So culinary school thus far has been a very interestng experience. I'm always so busy between school, after school activities, and work. Of course there are other personal situtions wether it is my car breaking down or my hectic(often, but not always) living situation.
Sometimes I feel like I may have a heart attack. Im always so tired, broke, stressed, and I keep on truckin. It has not been easy and I contemplated giving up on the culinary team just so I could get more sleep. I always keep my eye on the finish line though. I have thoroughly enjoyed my production time in school in general. Trying to work in a production kitchen with 30+ students when you only have so much space, so little tools, so little time...it can become quite daunting. The only times I was not able to complete every component of all my dishes for that day was strictly because another student would turn up(or off) my burners. There are some real shit-head students in my class but at least they are few. Most of those types have been held back or dropped out now and that is perfectly fine by me.
Not trying to start a bitch-blog here so I will talk about the positive impact the school has had on me.
I feel a little silly looking back at some of my personal recipes and cooking techniques and realize that I still have much to learn. I am at a place in my life I believe is the perfect time for moving forward with it. I no longer have that fear that I had for so many years after high school of not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. It turns out that this entire time I have worked in the different restaurants, my love was right in front of me. I just didn't know it.
Cooking is therapeutic to me. I hate going to work(just like other people), but only because I have little time at all for myself and I would rather go to the beach. If I could cook on the beach I would have it made.haha
I feel like a different person when I'm cooking in the kitchen. I hate slow shifts, looking for things to clean when I'd rather be cooking. I love when it is so busy, a lot of cooks would lose their composure, but I become much more focused, energized, and pay such close attention to detail. It is a great feeling, like your on a bad-ass rollercoaster ride. The kitchen I work in currently at The Boathouse has the tightest crew I have ever worked with and I love it. Under our amazing chef, myself and the other great chefs that work with me are so in tuned to eachother when it is busy. It's nice to get into a rythym that is so face paced but so much more smooth. We are all thinking 4,5, or 6 steps ahead while starting ten more things in a matter of seconds. Sometimes it really does feel like all I can see is the kitchen and only the kitchen. Anything beyond the service window is a blur. Slow times are my biggest turn-off in the kitchen. If I wasn't broke as a joke I would rather go home on a dead night. Luckily we are coming out of slow season in a couple weeks we should be going strong every day again.
As time goes by and the more places I eat, the more I develope my palate, cooking becomes more and more exciting when you can actually understand flavors and rely much more upon them, rather than dumping tons of salt and pepper onto things for "seasoning". I'm actually getting to a point where I can taste things and pick out seasonings, herbs, and other ingredients. I'm excited about being on the culinary competition team under certified master chef(CMC) Klaus Friedenreich. I've done very well in school up until now and it is only going to get better. I have a lot of good friends and connections in the industry and I build on that everyday. If you never heard it from me before, you will hear it here first. I will be one of the most famous chefs to ever walk the earth. My food will bring many people together in an awesome way. An old friend told me as long as you work as hard as you can, you will achieve greatness, as well as happiness. The older I get, the more it makes sense. When you love what you do for a job then it really is like you never have to work a day in your life. I have too much pride in myself and my cooking to not do my very best I can.
Understanding people is a major attribute that I possess. People love attention, no matter how they get it. When you cook someone an amazing meal and they come up and thank you over and over again, a feeling off comeplete satisfaction comes over you. In return I can't thank them enough for coming in and trusting me with their appetite, even if only for a few hours. This is why I chose this profession, or rather it chose me, and it took me some time to realize it but I have never felt so sure about any decision I have made in my entire life. Soon I will post some newer recipes of mine and go back and tweak the ones that I have posted in the past just to make sure I am doing them the proper way. I'm already thinking of what type of menu I want to feature at my first restaurant.lol
