzenella sprinkled with lavender bread crumbs, buttermilk panna cotta with cherry compote and pistachio crisps....that was tuesday and wednesday.....thursday and friday as follows: tuna tartar with pickled onions, avacado sauce, and black olive wafers, risotto with pea shoots, roasted tomatoes, and pan seared salmon with balsamic reduction, duck braised in burgandy with poached figs and marsala/burgandy reduction sauce, and finally a ricotta/mascarpone, rhubarb/strawberry compote tart with ginger strawberry sauce and almond ice cream.
Yes, quite the week. Now, all that is left is the final theory and practical on monday. Then Italy next friday! Can't wait!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Last week of classes.....then its off to Italia
Its been a little while since my last post, so i am going to post a quick one then add more in a couple of days.
We finally finished up desserts last week and to be honest i am a little relieved because it was a lot of sugar but i still love my sweets. Made some pretty good stuff and it was a little more laid back in the kitchen which was a nice change. I can see why some prefer to be pastry chefs, a little less hectic and you get to play with chocolate, butter, and sugar. I have some good photos so i will post those soon.
Last wednesday we changed back to main courses with some fish, then pasta on thursday and meats on friday. Tomorrow we will finish with some pork and fish, after that we will move into timed exercises with different menus that we will get each day in class. So, hopefully a good and exciting week.
On the restaurant front things still continue to go well. Cooking more and more each time i am there. Actually got to run the second station twice last week, meaning it was just me and one other cook, usually there is three of us. It was pretty cool and i didn't screw anything up. I also got to work an event with Chef Cesere last tuesday. It was put on by wine and spirits magazine and there were a handful of restaurants and a bunch of wineries from around the country and the world on hand. It was a great experience, met a lot of people and got hooked up with some free wine. This coming saturday there is another event on the upper west side that i will be helping out with too, hopefully it is equally as successful.
Only 11 more days here in new york then off to italia!
We finally finished up desserts last week and to be honest i am a little relieved because it was a lot of sugar but i still love my sweets. Made some pretty good stuff and it was a little more laid back in the kitchen which was a nice change. I can see why some prefer to be pastry chefs, a little less hectic and you get to play with chocolate, butter, and sugar. I have some good photos so i will post those soon.
Last wednesday we changed back to main courses with some fish, then pasta on thursday and meats on friday. Tomorrow we will finish with some pork and fish, after that we will move into timed exercises with different menus that we will get each day in class. So, hopefully a good and exciting week.
On the restaurant front things still continue to go well. Cooking more and more each time i am there. Actually got to run the second station twice last week, meaning it was just me and one other cook, usually there is three of us. It was pretty cool and i didn't screw anything up. I also got to work an event with Chef Cesere last tuesday. It was put on by wine and spirits magazine and there were a handful of restaurants and a bunch of wineries from around the country and the world on hand. It was a great experience, met a lot of people and got hooked up with some free wine. This coming saturday there is another event on the upper west side that i will be helping out with too, hopefully it is equally as successful.
Only 11 more days here in new york then off to italia!
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