Semester 2, Week 5: A Week of Reflection

 First off, I want to apologize for updating so late. I was just preparing for getting this internship at Brookfeild Zoo. I was also trying to recover the week I had earlier.

  The reason I called this "The Week of Reflection" is because ,when I look back, I wanted to do everything a little better. An example of this was when I made the gumbo for Tuesdays service and I messed up on my mise en place with the timing on when every thing was supposed to go in the oven and when I'm supposed to take things out. Luckily the gumbo was a success and I got it done but next time I will take time as a factor for my next class.

 I also served for the second time and I felt pretty proud of my self....until the end of the service. Now I don't know what happened but some one was goofing off or something and my instructors were disappointed with the crew about cell phones or something. I'm not exactly sure how this works but I am going to redeem my self and try to do better next time. In fact, I want next week to be "The Week of Redemption" because I want to redeem from my mistake's last week.

  That's all I have to say for now and I also want to say thank you to one of my readers for helping me with my resume and giving me some pointers on my cover letter for Bookfeild Zoo. So for now, I bid you a-do.

Opportunity Knocks in Many Different Directions

 Around last Friday, an old friend of mine from high school (Mike) ask me to volunteer at my local community center for this program called "Opportunity Knocks." Opportunity Knocks is a program where they give kids with disabilities a chance to do some cool things like Archery, woodworking, cooking etc. When they I came into the community center, it was there last day of the baking class and I was the special volunteer guest for the day. Everyone was very impressed with my equipment and how I know so much; and I also got a chance to have great helpers from the class for making such great treats for the organizations first anniversary from when they started. In fact, they were so impressed with today, they gave me an application to see if I can volunteer for demonstration's how to cook and other set's of skills. I'm still thinking if I should do it, but I think it would be good experience for if I want to be a cooking teacher.

 I also got some information about an internship at this hotel. I'm still trying to get my introduction e-mail edited and check for grammar. I think I got the right "gusto" to get going and I also heard that the best place to start a career in the hospitality industry is at a hotel business because hotels feature everything from the front desk, to the restaurant, to the room service and beyond.

 Today, I took my grandmother out to lunch at the dinning room at the college and she loves it. I also saw some of my friends from the other classes and Chef Dorosess from yesterdays class. I also tried some of the Gumbo I made from yesterday and it was simply amazing. It felt a little weird at first eating at the place were I work but I felt just like the everyone else, happy and full.

   For now, I bid you a-do because I have my next class soon. Keep sending in the comments and be marry.          

Semester 2, Week 4: Introducing.... Kyle the Server

  This Wednesday was the first day I served at the dining room and I was nervous. It was the first day of opening for the semester and the one thing that was going through my head was "Don't Screw up, don't screw up." Luckily I had just one table and it was slow so I was able to ease into the serving game. It was also buffet style so I mostly served drinks and clear plates. In the end, I learn that you need to be attentive but with courteously because if you are too attentive, the guest would feel uncomfortable. As the night goes on, I was just doing my job and after my shift, they told me I did a good job. Just like that, I feel like a great lift was lifted from my soldiers. So my first night of service was more enjoyable as it ever was.

  The next night, I saw this film in my food purchasing class called "Food Inc." For those who don't know, Food Inc. is a documentary of how the food industry has changed and the ugly truth about how our meat and companies are breaking up ethics by recruiting illegal immigrants, treating animals in a cruel and unforgiving setting, and how it effects us. Luckily things have changed since this movie was released at 2008 but, it does make me think about how foods used to have different seasons but suddenly, its all year round. So I deiced to make a goal for myself to eat foods more seasonably because I want to taste the foods that are best for that season. I also want to support the "slow food movement" by going to the farmers market in the spring and buy the produce there.

  So from there I would say a-do for now and I hope that next week would be better and less nerve wrecking. I also want to ask "Do you known what the slow food movement is?"

