el Bulli

Dear President Ryan,

I very much enjoyed your presentation this evening about your historical meal at el Bulli. Your stories and details were captivating and inspiring. Ferran Adria's food is unlike any I have experienced and hearing about it planted a seed to find food that achieves high complexity but stunning accessibility. I want to experience food that is as provactive as you described Chef Adria's food to be. Since I first heard that el Bulli was closing its doors on July 30th, 2011 I felt a sudden jolt of panic that if I didn't eat at the best restaurants in the world today, they might disappear by tomorrow. I guess that's the truth with anything great though. Regardless of the fact that I will never eat a momentous 50-course meal at one of the best restaurants in the world under one of the most influential chefs of my time, I am honored that you shared your experience through photos and anecdotes.

I ask that you continue to offer presentations once a month about your experiences, your philosophy, or your thoughts on current events/trends in the food industry. Tonight, you mentioned that one of the 4 keys to greatness is having disciples or followers. It is no news that you have achieved greatness. Some of your disciples and followers are right here on your campus. We are ready and we want you to teach us.

meetings, projects, and L-block

Nothing teaches you to manage your time like multi-tasking, deadlines, and projects. This 6 week block of classes following your return from extern is referred to as L-block because each 3 week block has an letter associated with it, we started with A or B-block and now we're at L-block which is full of projects, meetings, and powerpoint presentations. As you can imagine, L-block is often purposefully mis-pronounced. I am glad the powerpoints are about ways to incorporate vitamins in a vegetarian diet or analysis of a local restaurant's management style, which are topics that I can relate to and I find interesting. However, the day is starting to loom though where I just might jump out of my skin if I don't start peeling onions or sprinkling salt between my finger tips. I miss the kitchen.

tropical storm irene

I'm not even capitalizing irene because that's about how much impact she had on me. Now, I won't be insensitive to those who are still without power or whose lives were/are greatly impacted by the storm's effects. But to be clear about the storm's impact on me, not even a capitalized name. I was without power for about an hour last night when I left campus and took my frozen vegetables, yogurt, and smoked salmon with me out of my slowly warming fridge. I returned late last night and placed my veggies back in the freezer and snuggled into bed with the air conditioning on. For those affected by Irene, my heart goes out to you.

the view

Just studying in the library and this is my view. I don't have to tell you its beautiful, because you already know.

Re-discovered this beautiful blog today. Saturday morning breakfast anyone?!? Oh yes, yes.

Happy Friday!

go get em'

The attitude that wins.

St. Andrew's

After returning from extern I now have the opportunity to eat at Apple Pie Bakery or St. Andrew's Cafe 1 time each day. My lunch at St. Andy's today was one of the best meals I've had at CIA.

My first course was a roasted beet and asparagus salad, composed of tender cooked asparagus and candy-sweet roasted baby beets as a garnish for baby greens tossed in a sherry vinaigrette atop a cold potato salad. It was an elegant, fresh salad.

My main course was 2 pieces of sauteed Baramundi propped on a bed of spaghetti cut squash served over polenta fries with a warm tomato sauce. Everything was delicious. The fish by itself was juicy and well seasoned with a sexy, crisp skin. The squash was tender and full flavored, easy to eat and stellar by itself. Polenta fries were creamy polenta cut in strips and breaded to create a crisp outside as a perfect balance to the unctuous center. The tomatoes were sweet and sassy, full flavored and unexpectedly accented with orange. Each component demanded respect of its own, but they joined together humbly and created a magnificent harmony.

pastry

One of my most emotional experiences last year was watching the documentary Kings of Pastry. It is the story of pastry chefs competing in France under immense pressure, stress, and tension. The stakes are high. The competition is fierce. The talent will blow your mind. There were times during the film that I had to cover my ears and bury my face in my chest because the horror of failure was so humiliating, I couldn't bear to watch. No movie has ever made me so scared that my heart beat out of control, causing me to be concerned for my health, however there were moments in this movie that felt like the beginnings of a cardiac arrest. Its truly a beautiful, heart wrenching story that has contributed to my deep respect and appreciation for pastry chefs and pastry cooks.

We are privileged to have one of the most talented pastry chefs in America as a faculty member here. Today, I had the honor of sampling Chef Francisco Migoya's food at the Apple Pie Bakery (one of our four campus restaurants open to the public). He was named one of the Top 10 Pastry Chefs in America for 2011 by Dessert Professional, he has a stunning blog, and he was nominated for a James Beard award. It is because of faculty members like Chef Migoya that I came to CIA, so thank you Chef for reminding me.

pass

I may not have mentioned this before, but there is a large report, the Extern Manual, due when students return from their extern. It is possible that after working for 18 weeks and at least 600 hours, you could receive no credit if your report is not completed properly. My group turned our manuals in 3 weeks ago and we received them back today. Good news---I passed extern!

Also, I didn't have class today because Restaurant Law is only 3 weeks (instead of 6 weeks like the rest of my classes) and it was my only Monday class. Guess who passed their Law final last Wednesday? That's right, this chick.

things I learned in Menus class

-small graphics draw your attention to a certain item

-$ make you focus on how much you're paying and leaving them out will give you the illusion you're not paying as much

-the most profitable (and in some cases most expensive) menu items are located in the upper right hand section of the menu because it is the most "looked at" spot

-your attention is drawn to menu items in boxes

-scientific studies were conducted that prove there is a pattern your eye follows when looking at a menu that depends on the panels, boxes, colors, and graphics

gold digga

Never ever in my life have I considered marrying for money, I would be miserable. The idea did occur to me during my costing class, where it has been made painfully clear that a.) I will not have enough time to spend with anyone but my kitchen and that will be far from relaxing or romantic and b.) it will be a good month if I break even in the costs associated with my restaurant, we're not even talking about paying for the roof over my head or the bed I'll probably sleep in for 3 hours each night. I will not be a gold digger, but the odds of having a successful restaurant makes sensible people who believe in love and honesty want to consider it.

forgot your sunscreen?

