Funtime at school!

Okay this semester has been trying but fun. I'm finding that I need to spend more time in the kitchen at home practicing the basics that I wasn't taught in class.

On a positive note I was made head cook for our Escoffier dinner presentation, and I nominated for VP of our new Student chapter of the Colorado Restaurants Assn. Don't know it I want that or not.

Does that actually look good on the old resume? I'd get a free trip to Chitown in 2004 if I take it with the other officers.

The Escoffier thing is pissing me off. To much time has been spent setting this up and not enough on basics. This is a 1st semester class! I'll get though it and work for better use of class time. Granted I can't complain to much. Chef Wray didn't get pissed at me for getting emptying the leftover wine bottles from last weeks function then showing up for wine class wasted. I still managed to ask meaninful questions and piss a few people off in class. Of course I've been busting my ass doing stocks and sauces for the dinner without a peep. I'm getting to do more than the others so what the hell could I complain about? I'm sure that it's been noticed cause Chef Wray calls me his go to guy to keep the kitchen straight. Honestly I think it has more to do with the fact I have at least 15 years on most of the students.

Hell I'm loving it anyway. I'm kickin but in class and people sucking up to me cause I'm gonna be a chef. (People are weird about that aren't they?)

By George (George) on Tuesday, December 03, 2002 - 08:36 pm: Edit

Go for the trip and you should also be able to make contacts thought the association, assuming you want to stay in Co.

The E thing sounds like good experience and it sounds like you are getting a closer experience to the real world than the others. Keep your head down, mouth shut, eyes and ears open and most importantly, enjoy!

When you start later you have to learn quicker and work harder because the old bod will break down before you get there if you don’t.

G

By Corey (Corey) on Tuesday, December 03, 2002 - 09:26 pm: Edit

and join all the school cooking clubs too.
I joined the Les Amis de Savarin at my college and chefs out here know the club, and know the members are pretty good, and get invited to all sorts of big functions, (sometimes as guests too), we did charitys and all sorts of things. thats why I joined, chefs get to know us and remmember you when you are looking for a job.
and I still wear the patch on my school cooks jacket, great fun at food shows and conventions, with the patches and the school embroidery of my name and the school logo, I almost always get called Chef and asked my opinion on various things and some great offers too. and I prolly couldn't pass a master chefs written test with a gun against my head.

By Flattop (Flattop) on Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 12:21 am: Edit

I ran into the same thing at Wines for Life. I was working as a volunteer in my whites. The only one of my student group.

I got to wander around and sample wines before starting my shift started. I got to talk to many of the chefs working the event and most of the venders called me chef and tended to poured my wine samples on the large side as compared to the public. I quite enjoyed being called chef by professional folk. encluding some kitchen staff that bumped into me running supplies. I never said I was one mind you, and made sure the chefs I spoke with knew I was a student.

George, I think you have to understand that there was no where near enough focus on the basics in this class. I'm the only student that has made all types of stocks and the mother sauces.As it sits now I believe that this dinner will have many problems and will not be good for the students. Our kitchen is not equipt as well as could be and we will be short staffed. Over half of the class will be acting as wait staff, captain, wine steward, and expediter. Leaving me with I believe a total of 4 in the kitchen including me, with out a pot scruber. Real world situation? Sure it is. Practical for students who haven't made all the mother sauces? I would rather get the basics down pat, then tackle a project like this and kick some ass doing so. We spent too much time working on recipies instead of learning the things that will help us to move forward without having to backtrack. I'm happy to have this opportunity for certain, I would just rather be more prepared to take it on. To me it's a matter of walking before you run. I'm very lucky that I'm viewed as a leader there and the other students take instuctions well.

By Ladycake (Ladycake) on Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 10:56 am: Edit

Flattop - I admire that you seem to be keeping your feet flat on the ground while reaping as much info as possible out there. Go get 'em!!!

By Flattop (Flattop) on Thursday, December 05, 2002 - 02:22 am: Edit

Damn what a day. It went quite a bit better than I really expected. The reason for this is a chef that is in one of our wine classes stepped in and lent a hand. I kinda just followed him around an took a lot of mental notes on how things could be done. We would have pulled this thing of without him but no where near as well organized. Again this would have been the lack of training on how to do this. I was still in charge so to speak but he was kind enough to offer plenty of useful advice which was why I probably learnd more today than I have all semester. Such as how to adjust espaniol for bitterness with sugar, Wilting spinage on the flattop. Setting up a plating station to do the individual courses which ended up as 36. It was a good learning experence I just blad it wasn't learnig from mistakes.