Mastering the Blade

  Yesterday was Valentines Day and to a single guy like me, its a real torment for me to see other couples getting it on in front of me. There was one thing that really made my day though. In my Culinary Food Prep class, we started production for cooking things ahead of time for Tuesdays lunch and I made the best tomato  sauce I ever made. In fact my chef said it was so perfect, it didn't need any seasoning. I felt so accomplished and so happy working on the line, I forgot my Valentine's day blues and felt a soreness in my legs telling me that I did a great job. It just comes to show you that cooking can really help people feel good about the life they have and to have a sense of accomplishment that you made a product that its wholesome and delicious.

   I am also getting ready for my first "lab" on Wednesday night, where I get to serve. So far I am only going to serve drinks so far, since the first 3 weeks are buffet style. Its not as exciting as serving  but I think its a good start for me who is new to this experience.

  There is actually a reason why I'm starting as a server then a cook at the back-of-the-house. As a server, I get to see the entire operation from the front-of-the-house and the back-of-the-house. As I go about serving, I can see how everything is combined together into this big production and what to expect as I work my way up to the back-of-the-house. For now, I am a server but I will work my way up to go into something greater to come.

   For now, I bid you a-do and I hope to see some familiar faces on Wednesday nights.
     

Semester 2, Week 3: Super Bowel, Training to Serve and the True Meaning of Coffee

    This Sunday was the Super Bowel and I made some of my famous "Oven-Roasted" Buffalo Wings for the game. ( I will put up the recipe later this month.)   I also made some special sandwiches for the two opposing teams that participated this year. For Pittsburgh, I created the "Steakhouse style" Permaniti sandwich, stuffed with oven baked steak fries, chuck steak and pressed between two Panera baguettes. For the Green Bay Packers, I made a cheesy creation known as Green Bay Sub where I heat up the turkey slices and melt the cheese with chicken broth. I placed the turkey cheese combo on french bread with lettuce and tomato and pressed for only a second to get that cheesy creation.

   Aside from that, I was also preparing myself for serving in the dinning room. We had to learn how to walk with trays, being curtious to the guest, and all the other things that would scare a first-timer like myself.I just keep to saying to myself "you can do this. You can do this," and "don't fall, don't fall, don't fall." So hopefully nothing would fall over, overfill or my table would be disappointed.

   As you may know, I am a big espresso fanatic where I order drinks that some people think its from the moon but one day, I tried the regular coffee to just drink it for kicks. As I took that first sip, I remember why I loved coffee. It was a reminder that when I was going to school that is 2 hours away from where I live and where I rode the bus early that morning. When I started to drink coffee, I always carry a big canister of coffee and drink it on the way there. It made feel like the world would improve itself and a new day just started. That is the true meaning of coffee, to be awake for the future and to stay awake for every precious moment in life. So from now on, I would drink the original but ever evolving hot coffee.

   On that note, I would bid you a-do but before I do, I encourage everyone to comment on the website or e-mail me about anything because I love feedback and suggestions for me to do things. So keep the comments coming and I will post something new soon.     

Semester 2: Week 2 (Snow-megedon edition)

 As you may know, there was a big blizzard in Chicago and school was cancelled for 4 days straight. Luckily the storm came before Monday, so I was able to get to my first two classes and get some work done before my "week" off. During the storm, I was able to avoid cabin fever by reading books, playing World of Warcraft and preparing the super bowel party for Sunday.

 There is a little game we chefs love to play were we talk about our last meal before we die. As I was predicting that I was about to freeze to death or go into madness, I went to the store before the storm hit and I got myself a whole wheat french bread and some really good cheese. Now you might think that bread and cheese would not be the ideal for a final meal, but to me I think its the one thing that is truly the one thing I could die happy without regret. Its the simplicity that truly becomes part of me and can tie in to all the good times I have with food. So if you have a problem with that, then I ask "what would be your last meal?"

 In fact, since I haven't ask a comment question for a while, I ask my readers "what would be your last meal?" It could be anything (as long it is edible) So for now I bid you a-do and I would keep you updated on the super bowel and other experiences to come.