In good news, my Nutrition professor recommended that we gain 20-30 minutes of sun exposure each day without sunscreen which blocks the absorption of vitamin D. It is also important to be in direct contact with the sun's rays, so leaning your chair up against the sunny window doesn't count. We should all take 30 minutes each day to romp around outside when its sunny in the name of nutrition and vitamin D absorption.

kwash

The image of young African children with large bellies is almost misleading because it appears for an instant that the children are overfed when in fact their inflated belly is really a sign of starvation. Distended bellies are a symptom of a malnutrition condition called kwashiorkor or "kwash" for short. In short, the belly becomes swollen with fluid because there is not enough protein in the body to maintain healthy cells. The lack of protein allows the cells to break down and the fluid that would normally be contained within the cell walls is released. The swelling commonly occurs in the abdomen but can implement itself in other areas of the body as well, such as the legs which is the case of the little boy in the video below.

The cure for kwash is protein and depending on the severity of the case the symptoms can be reversed in as little as one week. Here is the video my Nutrition professor shared with us about the treatment of kwash.

crab cake

Today I had a delicious lunch that was slightly unexpected... being from Virginia, I love blue crabs and I love crab cakes. Now, blue crabs are not good for crab cakes because they have such low yield of meat and the crab is so delicate and sweet it would be disrespectful to add anything but a little dunk of vinegar to the delicious meat. However, I appreciate the luscious chunks of crab meat that are formed together to create beautiful crab cakes. I had one of those yummy crab cakes today-- minus the huge chunks of crab but certainly still crabby in flavor and oh so yummy. Good food is really such a treat.

undiscovered gems

How awesome it is when you find something unexpectedly wonderful. As I put the final touches on my Investor's Letter (for the hypothetical restaurant I am creating for my Menu Development class), I needed a quiet place to work and I decided I'd step outside into the beautiful courtyard. The only thing I could possibly be upset about in the world at the moment I walked out there, was that I hadn't found this stunning spot sooner. It was a warm, sunny, and puffy white clouds in a bright blue sky kinda day. Truly one of Hudson Valley's finest moments.

dream list

"Remove your judgement cape and just write, okay?" my Menu's instructor directed us. He called it our dream list. Projected on the screen at the front of the classroom was a blank powerpoint slide, he quickly started clicking through phrases that ellicted deep, personal, food related memories. We jotted down our responses and at the end he told us of a student who came up with 365 different food responses.

"If you have only 10 or 20 phrases on page, you need to ask yourself why you're here. Do you really love food? If you can't think of foods you love, what are you doing here?" He recommended we go home, put in our ear buds, drink a glass of wine, and continue our dream lists.

It feels really good to think about things you love, here's some of the phrases I remember:
-favorite seafood
-favorite cereal
-favorite summer time hamburger toppings
-ethnic foods from your childhood relating to your heritage
-favorite ice cream
-favorite snack
-foods to bring on a picnic
-favorite childhood food
-best bed time snack
-favorite shape of pasta

fight dementia

Food not only satisfies the soul but is in many cases medicinal for the body. Early onset dementia can be a result of a Vitamin B12 deficiency. Once the vitamin is restored in the body, the symptoms of dementia disappear.

restaurant law

Ever feel like you're just so far behind that in order to stop the recklessly, out of control train that is your life, you would have to pull all the plugs, get all the pieces in front of you, and by yourself put them back together so that you can start traveling again? That's how my restaurant law class feels. Like a super fast moving train, totally out of my control. Thank God that there are people in this world (like my outstandingly knowledgable professor) who actually retain this information and can navigate around the mine field that I'm beginning to understand as Restaurant Law.

"AND I'M BACK AGAIN!" said Leah with a monumental crash

My parents used to read this book to my sister when she was a little girl, and the above saying has now become a family favorite to yell upon arrival at home (as the character, Nora does in the book).

I returned to CIA, last Monday afternoon to warmth, sunshine, and the campus I love just the way I remembered it. Except this summer, I'm a little more jaded and I know that soon this place will be so disturbingly cold these warm moments will seem almost impossible to remember so what do I do--- but walk around barefoot, eat juicy strawberries, and smile at the sun each time it blinds me in the face.

CIA has adopted a new curriculum that I know little about other than that it includes the extinction of 3 week block classes. However, I am continuing my education here in the 3 week class format, except for this initial block back which is 6 weeks consisting of 5 classes: Introduction to Management, Restaurant Law, Controlling Cost and Purchasing, Menu Development, and Nutrition. The schedule is similar to normal college with Tues/Wed and Thurs/Fri classes. I have been surprised by the amount of effort it requires to transition from standing at a kitchen counter constantly moving, working, and changing as I was on extern, to sitting at a desk. I am reminded all over again, that I'm a kitchen person not an office person.

Today was a Special Project Day, which allows students an independent study day and an opportunity for faculty and staff to have meetings. Today was also an opportunity to volunteer in the one kitchen that was providing food to the entire school, because the students cook the food for our meal plan, so no class=no food. I worked with a student from Miami today who taught me how to make the best tostones I've ever eaten. They were twice fried and dipped in a seasoned lime-garlic bath to give them a wonderful flavor. Yum yum.

Finally, I had an incredible experience on externship. I was inspired, challenged, and strengthened. I was at the right place at the right time...not sure I could ask for anything more.