dan's birthday bash

Today was my friend Dan's birthday so we embarrassed him by singing every chance we got. Here he is with the biggest rondeau (pot) of collard greens on campus.

Our kitchen (and Amber posing):

Today we made creole/Louisiana cuisine and finally having the courage to bring in my camera, I snapped a few shots. Though personally I have been distracted lately, we put out delicious food. On the menu today was: shrimp & alligator gumbo, sweet potato & peanut soup, mixed greens with peanut dressing, fried chicken & mashed potatoes & collard greens, crayfish etouffee, grilled vegetable jambalaya, beef brisket with hush puppies and fried onions, and the dish Taylor and I made, stuffed quail with sauteed spinach and red beans and rice. Pretty impressive menu for 14 students, I'd say.

Here is a goat head.. we cooked the meat in a curry sauce for tomorrow:

Here are the boys on the fried chicken station plating up during lunch service. Each station had 2 people and 3 or 4 plate components that they are responsible for. Our menu changes every other day:

Here is the crayfish etouffee being plated during service:

And the vegetable jambalaya:

Here are the quail I made stuffing for and fried:

They were so small, even when they were stuffed they fit into the palm of my baby hands:

Here was our completed dish:

After we sell out of our food we make platter for "family meal," a term used to describe food we eat as staff. Here is my partner Taylor with our platter for family meal:

Everyone enjoying each others cooking:

new hatred for cuisines of americas

What a week. We completed our first week in cuisines of americas, and I have to say, all the warnings about our chef were true. Up to now, though we have had strict chefs or precise ones, we've never quite had one like our current chef. It makes me sad that for the first time since starting school here, I don't want to go to class. I can't even really be myself because I am afraid of the possible backlash from the chef.  So far, I haven't been told that "I won't make it in this industry," (though she did tell someone that). I'm sure it's coming.

Without time to breathe, much less take pictures, my blog will probably be missing in action for a while, but hopefully will return soon. After this class we are onto cuisines of asia, which should be a lot more interesting and fun. Other than the tense classes, my life is filled with trying to get some sleep, finding an externship and getting time to talk to my friends. Have a great weekend everyone.

onto american cuisine?

I admit I sort of failed at posting during skills 3, mostly because it was our first production class and I didn't want to waste time taking pictures, and I figured blogging without pictures wouldn't be exciting enough.

So skills 3 has come to an end, next week we start Cuisines of the Americas, with a Chef who we have heard is very strict. Though personally I wasn't at my best, skills 3 went great, with Chef Zifchak seeing the potential in me that I have been looking for in a Chef.

We worked through various cooking competencies, roasting & grilling to braising and poaching, each day making 30-40 portions to sell to students for lunch. It was invigorating and we learned a little bit about how the future kitchens will be. 

I only got to take pictures on the last day so here is a random selection

Our vegetarian plate of risotto cakes, smoked tomato sauce and vegetable medley

Making pierogis

Sauteed chicken with fines herbes sauce and fresh pasta:

Shallow poached flounder with my fresh tomato linguine and vegetables: