Laura's Blog

2011-01-27T13:50:00.001-06:00

Hello cyber space,

Well it is about that time again, to start blogging. My last blog was now over a year ago. Not much has happened for me to write and I doubt, if any, there are those on the edge of your seat waiting for this update into my life. But nonetheless, here it is.

Last year, February 2010, I moved to Panama City Beach, Florida for about 8 months. I found a job that I sorta liked and made some money. I was working at a high volume restaurant on the beach and was in charge of the salad and dessert station. For you of those who care, the station is called garde manger. Anyway, I worked and did the same thing everyday for about 8 months. There wasn’t a lot of room to grow and develop my skills in pastry, which is what I really want to do. So I was thinking about leaving. Then the oil spill happened. The decision was sort of made for me. Our business and everyone’s business on the beach suffered. We were still busy, doing about 5 hundred on the weekends, but nothing close to what they were accustomed to from the previous years. I figured once we entered the winter season of October, we wouldn’t be as busy and I would be the first one let go - so I would not make my 40 hours I needed.

It was during this time that my best friend since forever was debating about moving to Asheville North Carolina. I decided it was time for another move myself. I mean I had been at the beach for a good 6 months now. (If you haven’t figured out, I like to move around and experience new adventures. I believe I am too young to settle down in just one place - there is still so much to see and do.) So my friend and I decided to move to Asheville at the end of September and live with her sister who was finishing her teaching degree. We would be one big happy family! Very exciting.

Roll around to september and I moved up to Asheville. We were able to rent this amazing house on a mountain. It was four bedrooms (one room was the study but was converted to a bedroom) and three and a half bathrooms. Our house was amazing with this stunning view of the surrounding mountains and downtown Asheville! Then it was time to go in search for a job - no such luck. Asheville was entering the winter season too, so most restaurants were entering winter hours and not hiring until April. So I had to wait. Meanwhile I decided to investigate other venues - catering, teaching, nanny anything that was a job and not retail! I struck luck!

Mid december I was officially offered a job as an adjunct teacher at the local community college. This college has a really great reputation for it’s culinary program. I wanted to be apart of that. For me, my college taught me a lot of what I know today. My chef instructor there guided me and taught me things she knew. I want to do that for someone. I thought I had enough experience and schooling that I could teach beginners something of my knowledge - and the school thought so too!

First day of school was January 10th; it was a great first day! We had no school! Asheville and the greater part of the southeast got a freak snow storm and everything was closed for like three days. It was crazy! So my monday and tuesday classes were cancelled. Oh well, next week. But that didn’t work out so well either. Monday the 17th was Martin Luther King Jr Day, so no classes. BUT that tuesday, the 18th, was my first day of teaching!

Monday class is my baking 101. It is a lecture for 50 minutes, then a lab for about 4 hours. I oversee it all. I talk, I teach, I grade, I walk around and observe. I do everything! My tuesday class is my equipment class. This is a two hours course and I teach the students about equipment identification. I have to relearn all the correct names for items. This should be interesting!

My first day, well it went ok. It wasn’t the best, we had a few problems. My internet did not work so I was not able to go over some key points on the syllabus. My lesson plan I had planned out last night did not go so smoothly. Oh well it happens. I pulled it off and taught what I could. We got the basics out of the way - I was joining two classes together, since we missed last week and I had to cover that one with this week’s. When I found out the internet did not work, I know I turned beet red. I could feel it in my cheeks. Oh the joys of teaching. But I got through the first day! Almost smoothly.

I think I am going to really like teaching. I am patient and I like people knowing what they are doing. It is important and a safety point! Look at me, I sound like a teacher! I just hope that the students don’t find me too boring and give me a good review! I think I could do this - as long as I get a part time job so I can expand my learning as well. I don’t ever want to stop learning - my grandmother, Ginna, taught me that.

The cool thing about teaching - I am still learning. I learning how to be a better teacher - planning in advance and becoming a better speaker. I think I could get adapt to this part time adjunct thing. Maybe I have found a place to stay for more than 8 months! wish me luck!

Chef Samford

2009-10-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

It has been a little over a week since I left my family in Seattle, Washington. I said good-bye and thank you’s to Beth, Cindy, Elliott and Ruby. I had a blast getting to explore their amazing city and getting to know that family a little more. All too soon it was back into the car to travel the 3 hours to Portland, Oregon to spend the night with my friend Amanda. Staying with her would cut my driving by three hours to my next stop: San Francisco, California.

Staying the night with Amanda is always fun. I cooked dinner for her, her roommate and some of her friends. I made chicken and dumplings, trying to bring some south fare to her in the west. It was yummy. For dessert, some of Amanda’s friends came over. Two of the three were from Colorado College – what a shocker! Everywhere you go, you meet people from Colorado College and they usually know Amanda. It is kind of funny. Anyways, for dessert I made a chocolate flourless cake and we all washed it down with red wine. The rest of the night was spent talking and getting to know new friends.

Sunday, I left to make the drive to San Francisco, about 91/2 hours. It was an easy drive and I did not encounter any traffic until I hit the sprawling outskirts of San Francisco. I sat in a stop-n-go traffic pattern for about an hour and a half. It was alright. I decided that this is just California. I could not get mad and I could do nothing about it. So I sat and listened to music with my windows down and just tried to enjoy the little peeks of the San Francisco Bay. I eventually made it to my destination: Will and Kathryn Rose, after a small battle with parking. Parking is a horrible experience. There are signs posted that tell you when you are allowed to park. There is street cleaning on various days, the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month, or school parking, so you have to move your car before 8am, then another side with street cleaning on Thursdays, the list could go on and on, but you get the idea. It is hard to find parking, but doable, but you have to have patience. I assumed the mantra of “this is California. You can do nothing to help this, this is their way of life.”

I finally found a parking spot and got to my destination. Will and Kathryn have a great apartment, it is long and narrow and I found quite spacious. Walking through the door, all the rooms are on your right hand side. The first door is the living room and where I would sleep for the next two nights. Then their bedroom, bathroom and straight down the hall is their kitchen! The apartment is filled with items that make you feel like you are at home. Pictures of friends, family and their wedding (they married last august) are littered around the house, along with other various pieces. There are plants in the living room and light colors that just made me feel happy. It is just easy going, as are the occupants of the house. I guess it is true, the home mimics the heart. My favorite part of any house/apartment is the kitchen. I think it tells a lot about a person. Their kitchen was amazing! They have everything you would need, plus a thousand bowls. And I LOVE bowls. I would be in heaven. (I would cook them dinner tomorrow.) When I arrived we all hung out while Will made us sandwiches on fresh bread from the near-by bakery, prosciutto and cheese. It was then melted, sliced tomato gingerly put on and devoured fast by everyone. It was yummy. Then we packed up and left for the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival.

This festival is held every year in Golden Gate Park. And it is so cool! This is a three day event put on entirely free for the people. How cool is that?!? People from all over come to this music extravaganza. We parked and walked into the park, following the masses. We pushed our way through the crowds to make it to a stage. Among the crowds, we pushed, we shoved, we followed until finally there was an opening and we sat down. Will pulled out some beers and we cheered while listening to the music in the warm sunshine. It was just lovely. After the beer and the musicians had finished the set, we packed up and got on our way. We went to another stage, where some of Kathryn’s friends were sitting and waiting for the next performance. We found our way through the crowds of color, both in clothes and blankets covering the green grass. We found her friends and took a seat on the ground. We cracked opened another beer and enjoyed the surroundings. The music was great. This woman with wild red hair was singing as the sun went down. The sun was blinding the fans, but it did not stop them from hootin and hollerin and swaying to the music. It was a beautiful picture, her hair blowing in the wind with the sun setting behind her. All you saw was this head, with the sun setting it lit the ends of her wild hair, showing bites of red hair blowing from the light breeze. It was a pretty cool picture. After her performance we all packed up and left for one more show. By now it was beginning to get dark and a little chilly, but the mood was still festive. We charged ahead amidst the crowds, falling into the dance of movement. For the last concert we hung out in the back, by the smell of fair food – enticing! There was no way we were going to make it to the front, the crows was too large! However, this did not deter us, we danced and sang and carried on, like everyone else.

The coolest thing I saw was the crowds. This concert is huge and growing every year. There are hundreds of thousands that partake in this bluegrass festival – people come from far and wide to hear the sounds. People find spots among trees to sit. When music is not playing people converge to talk and do whatever, but when music is playing, the crowd get to their feet and begin to sway. There is head bobbing and swaying, the crowd moves as one. It is beautiful to observe. When it is a popular song, there is more movement and perhaps a collection of various movements, it is hard to explain. Anyways, it was a cool sight! And an amazing festival!

After the festival, it was dark outside and we were hungry. The lines for food were too long. So we went to the Mission area to get some yummy Vietnamese food. Parking is tricky in the Mission area, even for a Sunday. We went to eat at The Sunflower. It was a little place with about 12 tables. It was very busy, but we only had to wait for about 10 minutes. Kathryn got pho, Will and I got vermicelli noodles with meat. I am slowly trying to learn about other Asian cuisines, not just Korean (since I am Korean). I am trying to learn their flavors. This dish was great! I am a definite fan of noodles and meat! After we were full and could not move as well, I paid the bill and we walked to the car. It was time for bed. After all they had work in the morning.

San Francisco is pretty cool. Monday I hung around their neighborhood, Noe Valley. Around the corner there are restaurants of numerous cuisines and neighborhood grocery stores with the freshest looking fruits and vegetables laid out on the sidewalk – like the markets in Paris. There is the neighborhood butcher and the dry cleaners, all within walking distance. Each section of the city has everything you need, it is a possibility to never have to leave your section of town, unless you work elsewhere (like Will and Kathryn). But their area is pretty cool, complete with a park and playing area (tennis and basketball court) close by. I really loved their neighborhood, just minus all the hills!

Tuesday was my day to explore San Francisco and act like a tourist. I went to the farmer’s market at the Ferry building, taking the muni into the city. San Francisco has like 4 different ways to travel the city, old school trolleys, muni, buses and/or bart – all different ways to travel to, from and within the city. The muni took me from the Rose’s to the Ferry station. Then I walked just a few blocks to the Ferry building. Farmers come three times a week to sell their produce and other items. I perused the vendors and brought a few items. Then I went into the actual building where the Mecca continued – wines, olive oils, bread, pastries, meat, fruits, chocolate and the list goes on. I walked the lines and looked. I got some food and went to sit on the ground by the railing to watch ferry boats and take in the scene around me. It was awesome. I sat half in the shade, with my face getting little kisses from the sun.

It was about noon when I decided I should wonder to Pier 33 for the Alcatraz tour. I took an old school trolley, from Milan, to the pier! I was able to change my ticket from the 2:20 tour to the 12:35 tour. While in line I thought I saw an old friend, Lee, from Birmingham Alabama. I shook it off, thinking he was at home. However, once off the boat and on Alcatraz, I called his name out….and what do you know, it was Lee! It was crazy. He was touring California with some friends. I decided to tour with them. It was a great four hours with them. We walked up to the cell house and got our audio guided tour. It was a great record of how Alcatraz worked and what it was like to live on ‘The Rock’. Lee and I caught up and walked. I suggest everyone do Alcatraz. It is pretty cool.

After the tour we boarded the boat back to the mainland and said good-bye. They went for beers along the pier while I got the old trolley (Birmingham) back to the station to take the muni back to the Rose’s. I got my car and drove to see another high school friend, Rayna, who I was staying with for the next two nights. She is living in the Mission area, the new up and coming place, lots of artists hang out here. Parking is even worse here! I decided to bite the bullet and just pay for two days of parking in a parking garage. It was worth the $32. My car was secure and I did not have to worry about someone breaking into or slashing my tires or anything bad. A crisis I am sure was diverted.

That night we went out for drinks. We were going to meet a friend from college (go orangemen!) Kristi. I had not seen her for years, since graduation in 2006. It was great to catch up with her. We had a bottle of wine and a couple of tapas and then moved on to another restaurant. Rayne left us, so Kristi and I caught up on our lives during dinner. We split a meatball appetizer and a spicy Italian sausage pizza – the crust was crusty and blistered! YUM! It was about 10pm when we said good-bye and I went back to Rayna’s. This road trip has been awesome! Being able to meet up with old friends and catch up has been just as amazing as seeing all these places I have never been. I suggest everyone do this! Road Trip.

My last day in San Fran was spent with old friends looking at new things. For lunch I went to the civic building downtown to meet Erin, an old family friend. She works as a lawyer downtown and had an hour to spare to eat lunch with me. We meet at the farmer’s market, getting tamales for lunch. I had never had them before but they were great! We sat among the crowd and ate tamales in the sun, with the smell of ripe produce surrounding us. It was cool. I know I am using these types of words too much, but there is no other way to describe it. So I am sorry. Anyways, after an hour of catching up, she went back to work while I caught the bart back to the Mission area and meet another old friend, Charlotte, at the famous bakery, Tartine. For years, Charlotte has told me about this bakery, raving about the pastries and all the items. Finally I am in San Fran and able to go and with a little luck, Charlotte was coming to visit her son and daughter-in-law at the same time. We would be able to go to Tartine together and I would be able to experience the wonderfulness that is Tartine. The chocolate éclair….very good. I think the reputation is still in tact! After satisfying our sweet tooth, we walked a few blocks to shopping. I actually went shopping with her and even bought a new purse! It is a cool purse, black and sleek! Plus you can never have too many black purses and in this case I now have one I LOVE. Around 4:30pm I left Charlotte to go back to Rayna’s and spend the rest of the day with her. Rayna, one of her roommates and I went for dinner at a new restaurant, a German eatery. The beer was great! The food was good. The company great! We closed out the night at a local bar listening to live music. Could it get much better? I don’t know. It was a great last night in San Francisco.

On Thursday I got into the car early to go to Palo Alto. An old family friend, Sarah and her husband Greg and new addition Palmer, are living here. Greg is an assistant soccer coach for Stanford. Luckily I was able to make the stop from San Fran to Los Angeles to see Sarah and meet Palmer! I got to her apartment by about 9:30am and we went for breakfast at a near-by restaurant. We spent about an hour catching up and just chatting like all girls do. It was awesome to spend the time with her.

Sadly after only an hour or so of visiting with Sarah and baby Palmer, it was back on the road to see my cousins in Los Angeles, Will and Cally. I am so excited to be spending time with them. I am looking forward to lounging in Will’s house and making him a TON of food! I got into some traffic while coming in on the ten, but it wasn’t too bad. It was about 4pm when I began to get into traffic, trying to get to the 405. I was in traffic for about an hour and a half – BOO, but I got to Will’s. He was in traffic too, but he beat me home! I was starving when I arrived so he took me to get some food at a nearby Greek restaurant – I really wanted gyros. We came back to his house to eat and just hang out. I helped him hang his clothes (www.dondanteclothing.com) and then we just hung out. Don Dante sells premium garments that are original artworks displayed in a unique way for the fashion world. These garments are hand-drawn graphics that are inspired by culture, fashion and art. Check out the site!

The next few days have been bliss – time to just relax and not have to do the sight seeing stuff. I went to the grocery store and came back to make food. I made dinner for lots of people –chicken stuffed with spinach and goat cheese, mashed potatoes and glaze carrots. For dessert: graham cracker crust, caramel and blueberry ice cream pie; and chocolate mousse with almond tuiles. It was great. I made stuffed portabellas for Cally. Saturday night we all went to see my cousin Heidi sing at the Hotel Café. It was great to see her and hear her sing! We went out in West Hollywood for a birthday party, afterwards and then went for tacos – kogi (like Korean bar-b-q) short ribs with a cabbage slaw piled onto homemade tacos. They were great! It might have something to do with we were hungry, or had been drinking or they were just really good! Regardless, I would eat them again.

Sunday was spent watching the tv and taking a nap. Football and baseball dominated the screen, not just one screen, but TWO tv screens. For dinner I made chocolate chip cookies, roasted chicken with an herb compound butter, more mashed potatoes and garlic bread. Luckily there was enough food because we had a surprise visit – our cousin Greg and his wife, Kate, came by for a few hours. They were on their way back to Australia and had a layover from New York, so they came over for dinner. It was great to see them. We all ate dinner, a family affair, and hung out.

Monday was an easy day. I finally figured out how and when I was coming home. I lost my traveling buddy, Ebeth. She has decided to stay here in Los Angeles and figure out what to do. So that means I must travel the long way back by myself. After figuring out my plan Ebeth and I went grocery shopping. I was making dinner for a lot of people. One those people would be Jim, Ebeth’s boyfriend. I would finally be able to meet him, after three years of them dating! I went over to Jim’s by about 5 to make dinner (chicken and dumplings) and hang out. Ebeth made Jim’s favorite, pumpkin pie for dessert. We also had a light salad, some green dressed with lemon and olive oil and a sprinkling of goat cheese. It was a great dinner.

We had another surprise; Danielle came by after her class. Danielle is an old friend. I have known her since kindergarten and we have not seen each other for about 5 years. It was great to catch up with her! Ebeth, Danielle and I chatted for a couple of hours, but had to leave, Jim and his roommates needed to go to sleep – they have to work tomorrow. Around 11pm, we all hugged good-bye and got on our way. My trip to Los Angeles has been great, being able to see so many people! I got back to Will’s to hang out for a bit and begin to pack up. Tuesday, I leave for Arizona. It will be about another week and a half on the road until I get home. Stay tuned, hopefully I will write once more before I get home for the final sum up!

2009-10-04T00:40:00.000-05:00

It is hard to think it has been a week since I have last written and that I have spent a week in this beautiful city called Seattle, Washington! The last time I left you, I was wrapping up my stay in Portland, Oregon with a high school friend, Amanda. The morning was spent having a leisurely breakfast and then a lesson in felting. It was really fun. Felting is not hard to do, but very time consuming. Ebeth and I helped Amanda make earrings. Amanda is showcasing her artwork in a crafts show in Birmingham, Alabama. If you want learn about it, research it yourself. It is too long to explain on this particular blog. So between felting and getting ourselves packed and ready to go, we said good-bye to our friend Amanda and got on the road by early afternoon.

We left the state that requires someone to pump your gas for you for a state that allows you to pump your own gas! In the fair state of Oregon, it is required to allow the attendant to pump your gas for you. You are not allowed. If you do, you will get yelled at. So lesson of this story, don’t pump your own gas in the state of Oregon. By about 6 pm we were at the house of Beth and Cindy. We settled in and got some grub. Ebeth and I shared a room down in the basement. It is very cozy. Two twin beds, in a dark room, with one window and slightly cold – which equals perfect sleeping conditions. Laura was very happy.

The next day and a half was spent on a whirlwind tour of Seattle. In the morning, we got some breakfast while the kids were leaving for school. Ebeth and I were ready to go with Cindy on the bus downtown, to explore the city by 9:30am. Cindy showed us where Pike Place Market was and pointed out a few places to check out. Reluctantly she had to leave for work, leaving Ebeth and I free to explore the city’s charm. We spent about an hour in the market. I got a brief overview of where I would come back to and explore. The market was so cool! We saw so much stuff. We made one stop at one of the many fishmongers. Here a boy named Scott worked, a friend of friends from Colorado College. We got to try a few items and I even got to hold a frozen fish! It was pretty cool. We moved on and walked through Pioneer Square (the oldest part of Seattle) to get to the ferries! We took a ferry to Bainbridge. It was about a 30 minute ferry ride with amazing breath-taking views of mountains (mount Rainer). We got off the ferry and took a stroll through town. I was in dire need of caffeine, so we stopped at a darling bakery, Black Bird Bakery, for coffee and something sweet. Once I was caffeine up, we walked around a bit and then had to sprint to make the ferry departing for Seattle. It was a close call, but we made it. Our ferry mission was complete. Next mission: to find bimbo’s bitchin’ burrito kitchen. We walked, got a bus and found the spot, only to be dismayed. The whole block was bulldozed over, leaving nothing standing. Our lunch spot was nonexistent. So a little hungry, we began to walk back down to the main street. We stopped at an Asian eatery to satisfy Ebeth’s need for food. It was getting late and we had to make a stop at the grocery store, I was making dinner for the family. We decided to call it a day and catch a bus back up to Ballard (the in city neighborhood Beth and Cindy live in). Tonight’s meal: turkey chili.
1 pound ground turkey
1onion
2 celery
2 carrots
1can beans
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
Red wine
Olive oil
Garnish: sour cream, fritos, green onion, cheese
Method:
In a large pot, brown turkey in a bit of olive oil. Add vegetables and sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir about 1/3 c. of red wine or other type of liquid to the pot. This gets all the bits up from the bottom of your pan. Add beans and tomato sauce. Add whole tomatoes, but squeeze the tomatoes in your hand. Season with salt and pepper and cook on low, if you have the time, the longer your cook this the better it will taste. If you are short on time, you can crank the heat up to meld the flavors.

Saturday was a great, sunny day. Ebeth and I went to Elliott’s soccer game. Imagine six little boys running around on the field all trying to kick the soccer ball and then every once in awhile, a goalie would appear in the middle of the game, when he should be guarding the goal. The boys just want to kick the ball and score! Some boys showed a real passion for the game, some fancy foot work and control over the ball. It was impressive. After the game, Elliot’s team won (but they aren’t supposed to keep score), we all left. Ebeth went to hike in a near-by park and I hung out with everyone. By about 5pm, I drove Ebeth to the airport. She was catching a plane to see her boyfriend of three years in Los Angeles. I refer to him as ‘the boy’, but his real name is Jim and I will soon be able to finally meet him. I went back to eat some dinner and hang out with the family – a very relaxing day!

This past week has been just delightful. I have had numerous times to explore Pike’s Place Market and loved every minute of it. I have cooked a few dinners for the family and just hung out. Thursday, I went out to Redmond (a suburb of Seattle) to see some horse friends, Dick and Martha. I got to ride Martha’s gaited horse, five gaited, it WAS SO COOL! I have not ridden a gaited horse since my last horse show in July 2002. That is over 7 years! I would be sore the next day, and I was. When I got on the horse, I forgot how to breathe while riding. On my first pass, my stir-ups were too long; I was kind of a mess. But I got my stir-ups shortened and I was ready to go! I trotted, slow gait and racked the horse, both ways. I forgot what it feels like to be on something so powerful. It was such a wonderful rush. I remember why I love riding and why I don’t ride anymore – it is a riding bug, once you begin it, it is hard to stop. If you decide to stop, stop cold turkey or you will always be inching back into the saddle to show! I have to stop cold turkey, again. Damn. It was a great day, not just riding, but catching up with old friends.

For you who have not had the chance to explore Pike’s Place Market, I strongly suggest you go as soon as possible. This was one of my highlights of my whole trip! And it did not fail me. There are stalls crowding this stretch of prized real estate. The market over looks Elliot Bay and houses so many craftsmen, not just in pottery or painting, but food. This is a public farmer’s market opened year round and it is just amazing. Food stalls sell the usual fruit: apples, plums, oranges, blood oranges, tomatoes; and other items such as green beans, snow peas, celeriac, freshly foraged mushrooms and the list goes on. There are a few stalls of fishmongers. They continually shout and ask people if they need help to find something, more specifically to buy their fish. It is such a people watching place as well. AMAZING, if I have not mentioned it yet. I wish I could go into more detail, but I think you will have to come visit yourself. There is something for everyone in this haven of living.

Life in the Armitage/Larison house is pretty normal, as normal as it can be with two little kids. Do you know how much kids eat? The kitchen is cleaned up from one meal and destroyed in half a second, because you are eating again. Who knew? I guess parents of children. Beth and Cindy welcomed a new member to their family, about a month ago. His name is Buddy, a dog from Georgia. Beth’s sister, Alice, had ‘adopted’ this dog and was taking care of him. When Beth and Cindy decided to care for the dog, her brother Paul and girlfriend Sherri packed up the dog and brought him to his new home. Buddy is already a fixture in this household. Ruby, the youngest, absolutely adores the dog, hugging and kissing on him at all times. In the morning and night, especially bedtime for the children, Buddy seems to be possessed. He runs suicides among the chaos of getting ready for school and getting ready for bedtime. He likes to chew on his chew toys, but not as much as on your hands or Achilles’ tendon. In the morning, you can lie awake (though I have not) and hear the running of little feet, courtesy of Ruby and Elliott and right behind those beautiful little thumps comes a much greater sound of Buddy’s dragging paws. It is sounds like those that I will miss – honestly.

My time in Seattle has been amazing, but I must continue on my long journey home. Tomorrow I leave for Portland and once again visit the wonderful Amanda in her new hometown. She has made a request of chicken and dumplings. And maybe a dessert will be thrown in. Stay tuned for continuous driving road trip of the United States…

Here is a recipe of chicken soup I made the last night in Seattle. It was a big dinner. For dessert Ruby and I made pain au chocolate – her favorite pastry. We made some pastry filled with butterscotch chips for Elliott, he does not like chocolate! Weird! Hope you enjoy this fall weather soup!!
1 store brought chicken, cut into bit size pieces
2 carrots, small diced
1 celery, small diced
1 onion,small diced
1 can beans, lightly drained
2 big containers of chicken stock
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
White wine
Green beans (optional)
Method:
In a large pot, sauté all the vegetables in one tablespoon of olive oil, adding salt and pepper, about 5 minutes on medium high. Add white wine or some kind of liquid, about ¼ c., and stir to get all the bits up from the bottom. Add beans, green beans and chicken pieces. Add stock. Stir and cook for 20 minutes uncovered at a medium heat. Taste and season if you need. Serve with cheese toast or crackers.

2009-09-23T22:18:00.001-05:00

The State Wide Tour

So my traveling has once again begun. A long time friend, Ebeth, and I are taking to the road and traveling. The ultimate destination: Seattle, Washington, by way of the northern states from Birmingham, Alabama. Once we arrive to the ultimate destination, we will return back to Alabama via the southern states. This is going to be one hell of a trip, lasting about a month, give or take a few days. Who is ready?? I am.

Ebeth arrived in Birmingham September 11th. The following morning we were set to leave. First, a huge breakfast for mom, my brother and sister-in-law, my step father and step sister, we feasted upon biscuits, homemade sausage gravy, and lightly scrambled eggs with herbs. It was great to see everyone and enjoy a meal before we left, but it pushed our departure time up by hours. After a few pictures, mom just had to take them, Ebeth and I were all loaded in my red audi and pulled out of the driveway. Our adventure had begun! Officially.

First stop, Jonesboro Arkansas. My cousins, Johnna and Travis, have a house on a lovely spread of land. They have horses and two children who are cute as pie. We stayed two nights in Arkansas. Johnna was a lovely guide. There isn’t much to Arkansas (sorry if this offends those who live there). Arkansas is lovely. It is covered with farm land. We were told that Arkansas produces massive amounts of rice and even ships it to Japan. Pretty cool. We ate Vietnamese food and saw the small town of Jonesboro. Ebeth and I, in the past showed horses, she showed hunter jumpers and I showed Saddlebreds. When we were at the farm, Johnna let us ride a quarter horse, a first for me. It was completely different, a totally different experience for me. You reined the horse, meaning you would use one hand to guide the horse and to hole the reins. He was very sensitive to the word “whoa”. When you said it, he did it. I mean complete stop, no fussing. It was great. It was really cool to experience it. Then it was up to the house to make an old fashioned dinner – chicken and dumplings. It was so good.
1 – store brought chicken, picked clean, no skin, bite sized
2 carrots, small dice
2 celery sticks, small dice
1 onion, small dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 c. chicken stock
½ c. butter plus 2 T.
½ c. flour
1 T. olive oil
Cornstarch for thickening
1 can of biscuits, cut into fourths
Salt and pepper
Method:
In a large pot, heat 2 T. butter and oil. Sauté onions and garlic for 2 minutes. Add carrots and celery. Once all vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes, melt butter completely and stir flour in. this is called making a roux – a thickening agent for soups. Cook while continuing to stir for 2 to 3 minutes. You want to cook the flour out, the raw taste. With a whisk, slowly add the chicken stock while whisking the mixture. Let the mixture come to a boil. If the mixture is not thick enough (should coat the back of a wooden spoon, when you run your finger across the back, the liquid should stay in place, not going into the clean space), combine cornstarch with liquid from the pot. Then whisk in slowly. (remember to let the new addition come to a boil, before adding more cornstarch). Once the liquid is thick enough, add the chicken and the biscuit fourths. Do not stir this mixture until the dumplings are cooked. You can shake the pan and push the dumplings down into the liquid, BUT BE CAREFUL! This should cook another 10 to 15 minutes. Then ladle into bowls and enjoy!

The following day we left to stay a few nights in Chicago, Illinois with a high school friend. We were going through St. Louis to see THE Arch or the Gateway Arch. We parked at the waterfront, got out quickly, snapped a few pictures and were on our way again. It was a great stop and well worth it. Then another couple of hours in the car and we were in Chicago. Here we meet up with some high school friends, Amy and Katie. We got a deep dish pizza, as only Chicago can provide and some red wine. It was a great night, spent catching up and eating and drinking! Who doesn’t love that kind of night? The next day we spend exploring the city, seeing the bean, the Chicago museum and the Sears tower, now called the Willis tower (stupid renaming!) The night was spent dining on another meal I created: chicken scallopini, macaroni and cheese, broccoli and for dessert, homemade brownies with vanilla ice cream. And of course, red wine! After dinner, we went to a neighborhood bar and drank whiskey and answered trivia questions. It was a great night!

After two nights in Chicago, we left to travel to South Dakota. Now I will be honest, I have no expectations of this state. I didn’t even know where it was, except for in the Midwest somewhere. It took us longer than expected to get to Sioux Falls from Chicago, but we got there. We were staying with my mother’s little sister from her sorority days at Florida State, Charlene. Go Pi Phi! We ate dinner and just hung out, catching up. I had not seen her and her daughter, Jordan, since I was five. We decided to stay another night, so the next day we toured Sioux Falls – seeing the falls and visiting the places of work where out hostesses worked. It was pretty cool. Then we went to have a true English beer at a true English pub. It was great! For dinner we went to a Japanese restaurant. On this leg of the trip I did not cook, except for Ebeth and me – scrambled eggs and black beans, sooo good!

We stayed in South Dakota for a few days, but we moved from Sioux Falls to visit a corn palace, the Badlands, Wall drug and Mount Rushmore. The corn palace was a side of a building that was covered in corn to make a mural. Inside of this building was a gym that was holding a polka dance. It wasn’t too cool inside, except for the murals up on the stage. The Badlands was so cool! We went hiking on this awesome trail – climbing a wooden ladder and crawling on rocks to this beautiful view! The Badlands is this mountainous area that just erupted on the prairie grasslands of South Dakota. From afar, you just see big mountains, but when you get up close you can see the colors and the texture of the mountains forming. To me, the Badlands look like lots of drip castles put together to make this badass formation of rocks on the setting of The Little House on the Prairie. From here went around the loop that took us to the Badlands to Wall drug. This is a shopping mall that got known for offering ice water for free for travelers. The place grew to develop into a tourist attraction – offering more than just water – ice cream, food, souvenirs, even a place to get hitched (married, but also a place for you to tie up your horse). We stopped for a second, to get Ebeth an ice cream and then got on our way. Our last stop in South Dakota was Mount Rushmore. It was about an hour away and it was I guess worth the trip. It was cool to see the four presidents on this monumental slab of rock. I think some things you just have to see because you have to see them, this is one of them. It was then back into the car and off to a sleeping destination somewhere in Wyoming.

We woke up the next morning early to go to Yellowstone National park. It was a long day. We drove to old faithful – Ebeth and I watched the geyser go off around 2:53. After the explosion, she went to hike and I went to find food and read in the sun. It was a perfect day for the both of us. Then by 6pm, we were back in the car and off to find another place to sleep somewhere in Idaho.

From Idaho we only did one sight seeing thing – the Craters of the Moon. This is located in Idaho and it is pretty cool, like the Badlands. Idaho is pretty flat and grassy and filled with lots of haystacks, like the other states we have visited. The land to the left and right of us were covered with corn fields and bales of hay, for just about every state, except in Alabama. It was great. Anyways, this particular site is lava that has cooled and made these amazing craters and people believed it is a replica of the moon – hence the name. Driving through Idaho, we passed so many volcanoes, not necessarily dormant. These volcanoes, a long time ago, once flowed lava and made formations. Lava tunnels were made to carry the lava thousands of feet away from the active sight. The tunnels would cool leaving behind large openings through the underground. It was so cool. We walked in a tunnel, Indian Tunnel. We walked on lava and climbed over lava rocks. We climbed out of the tunnel and saw what seemed miles of lava fields. It looked so weird, but so cool. I can’t even really describe it. You just need to go experience it for yourself. GO.

We left Craters of the Moon and left for Portland Oregon. Here we meet up with a childhood friend, Amanda. She just moved out to Portland about a month ago to practice being a doula, like a midwife but you cannot do medical things during the birth. Ebeth and I spent a few days here just spending time with Amanda, catching up on our lives and seeing the city of Portland and the beach of the Oregon coast. I made dinner for Amanda, Ebeth and one of Amanda’s best friends from college, Romana. I believe, Amanda and Romana lived together in college and once again, they are living together. I had heard a lot about her and it was great to finally meet her. We have had a blast hanging out here and seeing Portland. But cooking has been the best part. Ebeth and I have been living off of fast food it seems, so cooking was a treat for me as well. I made mushroom risotto (chanterelles Romana had picked), a variety of mushrooms, pork tenderloin with salsa verde, spinach with breadcrumbs and cheese and asparagus with shallots for Ebeth. For dessert Amanda made shortcake with blackberries Romana had picked and hand whipped cream. It was a yummy dinner! And of course red wine. Our time in Portland has been a joy to spend with old friends and new friends. Ebeth and I are leaving tomorrow to head to Seattle, Washington to stay with some cousins, Beth, Cindy, Elliot and Ruby. It is going to be great to settle for a week or so. Stay tuned and I will write about Seattle, maybe. If you know anything to do or see or eat in California, Arizona, New Mexico or Texas, let me know! That is how we are heading home.

2008-10-30T11:05:00.000-05:00

So much has happened since the last time I have written. The last time I wrote I was about to go for demonstration at a local B and B. 3 chefs from Johnston and Wales from the Denver campus were coming up to show off some of their skills. I showed up for dinner the night before to meet the chefs. It was a long night with good food and wine of course. I got to talk with the chefs and learn a little more about them.
The next day I woke up early and went to Leroux Creek Inn, where this demonstration was going to take place. We were thrown into it. We started prep work and cooking. Around 10am people began to show up and the demonstration began. One of the chefs, the vegetable chef, did not show up. We had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. The other chefs asked me to step in and take his place. I said ok. However, instead of cooking and telling about the ratatouille, I talked about what I was doing in the North Fork Valley. I told them about my back round and what I had learned while working on the farm. It was a lot of fun. The day ended in success. Everyone loved the food, a lot of wine was sold and the chefs were happy.

The next couple of weeks, life on the farm continued as usual. Waking up and doing work on the farm. The vineyard was finally done. We had tied and cut and now the vineyard looks terrific! The peaches and apples were coming along. Life was really good.

At the end of August our family welcomed a new addition, my new niece, Stella Virginia Samford. She was born on the 22nd of august in the afternoon. Before I left to go home to see my niece, I had the privilege to help celebrate a 21st birthday, Emily’s. It was so much fun. Emily, Wink, Max and I took the afternoon off. We all got off the farm to run errands, pick up yummy chocolates and try a lot of alcohol.
We began with lunch at a brewery in Palisades. We had beer. First we tried the four different beers and then settled on one with our meal. It was nice not having to cook and enjoying the afternoon with a cold beer. After lunch we walked a few hundred feet to a distillery, Peach Distillery. Here, if you can’t figure it out with the name, is an alcohol place. We tried some vodka, bourbon and other stuff. I only tried the bourbon – very good.
After purchasing a few bottles, we all piled into the car and headed for another stop. This time it would be a winery, Debeque Canyon. We tried some wines and talked to the owner, they are close friends to Wink and Max.
After being all alcoholed up, we piled into the car again and drove a little farther to get a few items we need. We then left by 5pm to go back to Paonia for a private tasting at a nanobrewery. It was fantastic. Another friend staying on the farm meet us there, with his cat, Bobby. It was near 7 when we left and went to get food at the local pizzeria. The day was just perfect! I hope Emily had a wonderful 21st birthday.
A few days later she left to go home for college at Colorado State. A few days after she left I left to go home to see my niece, Stella Virginia. I would like to take the time to tell you all that she is wonderful! She is beautiful and she already has everyone doing everything for her. The first grandchild for the parents and the first niece/nephew for the siblings!

I was back on the farm for 3 more weeks. This time we began to pick peaches. That means, we were picking by sunrise and then packing them during the day. Picking peaches has to be done by touch, but without bruising them. It is a way of feel when you hold the fresh peach in the palm of your hand. At the end of the day, I think I understood it. We picked and picked and picked some more. Peaches in the morning are hard because of the cold night’s Colorado air. This is why you pick early in the morning. You have to stop picking when the peaches give just a slightest bit. We would be picking by 6:15 and stopping by about 10isham.
A week or so after we started picking peaches we were allowed to pick apples!!! Apples can be harvest any time, all day long. During this time I am also harvesting the green beans, tomatoes and the other things on the farm. This is a wonderful time to be on the farm!

My last really big deal on the farm was actually not on the farm. A local culinary school in Boulder came up for a 10 days to learn about Farm to Table. I was able to tag along and see some of the things they saw – farms and such. To celebrate their last day in the North Fork and what they had learned in the Farm to Table program, they had a big dinner. The day before the event, we were able to see a lamb being slaughtered. It was very interesting and educational. I won’t go into detail, because it might gross people out, but the slaughter was very interesting. It gives you an appreciation for food. We then went to begin prep for the dinner. I went to help out – 10am to 6pm. It was fun being with students.
These students had only been in session for a couple of months. Some knew about cooking before hand, others were just a tad slower. I had fun getting to know the students and what they wanted to do. I would be with them all day tomorrow as well.
The following day began with prep in the kitchen for a few hours. We then packed up and went to the farm, Zephros Farm. We set-up our work space in the middle of the farm. My plan was to help when needed. I didn’t want to jump in. This was their dinner. I hung out and talked with Yvon, who was cooking the lamb, drinking wine and doing what was needed when I saw something. The bread we were serving for dinner did not work out so well in transport, so we had to do some damage control – I worked on that.
The night was good. It flew by. The students did a wonderful job – a real camaraderie with them. I stayed and helped clean-up. After all clean-up is part of the job. All the food was gone, we got nothing. So after loading up the cars with the students and with our equipment, I went back with the students to eat and hang-out with them. This is how I spend my last night in the North Fork.
The next morning I spend packing fruit, cleaning my house, packing and packing my car. I said good-bye and was gone from the North Fork Valley by about 4pm. I was on my way home, with a quick stop in Colorado Springs to see my friend Amanda and a stop in Denver to see friends Cory McEwen and her boy and pick up my step-sister Amy.
My adventure out west was amazing, a wonderful time spent digging in the dirt and learning about growing. My short amount of time in the North Fork was well spent, learning as much as I could and taking part in everything I could. I hope everyone digs in the dirt and get their nails dirty – it’s a good feeling. Thank you to all those in the North Fork, it was a pleasure in getting to know you and hopefully our paths will cross again.
Since I have been home a ton has happened. I have gotten to know my niece, Stella, just a bit more. She is still beautiful and she still has everyone doing everything she needs. She has grown and is developing rapidly. I love her.

At the end of September my sister, Suzanne, got married at The Ford Plantation in Richmond Hill Georgia. It was a beautiful wedding. Tons of friends, tons of family, lots of drink, lots of food and a wonderful celebration of life, through the joining of two people and two families. The fun filled weekend was very busy with lots of activities. I made the groom’s cake for the wedding – a reese’s cake, peanut butter cake, peanut butter mousse and chocolate icing. It was good, I was told. I didn’t get a piece. The night of the wedding I spent on the dance floor, dancing my heart out! It was so much fun.

It was then time to go home to recharge and regroup. My next adventure was off to Europe for the two week intensive program.

I arrived in Paris on a Sunday afternoon. I took a long walk through the Paris streets and looked. I went to find Le Cordon Bleu and it was still the same as before. I then decided to walk back to where I used to live when I went to school. My neighborhood was not far away. I remembered the way, like the back of my hand. I found some of my old bakeries open!!! SCORE. I was able to get some food. I hadn’t eaten yet, so I was really happy.

After a few hours, I finally got back to my hotel and relaxed. There was a welcoming dinner at 7:30 in the hotel. It was like any other large group meeting for the first time, a little awkward. I walked in and there were a lot of other men and women. WOW. I thought I hope I am not the youngest (later I would find out I am the youngest). People were soon quite and we all introduced ourselves to one another. We toasted with champagne.

We were led across the way and had dinner. It was hotel food, not so great. But we got to meet a few people and had a good time with all that. I called it an early night – I had not slept for about 36 hours. So I excused myself and went to bed.

The next morning we had breakfast and I led a group of people to Le Cordon Bleu. The program had officially begun. We had our classes at Le Cordon Bleu on the first floor demonstration room, oh the memories. We had many lecturers and some of the lectures were interesting, while others were not.

One of the lecturers was Herve This. This is the guy who is the king of molecular gastronomy. It was amazing to hear him speak. He didn’t have long, but we all soaked it up, whatever he had to say. Another night we would have dinner with him and his wife, a dinner on molecular gastronomy.

The week continued with meals all over the city. We had a medieval dinner at Gregoire-Ferrandi school. They pulled out all the stops for us. It was a great meal and the service was impeccable.

One day we had class at the Sorbonne. That was neat to be there. We then had a lunch with terroir products – food from specific regions, known for that particular food or wine.

Another day, well I should day at one in the morning, we went to Rungis Market, the largest market in Europe. It was amazing! We got to see everything. We took a bus to get to the market. You have to sign in, not just anyone is allowed to come in here. We took a walk through the seafood pavilion. It was huge! There was fish everywhere, any type of fish you could imagine. There were lobsters, crab, swordfish, tile fish, flat fish, round fish, mussels, and so much more. It was incredible to see this in progress. We then went to the meat sector. There were huge halves of beef hanging, quarters of beef hanging, pig…it was incredible to see the amount of animal in the pavilion. We saw the packaged meat products, mostly game birds, since it is the season. Everything was all neat and pretty. There were a few animals that were still fully dressed (they had their heads, fur and so on still in tact). That was a sight to see. We went to visit the offal section. This is the heart, lungs, liver…the insides that people use to make the delicacies. It was pretty cool. We got to see how they take apart a cow’s head, to get to the brain, the check meat and how they use the skin. It was all very impressive. Our next stop was the cheese/dairy section, then the vegetable section. The vegetables had everything you could imagine! Mushrooms of all kinds, fruits, vegetables some of which I had never seen…they had I think 8 of these pavilions for vegetables. There is a picture of Frank Stitt in his cookbook with just bags of haricot verts, well what I saw in just one warehouse would put that to shame…I know they work on different levels, but it was just jaw dropping to see the quantity they house. Our tour ended around 9, this included breakfast at some point. The early morning hours were well spent. The rest of the day I and a few others spent sleeping!

The last week of the program we left for Reims. We had an amazing dinner at the hotel restaurant, a two star called L’Assiette Champenoise. It was spectacular. This might have been for two reasons, first we hadn’t had a real decent meal since we got there and second, the service and atmosphere was impeccable. It was a real treat.

The next week was spent having lecturers at the local university, lunch at one place (with the same plating and decorations for the plate, with ok food) and dinners at different places! The dinners were just amazing – the food ok, the champagne and wine amazing and the ambiance incredible! Our first dinner was at the champagne house of Veuve Clicquot. To make you jealous I’ll just tell you what we drank: 1998 Veuve Clicquot le Grande Dame, Veuve Clicquot Vintage Rose 2002, Veuve Clicquot Rare Vintage 1998 and for dessert Veuve Clicquot Demi-sec carafe.

The next dinner was a the champagne house of G. H. Mumm. We began with a G.H. Mumm Cuvee R. Lalou 1998, Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1995, Krug 1995 and finally a G. H. Mumm Rose.

The next dinner was the Les Crayeres, another two star restaurant in Reims. This restaurant the restaurant we had our first meal, L’Assiette Champenoise, are fighting to be the best. We began with a vin Jaune 1999 Chateau d’Arlay, Beaune du Chateau ler Cru 2005 Bouchard Pere and Fils, Chateau Cheval Blanc 1998, and finally a Chateau d’Yquem 1998.

Our last meal to write about was with Mr. Krug himself. We dined at his house, after a private tour of the caves. We had a Krug Grande Cuvee, Krug 1996, Krug 1989 and with dessert a Krug Rose.

The last week was really something to write home about. It was all amazing. The whole course has been wonderful. I learned a few things I didn’t know and met a lot of really nice people. There was a blend of nationalities which made the program that much better. Everyone brought something different to the table. We were all from different back rounds: chefs, doctors, photographers, and many more. It was great to meet such a diversity of people. Hopefully I will see them again next year, when we get our diplomas!

Right now I am in Germany with cousin Andi, one of mom’s cousins. It has been great to just hang out. My plans are not in stone quite yet, but they are coming around. I’ll be back state side in a couple of weeks, definitely in time for the holidays…until then, I’ll try to make another update….take care everyone

Laura

2008-08-08T09:56:00.000-05:00

Let me try to make you all jealous of me. Our vegetables and some fruits have been finally coming in. We are eating so much stuff such as: fresh pulled from the earth carrots, fresh picked green beans, shucked fava beans, hand picked tomatoes, freshly made organic pesto, summer zucchini, currents, little tiny red raspberries, and freshly harvested fingerling and purple potatoes. We are currently waiting on squash, cantaloupes and watermelons to grown and get ripe. It won’t be too long. Our main crop of peaches and apples are on their way, just a few more weeks on the peaches and maybe another month or so on the apples. It is getting exciting. I am finally to reap the benefits from all that hard work earlier in the spring/summer.

We have been staying busy since I last wrote, not a big surprise. We are still pruning the grapes in both vineyards, pinot gris and noir. I think that job is never ending. It just won’t go away.

Right now our main thing is thinning the peaches. You through each peach tree, there are 1000, by hand and pick off peaches. This gives other peaches room to grow and ripen in time for harvest. A peach tree has so many peaches, so someone has to go through and take off half the fruit. We do the same thing with apples, but the apples are not in bad shape. Our peaches right now are not growing in size or changing color, so we are thinning once again, hoping this will help. I’ve been told that once the peaches take off in size, they will get bigger in two weeks, growing from a small fist to a softball shape. I can’t wait to witness the changing!

Besides work, there have been guests come and go. Anno, Wink’s daughter, left us at the end of July to go back to Argentina. She is missed. I was so happy I was able to meet one of my best friend’s friends from college.

My parents came out, my mom and Mac. They were here in the end of July for a few days. It was great for them to come out and see what I do everyday, where I live and what I grow. I think they were impressed! We cooked meals and just had fun. They went around to the small towns and looked around. I live in a really cool place.

When they left, another couple came, friends of the farm. They provided Wink and Max with some pinot noir. They were driving to Denver and decided to make stop here, to finally meet Wink and Max and have a look at their grapes. They were a very knowledgeable couple. It was fun to meet more farmers and have a night of talking under the stars.

Our lasts guests were Jacob’s family (a boy from Colorado College who is living on the farm and going to classes in Paonia). It was his uncle and his two nephews. It was crazy busy with lots of people and lots of noise. They were here for a few days.

There was about a week of non stop cooking. But I loved every minute of it. We used our produce and other farmers and made wonderful meals every night. I am trying to come up with different recipes for potatoes, since we have so many…so any ideas, shoot them this way.
We are about to have another week filled with people staying on the farm. So I think my days will be mostly spent in the kitchen working then on the farm itself. But this why I am here. I have a great menu planned for everyone. It is going to be crazy week. Next week I am going to go help with a chef’s demonstration – four chefs, one from here who I have worked with before and three chefs from Denver’s Johnston and Wales. I can’t wait! Hopefully I will make some contacts!

I have decided to stay on the farm until September 16th. I leave for home for good on the 17th. I am going to my sister’s wedding at the end of September in Georgia and then home for a bit. In mind October I am leaving for France for two weeks and then Germany for a week. In France I am attending a two week intensive program at Le Cordon Bleu and at the University of Reims. The program is divided up into three sections – all about food, wine, technology, science, economics and legal matters. It is going to be great. I will hopefully be receiving a diploma from the university. I have to pass a test and I will have 6 months to write a thesis, at least 30 pages long. Again, I am open to suggestions. I am thinking my thesis will be on the evolution of southern food. The programs name is Hautes Etudes du Gout. When I graduate I will have the diploma Diplôme Universitaire du Goût, de la Gastronomie et des Arts de la Table). Pretty cool huh?!!!

After France I am going to Germany for a week to stay with a cousin. I have never been and I wanted to see her when I was Paris last time, but it never worked out. This time it is. I’ll be hanging out with her at her house in St. Leon and then to Berlin for a few days to do the tourist thing and see her perform!

I’ll be home for the holidays and then off the Africa again to work in the children’s village with my aunt. I can’t wait to see the children and see how much they have changed. I think every year should start off that way.

As for now, I still love Colorado and the farm. It will be so sad to leave in a 6 weeks, but I know I have so much still to do. Until I leave, I am living it up and trying to learn as much as possible. Stay tuned for more adventures from around the world…

2008-07-09T21:55:00.003-05:00

these are just a few pictures of my life. the place where i live, the mountains i look at everyday, the scenary of the farm - grapes growing and such.

the last picture is of tree graphing. it's great. i even got to do some graphing and i didn't kill them. fantastic! it's alive!!!

2008-06-30T18:50:00.002-05:00

Summer is here. The work days are longer and the sleep is shorter, or at least it seems like it is. The snow has melted from the mountain tops. The sun is staying up longer. The summer is finally here.

I realize it has been a long time since I have written. I apologize. Things have been crazy here. We are in full swing. We are planting and weeding and pruning like crazy. We planted 500 grape plants in just about 2 weeks. Three different grapes and they are all doing well – growing so well in their new home.

The apple thinning is done. We got help, thank god! The peach thinning is done as well. The same people who did the apple thinning breezed through the peaches. All the fruit trees are looking good, even the cherry trees. However the cherry trees are only in their second year of growth, so there will be no fruit this year. But they are growing beautifully. A local grower told us that most people would kill for their cherry trees to look as good as ours! Now that is exciting.

Now that our huge project of planting to 500 grape plants is over, we now are concentrating on pruning the 6 acres of grape plants. Now that is a true task. We tried to get help, but that hasn’t gone so well. We hired a family of 4, plus one kid who did not do anything. They did not come back the next day. A man and his brother are working in the grapes and they are wonderful! Their work is great and they go fast – weeding, cutting the tall grass between the plants and pruning. We have about 3 acres done.

During all this planting, I managed to escape for a couple of days with some really great friends from home – the McEwen’s. I was able to go meet them in Granby, because an intern showed up before she was actually due. So Max and Wink let me leave for a day or two. I worked the morning and left in the afternoon to go to Granby – about 4.5 hours away. It was a dude ranch I had helped them find and it was set in a park. It was so pretty. The whole family was making an appearance, except for their eldest, Will (one of my best friends from high school). He had to work (he is in the real world) and he had to work on his kitchen (he is redoing his house).

I arrived at King Mountain Ranch in time for dinner. It was great to see friendly faces from home – Mr. McEwen, Mrs. McCall, Sally (the graduate) and her friend Alexis. The middle child, Cory, was due to get in late. She was working and could not get away from work in Denver until after her day was done. We all hung out for awhile after dinner and then went to bed. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

The next day we woke up for breakfast at 8. We woke up to snow, all around us. A white blanket gently covered us. After breakfast Sally, Alexis, Mrs. McCall and I went to an orientation about horses and then on a short ride. It had stopped snowing by the time we got on the horses, but it started up again for a short while when we were riding. It was a lot of fun to ride in the snow – something I have not done for a very long time, since Creste Butte.

It was soon lunch – Mr. McEwen had come back from golfing and Cory took a break from work. We had a lovely lunch. Our next activity was riding for Sally and Alexis and then the rest of us went to shoot skeet! We were up on a mountain, with the entire world to see. We each got a round of skeet. We made a rule, if we got three clay pigeons we would be able to have all the cookies we wanted. Everyone passed.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing whatever, I napped and just took it easy. It has been forever since I have had time to just sleep and do nothing! It is a luxury that should not be taken for granted. Then it was dinner time.

The next morning we woke for breakfast. Mr. McEwen went to try golfing again – hopefully no snow. Mrs. McCall and I went for a ride. After lunch I hung around to watch a group try to herd cattle. It was pretty entertaining. I sadly left in the afternoon to begin my drive back to the farm; it was going to be a work day tomorrow. My trip with the McEwen family was so much fun! Thank you for my break from farming.

Last week I went on another outing, to another farm, Zephyros. This is a farm that is about 3 or 4 acres. They grow a lot of flowers and vegetables. They also have goats and sheep – to make cheese and to eat. We (Annon, Emily, Gail and I) went to work for a Saturday, next week their interns would come and work at our farm. We arrived at the farm at 6:30 and got a tour of the farm. It was impressive. Then we were put to work – weeding! All day long. It wasn’t too bad. We got to meet some new people and we were feed a good meal – lamb curry with rice. We were done by about 6.

This week, three interns from Zephyros came to our place and helped us. We got them to help us prune our grape plants. I think they enjoyed it. There was some weeding in the pruning, but no pulling; only cutting. We feed them a great meal, then sent them back out to prune. We began our work day at 8:30 until about 6. Not a bad day.

Today was interesting. Today we went to a slaughter house. Emily, Gail and I went to process chickens, 77 of them. It was a really cool experience. I think it is important to see how your food is killed and how it is treated. Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, raised his own rabbits and them slaughtered them. He thought it was important to see where his food came from and what was done to it. I agree.

We got to see the whole process – from the actual killing to the packaging. I won’t go into great detail, but there are 6 steps. First the killing (in a human and kosher way) by bleeding them, then the taking off the feathers by hot water and a spinner, then the singeing, then the removal of the insides, then the cleaning and finally the packaging. It was a cool experience. We were done cleaning the chickens, all 77 of them by 12:30. I think they started around 8, but we did not show up until 9. After lunch we cleaned up and packaged them. We were out of there b 3:15. I had a great time. Hopefully they will call me when they process beef and deer and other game. I think it is important for a chef to see how things are done – well really anyone.

Well that is about all I got. Things have been busy and I think after we have the pruning done, things will calm down, a bit. Or maybe that is only wishful thinking. We are still planting food. We are now able to pick strawberries and eat them. We have been eating the lettuces I planted (I didn’t kill them) and other various things. I have been experimenting with foods and spices and just loving it. I might stay out here longer, until November. I am just really enjoying life here. I miss life at home in the south, but Colorado living is just different. I could use to this. I can understand why my sister and my brother wanted to come to college out here. I might be the one who doesn’t leave…

Until next time…

ps - pictures are coming, soon, promise

2008-06-01T19:15:00.000-05:00

I am sitting outside on my little stoop. I have the mountains, with still some snow at the top, as my view. The sun is still beating down on my back and I am probably the happiest I have been in years. It is beginning to get a little warmer here, but nothing like home (Birmingham, Alabama). Home is where humidity lives and dwells. Here in Colorado, it is PERFECT! It is hot, but not too bad, like sweat just pouring out of every pore. I have a little perspiration on my nose, but what’s new. It is a sweat that I will become accustomed with. The weather is really ideal with now.

The last time I wrote, I had been here for only a week or so. Now I have lived here for over a month and I am still learning and loving it! I have planted lots of vegetables and they are actually now growing. We have a bed of strawberries and we can now see little green strawberries beginning to sprout. We have one semi-red one – almost time to pick and eat. We have been eating spinach almost every night now. One of the reasons I chose to come to work at a farm was to reap the benefits of eating food pick steps from the kitchen. The taste is just incredible.

There are three beds right outside of the living quarters, a big bed, a circular bed and the infinity garden. The big bed is half filled with spinach and cilantro, while the other half is partly filled with weeds/flowers and some herbs and arugula. Hopefully soon we will plant some more. The circular bed is mostly filled with herbs (rosemary, parsley, oregano, thyme, tarragon), a couple strawberry plants, savory (like celery), and a few other things. The last bed, the infinity garden, is filled with radishes, lettuces and a few leftover things (spinach seeds).

Right now, we are working on the irrigation system for the grapes, peaches and apples. We are also working on pruning the wine grapes and thinning the apple trees. There are lots of both. But I am learning. The other farm work, such as planting and weeding, has been put on hold. Hopefully we will get help with the thinning of the apple trees. It takes about 30 minutes or so to just do one! We have finished pruning the old wine and table grapes. We will soon move on to pruning the younger wine grapes which should not take us as long (hopefully, fingers crossed).

A couple weeks ago, Max and Wink left to go to St. Louis for Max’s daughter law school graduation and her first grandchild (her son). Wink came home a week later, while Max stayed behind to help her children with the adjustment of life and a new baby. For the week, Anno (Wink’s youngest daughter) and I held down the farm. We were in charge and you know what, it was so much fun! We got a lot accomplished and had fun.

We had a few house guests during this time. A friend from C.C. (Colorado College) came by and stayed with her climbing partner for about 5 days. Althea, the friend from CC, helped us on the farm a day or two, but her and her friend, Emily, mostly went climbing.

They left to go on a wild adventure to Alaska to climb. Wink came home a day later and then another friend from CC came, Julia. I had met her before. About a month ago I went into Paonia to celebrate her birthday. She had even come to the farm to work a couple of days. She came to actually stay for a few days and help out, until leaving for her summer job/adventure, a leader on Outward Bounds.

Then it was suddenly Memorial Day. We had a bar b-que, well….we grilled hamburgers. Some more friends from CC came by to help us celebrate. Gregg and his girlfriend, Avery, another graduate from CC, and her mother and almost stepfather came by. Also Grady, a helper on the farm, and his girlfriend, Laura came. We drank beer and ate lots of food. It was nice to be able to unwind and just chill out with some friends. There was lots of talk about CC, so I now feel like an honorary graduate. They should make diplomas for that, I would have graduated from so many schools!

A few days ago, an intern arrived, earlier than expected, Emily. She is a senior at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She will be here working on the farm until August. A day or two after she arrived another intern came to work, Gale. She is working here part time and working at other farms around the North Fork. She is living just a mile down the street at the CSU research station. It is great to finally have all this help on the farm! It makes things go so much faster!

Life on the farm is still fantastic. I am still loving everything and enjoying being here. I think the coolest thing I have seen since I have been here are the bee hives. A few weeks ago, Mark, another organic farmer, came over and showed us how to put a new queen bee into the hive. You are supposed to put in a new queen every couple of years. Who knew?!? They ship the queen bee with a sugar pellet and enclosed with drones (basically boy bees that impregnate the queen. It was so cool to se the inside of the hive and the honey supers (where they store the honey and where the baby bees incubate). It was an awesome site. A bee hive is so interesting. They work as one and should be considered as one. I don’t think any one bee can live by itself. It needs all the bees to survive. By far the coolest thing I have seen yet!

The days on the farm are getting longer, so that means that summer is a coming. My daily schedule hasn’t really changed. I have more responsibility, which is a little scary. I now have a better understanding of what they talk about, well sort of. And I am getting faster at the tasks, like hoeing water ditches to irrigate the grapes, or pruning grape vines or thinning apple trees.

Well…until next time…

2008-05-02T19:47:00.000-05:00

My new adventure has indeed begun. A new everything!

I have been here at Mesa Winds Farm for almost two weeks now and I have loved every minute of it, even the long hours. My hands are beginning to show sings of wear and tear, due to the hard work and the manual labor – something my hands are not used to seeing.

A little history before I tell you about my stay so far. Mesa Winds Farm was bought by a couple, Max and Wink. They bought the farm a few years ago and have made it their home, for the two of them and their dog, Monty. The farm is located in Hotchkiss, Colorado, the valley of the North Fork and the Gunnison River. It is a lovely town. Hotchkiss is sandwiched between two neighboring towns, Paonia and Delta. I have only seen the outer sides of both towns, but the small town of Hotchkiss is ideal.

The farm itself is about 36 acres. It is lovely. They have orchards for two types of apples and two types of peaches. They also have vines to grow different types of grapes, for wine making and for eating, table grapes. There are also two hoop houses, almost like green houses, that hold room for vegetables for us to eat on the farm – any leftover will be given up the farmer’s market. There is also an herb garden and small beds for vegetables to grow closer to home.

The living arrangements are apartments. The land does not have a house. Instead there are picker houses. There are six houses located at the front entrance. There are two rows, the first row houses Max, Wink and Monty. They converted two picker houses into one for them. The second row is four picker houses with two houses connecting. Each has a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen/living room. Not the entire second row is livable right now, but soon. One house the winery, one house is the tool room and then there are two houses are for people to actually live in.

My life for the past (almost) two weeks has been amazing. I have been working hard and sleeping hard. My day is pretty routine. I wake up about 7:45 and get dressed and get to work by about 8 or so, sometimes stopping for a cup of tea. For the first week I did a lot of planting with Max. We planted spinach, cilantro, different varieties of lettuces, three different kinds of onions, asparagus, raspberries and blackberries and cherry trees. There was a lot of digging and a lot of weeding! But it was a ton of fun. I can’t wait to see what I have accomplished. Right now, we can see the young sprouts of spinach and cilantro. It is very exciting!

A few days ago, a friend of Max and Wink’s, came over and taught us about pruning grapes – wine and table grapes. It was very interesting. We spent six hours roaming the fields and trying our hand at the pruning. It was very informative. He liked to talk.

The farm houses five hives, bee hives. They are located down by the irrigation canal and the cherry trees. I got to help Max (mostly by watching) put new houses on the hives. The new additions are for us, so we can collect this house and make honey. The bees live in two story houses. They use this honey to feed themselves and to house their young. It is really cool. Each hive has its own personality. I can’t wait to eat fresh honey from the hive! The buzzing noise is really pretty – soothing.

On top of the farm duties I am also cooking meals for the three of us. I usually do not make it to breakfast – but Max and Wink, usually fix that. Really good pancakes. I made lots of dishes, drawing inspiration from home – baked chicken with a compound butter, burritos, daddy’s pasta with pesto, soups and some other stuff. I have even done a little baking. I am in the process of making my Caramel Brownie Cheesecake! I can’t wait until the garden begins to produce food, so I can outside to pick out what I want to make. Talk about fresh food!

Max and Wink are very nice people and want to introduce you to their town and to their friends. They have made friends with some really neat people – I have only been able to meet a few, but then again, I haven’t been here long. A friend who is a chef is coming to dinner tomorrow. Hopefully, this will be a great contact later on in life. Max has been so kind to sign me up to work a few functions with the local talent here – big dinners! This will be an experience!! The area I am in is the most concentrated location in Colorado to house Organic Farmers! I can’t imagine working with such fresh produce – dairy, meat and vegetables. Oh my!

A few days ago, Max and I went hunting for wild asparagus. We found lots. That night we enjoyed fresh steamed asparagus for dinner. It was wonderful. The first day I arrived, Wink took me on a tour of the property. We found a few wild asparagus hiding and he cut one for me to eat. I ate it right there and it was so sweet! This is why I am here and I knew it at the moment.

My time here is just the tip of the iceberg. I am surrounded by amazing views of mountains, the babbling of the irrigation canal, and soon the sweet smell of ripe fruit. My hands are beginning to develop rough spots – from all the manual labor. I guess I’m not a southern belle anymore – Rhett Butler from Gone With The Wind said that you can always tell a lady by her hands. They should be soft and well groomed. Mine aren’t soft anymore, but they look nice, if I scrub off the dirt from under my fingernails. The farm was a great move for me. I am going to learn so much more than I thought I would. Food is not just about what you get on a plate, but where it comes from – what goes into growing it, how does it develop, what is ripe. You appreciate things far better if you put your blood, sweat and tears into something you love and I intend in doing just that this summer – watch out - - - -

ps - pictures might come later, if i can get my camera out

2008-04-19T00:17:00.000-05:00

Buckle down, this is gonna be a long one...

Just a recap from my graduation, because I can brag about it. Graduating day I received a diploma from superior cuisine, a medal and a pin. But that’s not all. Since I completed both the cuisine and patisserie program I got a bottle of nice champagne, another medal and a huge, pretty, fancy diploma. I have received from 4 different Le Cordon Bleu schools (around the world) 7 diplomas, 3 medals, 6 pins, plus an award for being the top in my class. I even graduated with honors from my patisserie program. It was a great feeling to see what I have done in a year. An accomplishment.

The next adventure lined up was going to Africa for a month to work at a children’s village. I was in Tanzania, Africa, a couple hours from Arusha and about a 45 minute bumpy red dirt road car ride from Karatu. This was an amazing time and experience. I played and taught children, even disciplined when it was warranted. I even cooked in the kitchen. It was an amazing experience. I think everyone should try to go do it. Being apart of what they are trying to build is truly unbelievable. I don’t even know how to explain it, words and pictures just do not do it justice. You realize after being there what you truly value and maybe you get a little better understanding of yourself.

So then I jumped from the beauty of the mountains of Africa to the beauty of the ocean, the Bahamas. I spent some time with my family. Then dad and I went on a trip just us. It was wonderful. Hearing the sound of the ocean is soothing and gives you peace; at least it does to me. You almost forget how beautiful unspoiled land can be. I was blessed to experience it twice within a month and at such opposites of the spectrum.

I went home for about a month to relax and just do nothing. It got boring very quickly but I think that was good for me. It makes you realize just how much you want to work and do something you love or just to get a pay check! I left the beautiful land of Birmingham, Alabama to venture out to the mountain ranges of Colorado. Leaving home is never easy to do, but for some reason it was easier for me to do it this time. I drove through the marsh lands of Louisiana and hit the Lone Star State of Texas. I stayed here a few days to reconnect with old friends. The Freidlanders took me in for the night and feed me good home cooked food. The next day I went to see a friend from Le Cordon Bleu Paris, Beka. We talked for 2 hours and caught up on life and what we were doing now and where we were going. Then I went to see a friend from way back in the day, Paige Wolfe. I got to go out to dinner with her and her family (her dad, brother and new stepmother). It was great to see old friends and catch up with them. Early the next morning I drove to the pan handle of Texas, Amarillo, Texas. It was a long day of driving and I watched the temperature drop, from 70 to 49. It was rainy and cold when I pulled into the Hampton Inn for the night. But I got food and went back to the hotel to cuddle in the great cozy beds. Today was an easy drive and by far the shortest day yet, 6 hours to Denver, Colorado. I came from the flat lands of Texas through the hilly range of New Mexico and found salvation in the snow peaked mountain ranges of Trinidad, Colorado. I think my heart stopped because I was happy to see the mountains. I am staying here with a school friend, Cory McEwen and her boyfriend, Greg, for a couple of days. Then it is downward at a slight angle and to the left to Hotchkiss, Colorado where my new job awaits me as a private chef/hopeful gardener.

My journey is just now beginning. I think this adventure is going to be better then culinary school.

2008-01-07T22:04:00.000-06:00

I realize it has been a couple of months since I have written...so sorry. But, good news! I DID GRADUATE FROM LE CORDON BLEU!!!

Graduation was lovely. Dad, Laura Lee, Mom and Mac came up for the occasion. I was so happy they were all able to come and help me celebrate. I just wish the rest of the family could have come, but oh well...they are happy for me as well, I know it.

We walked in with our chef coats and in our classes: basic, intermediate and then SUPERIOR. They called each class, cuisine then patisserie for each basic, intermediate and superior. Then Le Grande Diplome was called. There only four of us. We got called up on stage, given a gold medal, a huge and beautiful diploma and of course a bottle of really nice champagne! It was such a great feeling to be done and to have actually graduated!! After the graduation ceremony, people went to eat little foods and have more champagne. The superior students were toasted to first. We got the first glass...it was great.

After the ceremony and reception, we all went to relax for a bit, then met for dinner at 6:30. Dinner was amazing. We went to eat at a place called eighteen. The food was great and the wine was superb. The next day, I was going home with my diploma and the feeling of being done with culinary school! What a great feeling.

My holidays were spent cooking at home and also getting a non-paying job. I got to work at Bottega, a local restaurant that serves amazing food. The chef/owner owns three other restaurants and I got to help make desserts for all his restaurants. It was great work. A great experience.

Now I am getting ready to go once again out of the country. I am leaving for Africa, Tanzania to be more specific. I am going to work at a children's orphanage. My aunt, Laurie, worked here last year and said it was the most rewarding experience she has ever done. Now my aunt Laurie is an amazing woman, like every woman in our family. She cares and loves all children and does anything and everything she can for them. This is just more thing she does.

I am going to be there for about a month. We are going over a few days early to adjust to the time change. Then I will be at the village for a month, working. A friend of mine, Art, is coming as well to make a film about the village. It's gonna be a great time spent there. I am going to try to blog while I am there, but I am not too sure about the Internet usage...so it might be up later, when I get home. So until then....

2007-11-10T15:32:00.000-06:00

It’s been awhile since I have written, so sorry. Life has been crazy and school is winding down. I can’t believe school is almost done with. If I pass my final, I will have completed Le Grande Diplome! It’s taken alittle longer then I hoped, but I am almost done. The feeling is amazing. My sister pointed out, the other night, that I have been wanting this since I was young, I mean like since I was 11 or 12 years old.

Anyways, the weather here reminds me of college at Syracuse. The weather has been constantly changing, from hot to cold and back again. I’ve had more rain here in Ottawa than in London. But the weather has finally settled down. The leaves have fallen from the bare trees and help usher in the winter weather. It’s great. It almost makes me miss the weather in Syracuse, but not enough!

Two weeks ago, I went to New York City to spend time with my aunt Laurie. We got our African visa’s! It’s official! I’m going to Africa. I got the plane ticket and got the visa. The weekend was great, very relaxing. I cooked and spent time in Barnes and Noble, a GREAT place. Then it was back to reality – school.

Halloween, I got to work in the restaurant for the last time. I HAD A BLAST! The chefs were so nice. I peeled vegetables and did the grunt work. But this time I got to talked with the chefs. We were all peeling carrots and just talking. I was trying to educate them about the USA and they were trying to teach me about Canada. It’s so weird that we are so close, but we know next to nothing about each other.

Last Friday, I got my black box list for my final exam. The black box is just like the white box – a list of 20 ingredients with 4 ingredients (chicken livers, salmon fillet, duck legs and squid) we must use. We must make an appetizer and a main dish out of the 20 ingredients, for two. I spent the weekend trying to figure out a menu. I had lots of help, so thank you EVERYONE!!! My menu:

APPETIZER: spinach and salmon tartar stack with calamari and a beurre blanc sauce.
The spinach will be sautéed with garlic. There will also be another sauce, a red pepper coulis to bring color to the plate.

MAIN: duck two ways. Duck legs braised in apples with an apple Gastrique ( a sweet and sour sauce) duck roulade stuffed with chicken livers, mushrooms and leeks with a mushroom pan gravy.
There will be two vegetables, sautéed asparagus with shallots and a butternut squash puree.

I have two and half hours to prepare the appetizer and another 45 minutes afterwards to present my main dish. It’s gonna be kick ass – I just need to present on time!!!

This past week I had my last class and my last practical. It was fun. My last practical was so much fun! Chef Armando taught us how to carve in vegetables – we carved roses in turnips and beets. I made a fish out of half a butternut squash and made some other cool things. It was so much fun! I took pictures, but I can’t post them yet. I left my cables at home in Alabama, so ya’ll will have to wait.

Thursday and Friday I volunteered for Club des Amis. I worked with another student and chef Armando to put on a lunch. We made shrimp wrapped in a fillet of sole with sautéed vegetables and a beurre blanc sauce for our appetizer. Then for the main, beef tenderloin topped with bleu cheese with a peppercorn sauce, sautéed celeriac and vegetables. It was ok. This week has been a great last week in culinary school!!

This weekend I am going to take it easy and come up with a game plan for my final on Tuesday! Then there will be a couple of days of waiting to see if I pass my final, but the time will fly by since my parents are coming up for graduation. I just hope it’s worthwhile for them to come, meaning I hope I graduate. There have been students who have failed. I hope I’m not one of them. But the dream is almost complete! Think of me on Tuesday and send good thoughts! I’ll report back soon!

2007-10-24T20:50:00.000-05:00

The past week has been...well repetitive. My program is just about over, less than a month left. Whose excited?? ME!!! Tuesday I went to a lecture given by a local professor at the University of Ottawa. It was all about hospitality law. It was informative, but most of it I have already had in college. But I got to ask a few questions and just listened to him talk.

On Thursday, I went in early to help Chef Marc, my main chef. He was cooking lunch for a group of ladies, with a few men thrown in there too. I was his assistant for a few hours. It was fun. We made quiche with mushrooms and cheese, coq au vin and creme brulee. It was fun. Then I had a workshop with my class for about 5 hours.

On saturday I went on a school field trip to a local brewery. We took a yellow school bus to the Draft Horse Brewery. We went in and began drinking beer - I mean testing the five beers. They were good. We had a tour of the brewery - a small room - which took about 10 minutes of him talking. Then we went back to drink more beer. Then we had a tour of the restaurant and went back to drinking. We got back to school - probably all alittle buzzed, but it was a good trip.

The week was good. Another week done, a few more to go and then I am finished! I can't wait. The upcoming week is busy and also a four day weekend! I'm going to New York City to spend some time with my aunt and get my African visa. So I will have more to report soon.

2007-10-14T16:54:00.000-05:00

Turkey, dressing and mashed potatoes oh my! Here in Canada, the Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving early. Monday, the 8th, was thanksgiving here in Canada. The people I am staying with invited me to eat dinner with them, but then took back the invitation. They didn’t have enough room at the table. Marnie, the woman who runs the B and B, felt so bad. I told her not to worry about it. I just laughed. I know tons of people who would have done that at home! But they brought me a plate of food. It was good. Now I can’t wait to cook the thanksgiving feast at home and eat it with all my family! (since last year I missed it.)

Tuesday, I had demo at noon. Then alittle break between demo and practical I went to the grocery store and did other things, anything to make sure I didn’t fall asleep! At 7pm I had practical. We were making a fancy French egg dish and surprise chicken consommé. The fancy egg dish was poached eggs in red wine with toast and a yummy sauce. It was so good! The surprise chicken consommé was chicken consommé with diced chicken and celery with puff pastry on top – all cooked in the oven. It was pretty good too. I made consommé in about 2 hours and it was perfect! Even made my own chicken stock!!! The chef said I did good, but then again, the critique never really changes.

Wednesday was different. Instead of seafood we made venison in a salted/dough crust. I had demo at noon and then the practical straight after. The chef in demo broke down a whole side of the deer. It was so cool. However there was no way we would be able to do that. And that sucked! The dish was pretty easy, but he said I cooked my meat to well done. He cooked his extremely rare. I didn’t want it that way – oh well, to each it’s own. We also took a class picture. How lame. We took the picture outside, with the school in the back round. The photographer actually arranged us, the girls sitting in the front and the boys stood according to height. It was pretty goofy. I’m not getting a picture, not because it was lame, but because we have to pay for it, 20 dollars! It’s a rip off! In Paris, they gave it to us, built into the tuition. In Australia and London, there was no picture.

Thursday was the best day! I got to work in the restaurant again! I spent the day in a local coffee shop doing work. Then at 3 pm I went to the school and get ready for my shift. 3:30 on the dot I was up in the restaurant! I got to work the viande station, meat and fish. I worked directly with the chef of the station, this time. The other time, I was working entremetier and I was pawned off to the viande station, but I didn’t care. I got to do things!
I spent the first hour or so with duck. I didn’t mind. I was taking the silver off of the duck fillets to make duck confit – duck pieces are slowly cooked in their own fat and it turns out this most fantastic meat. The chef de partie I think felt bad making me do that, so he let me play with him. I got to cook – sauté onions and make canapés with him. I had a blast. He taught me about his sauces – telling me and showing me things as he did it. He was trying to teach and involve me. He let me help.
It’s been such a long time since I have worked for the public, helping to turn something out for people, other then the chef we cook for in practical. I forget the feeling of being in the kitchen. It’s a rush, something I can’t really describe. Butterflies return to my stomach, my palms get sweaty, my forehead and nose develop sweat beads, knots form like the ones you get before a first date, but I am focused and ready to work. The intensity, the pressure, the heat – I love the feeling. Pain, hunger, thirst, everything goes away except for the food, the passion for the food. I finally remember why I love this. The excitement on the line – it’s like home.
We all know that I have been unhappy the past year or so. I can contribute that to many obstacles that have been in my way, but it wasn’t until I was leaving the 3 star, 5 diamond restaurant at Le Cordon Bleu, that I felt I have really made the right choice. The passion for my cooking/baking came back alive. And I am so thankful for it. Come my graduation, November 16th 2007, I will keep learning but by experience, not by constant book learning. I will be in the field and working in kitchens and helping to prepare food for the public. And I can’t wait! It’s gonna be one hell of a ride, so hold on!

Friday was our practice for the final and our midterm. We had two hours to prepare our appetizer and 2 ½ hours to prepare our main course. We had come up with our own recipes out of a list of ingredients we were given. We had four ingredients we had to use. When making our menus we had no idea we had only 2 ½ hours to cook. But somehow it got done. My appetizer was Pistachio Crushed Paupiettes of Snapper with Scampi Mousseline, Asparagus Spears with Creamy Leeks and Red Pepper Coulis. My main course was Poultry Two Ways: Seared Duck Breast and Potato Puree with Orange Sauce and Roasted Cornish Hens with Vegetable Risotto. I was alittle late with the appetizer, but I got it done!
After everyone turned in their dishes and cleaned up, the chef graded our dish in front of everyone! I got good reviews. My appetizer was too big, but good flavors. My main dish, the duck was too rare and I served too much hen. Otherwise, it was good. My risotto was cooked perfectly! I thought it was good. It needed alittle more color, but good flavors. My dishes were completely different. He like that I served the two meats together, the duo! The guys like my appetizer dish – I let them eat it. They liked the Mousseline. Not bad for the first time making the dishes! They just need to be tweaked alittle more. This week was great!

2007-10-08T17:25:00.001-05:00

I forgot to tell ya'll, last Friday, I got interviewed by an Asian magazine from Toronto after Friday's Club des Amis. It was fantastic! The school wants me to write down what I said so they can have it. It's very exciting. I hope they send me a copy! That would be cool.

Anyways, this past week has been good. Monday we made scallops and a endive tatin. My tatin came out perfectly! The tatin was sauteed endive, goat cheese and puff pastry on top. You bake it in the oven and then you flip it out onto the plate. It was so good and I don't even like endive.

Tuesday was another seafood dish with scallops and swordfish. I'm getting kinda sick of seafood, but at least I am getting practice in it. Today's practical was about spices. So I played around with a combination of spices - cumin, cardamom, nutmeg and such. I love the smells. It reminds me of home and Fall. Every Fall, Mom puts a pot on the stove filled with oranges, cinnamon and cloves. The smell rings in the Fall and it is the best smell.

On Wednesday I got to go into the 5 diamond restaurant, Signature. I was there to observe the chefs in action. I arrived by 3:30 and left by 6:30. I arrived and was thrown into the mix. I did prep work, grunt work. I peeled beets, peeled onions, diced mushrooms, died leeks and whatever else they wanted me to do. It was good experience to watch them and just see the restaurant in action. The chefs were so nice. I had fun, even doing the grunt work.

Thursday was a seafood workshop. It was long and boring. The chef made us present our food by 7:30. We began our workshop at 3:30. That is 5 hours to make three dishes. A few of us had nothing to do for about an hour, except to just wait until we could cook to present our food. Luckily, the chef let us present by 7! So we were out by about 9. Long day. It was ok.

This weekend has been ok. I have developed a stye in my right eye, so I have been trying to fix that. Hopefully it will be ok in time for my practical tomorrow at 7. It hurts so much! But I think it is better. Today, Monday, is the Canadian Thanksgiving Day. The family asked me to join them for dinner. It was so sweet. And I must say, I welcomed the invitation. I was craving real home cooked food! Unfortunately there was not enough room at the table, but they brought me a plate of food. It was so sweet. And I cannot thank them enough! What do you know, I will have two thanksgiving meals to make up for last year!

Well this week at school is going to be good. Friday is a practice of our final. We were given last week a list of ingredients and told to make a menu for an appetizer and an main dish. There were four ingredients that we had to use and other ingredients we could choose to use. I think I came up with a good menu. I'll let you know soon. Wish me luck! talk to ya'll later!

2007-09-30T14:24:00.000-05:00

I have been on the run, constantly. Everyday I been at school for many many hours, but it has all been worth it. Monday school began at noon, lasting until about 10. I had a practical and then a workshop. The workshop was interesting. We used fish and quail for a main and appetizer with only a few vegetables. I did a seared fish with leeks fondue and a balsamic reduction. Them a stuffed quail with peas, carrots and shallots with a julienne ginger fruit salad and roasted pepper with a sauce. It was an ok workshop. I just wasn't into it. Oh well, no one really was.

The next day was a slow day, with only a practical. I made a yummy pumpkin soup inside of a pumpkin. And then veal sweetbreads with puff pastry, an assortment of autumn vegetables and a nice sauce. It was good, minus the sweetbreads!

Wednesday, I woke up early to go to the superior patisserie class at 8:15 to see chocolate! The chef showed the class the assembly of a show piece. It was pretty cool to watch. I enjoyed it.
Then I had a demo and a few hours later a practical. I made two dishes with fish and vegetables. One dish had roasted fish with vegetables skewers. The other dish had roasted fish with layers of vegetables. It was great! It even tasted pretty good.

Thursday was the first day of Club Des Amis. We were at school by 7:15AM!! That part was not fun, but the day was great. Prep work began by 8 and we were off. The chef had picked my appetizer of butternut squash ravioli with a sauce and pistachios. I was so excited! The chef picked Andre's main dish of Florentine quail with sweet potatoes and a mix of mushrooms with onions. It was a great meal. For dessert, on Thursday there was an apple meringue with apple ice cream and hazelnuts. It was fantastic. For Friday, the dessert was a spicy chocolate molten cake with pumpkin ice cream. Everything was good.
Service went so fast. It began at 12:30 and lasted only for about an hour. We only served 6 people, two tables of 3. My dish got great reviews. I served it in a huge bowl dish. For Thursday I reduced chicken stock in sage butter then added cream and reduced it even more, whisking in butter at the last minute. The ravioli was huge, with sauce around it, then crushed pistachios, a drizzle of pistachio oil, micro greens and a sprig of chervil to decorate. It was gorgeous. Hopefully I will have a picture soon.
After service we went upstairs to meet our guests and say thank you. The head of the school was eating lunch with two other people. She could only say good things about the appetizer. She loved our meal. Everything was perfect! She loved the ravioli! I was so happy!!! Then we stayed around for a bit longer to eat and to devour the ice cream! We were out of there by about 3:30. It was a good, long day!

Little did I know that Friday was going to be even longer! We were at school by 7:30AM! Things were great! Prep work was easy, since most of the work was done yesterday. We all did our work and had time to do nothing. Service began by about 12:30 and we were done by about 1:30 or so. We went to meet out guests again and we were out by 2. I changed my dish alittle. It was still a huge ravioli, but it had a beurre blanc sauce and all the decorations were the same. Except I added a black pepper foam to the top - SO COOL!!! Service was great!
I had an hour and a half to waste before the next class at 3:30 - workshop. So I went to get food with a friend. Then we all hung around with people in the lounge and waited for class to begin. The workshop went well. I made half a chicken - seared and then braised in the oven - served with vegetables and a potato gratin on the side. For the app, I made seared scallops with wild rice and beet slices with a beurre blanc sauce. It looked great!
The chef is hard for me too read. It's hard for me to take what he gives me and improve on it. I like to cook simply and keep it simple. I don't want to change the food by being so intricate. I think simplicity is perfect, just make sure it tastes great, which it always does! I think the chef wants me to be more intricate on my dishes, almost over the top. So I checked out some books and I am doing research this week - hopefully it will improve my dishes. Right now, no one is failing, but no one has great grades. It is extremely hard to get a good grade - a 4/5. So hard. I want to pass, I want to do good. I guess I will have to study. We will see.
This weekend I am just lounging and doing some work. Next week is alittle easy going. All classes begin at 12 or after!!! WOO-HOO

2007-09-23T21:35:00.000-05:00

This past week has been easy. It’s been great. Only three days of actually going to school and two days off, PLUS the weekend! Pure bliss.

The seminar on Monday was boring, but I got through it.

Tuesday was spent in demo and then a practical a few hours later. The practical was turkey roulade – filled with eggplant, tomato and basil. It was pretty good. I got a good review from the chef. The sauce however…not so good. I have to work on the sauces – jus (natural juice) and a real sauce. The consistencies, I never really get them right. Oh well, I still have the chance to improve on them.

Thursday was spent in another workshop. This time I was more prepared! I rocked it, well almost. Escargot salad. It kind of freaks me out looking at a snail and knowing what it is and I am about to eat it. I just couldn’t bring myself to eat it. I remember my first time eating escargot. It was with my father at Chez Fon Fon. He and I went out to dinner and he wanted me to try them. So I said ok. I’m willing to try anything, well almost, at least once. So he ordered them and I ate one. It was covered in a garlicky, parsley butter with some buttered toast. I ate it and it burst with butter in my mouth. All you can taste is butter, which is not a bad taste. It helps mask the escargot and the thought that you are eating snails, an animal you find in your garden.
You probably should know that snails or escargot can be from the garden. Before you eat them, the people preparing them take weeks cleaning them before actually giving them to consumers. It’s sort of like eating mussels or clams. People feed mussels cornmeal and salted water to clean them before consumption.
My second dish was all vegetables. I was in the process of plating, when I messed it all up! I forgot to grease the ramekin so the eggplant would not come out! It made a huge mess and I did not try to fix it.

The weekend was spent doing errands and just hanging out. I went to the park and read and wrote to enjoy the sun. It’s been extremely sunny here with light breezes. It’s been perfect weather. The cool temperatures I was experiencing earlier have now vanished. It is definitely not as hot as in Alabama, but you can work up a sweat and it will still be there. Hopefully the fall temperatures will be coming soon…I do miss the cold weather from the north. But I don’t know if I miss the constant pouring of snow. We will wait and see.

2007-09-17T15:49:00.000-05:00

Wednesday was my day off. I was actually busy. I got ahead on my school work - cost out my menu. I went into the school to get a few item prices and do a bit of calculations. I was just about done. Now all I had to do was draw a few pictures and assemble my recipes and everything else together! I AM NOT A SLACKER...well anymore. I was ahead of the game.

Thursday was my first workshop. I had no idea what a workshop was, until after the class. Let me explain. Workshop is a time for the students to "play" with unusual ingredients. This is the time for us to "make mistakes" and to learn from the. I was told to make mistakes. That way I would learn. Well it makes sense. There is also an ingredients list in the back of the binder! No idea.
We had 5 hours to make an appetizer and a main dish. I had no idea what to do. So I began to turn some vegetables - giving a vegetable a barrel like shape, with 5 to 8 sides. My appetizer dish was a cold endive salad with sauteed calamari. My entree was a piece of pork seared and finish in the oven with turned carrots and potatoes and sauteed broccoli rabe with squash and onion. It was ok. It definitely was not my finest dish, but yeah.
So now I know. The next workshop I will look at the ingredient list and come prepared. I will think ahead of time and be prepared. I welcome the next workshop with open arms...which is this thursday, the 20th!

Friday was about salad, lobster salad. It went ok. We had a new chef. He first few words were "Welcome to Superior". Did he ever mean it! I need to be more prepared and actually think alittle more about plating. I am really going to try. I want to do well. The lobster was great though!

The weekend was spent in bed. I didn't feel so good, so I just tried to sleep and eat lots of saltines.

Today is my sister's birthday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUZY-Q!!!!
Today was easy. We had class at noon. It was a seminar. It felt like it lasted for hours, but it was only 2 and 1/2 hours. The chef was given items from the pantry and his task was to make something out of it. A few items he had: peanut butter, cheese whiz, coconut milk, ranch dressing, fresh vegetables, Duncan Hines cake mix, curry paste, canned pears, canned chick peas and a few others things. He made about three dishes. I tried a few, but I don't like coconut or curry paste. Yeah. I did try them, but not so good.

This week is easy going. Only two days of work, two classes each day. It's gonna be easy. I hope. I'll keep ya'll updated!

2007-09-12T15:42:00.000-05:00

If culinary school is anything like the real world, then the odds to men and women chefs are not good for women and we still have a LONG way to go. In my practical there are only 2 girls and I am one of them. The other 6 people are boys. Crazy. I hope I prove myself in the kitchen.
Tuesday was about fish. There was a demonstration at noon, a perfect time! It was long and kind of boring, but we got good food after the two and half hours of watching the chef cook. Then there was a break of three hours. I went home to eat lunch and chill out for a bit, taking a little nap. Then back to school by 6:40 to change out and gt ready for my practical...my time to cook.
I was not in the mood to cook fish, much less monkfish! I really just don't like monkfish. When I was in Paris, we had to cook monkfish and it was just gross. The fish it self is not nice looking, pretty ugly and slimy and just not good. You can't do anything to make it taste better, at least, I haven't had anything yet to make me like it! While in Paris, we made a lot of fish dishes. Or maybe, scaling, skinning and filleting fish a few times makes it seem like we did it a lot of times. Regardless, I think I only want to cook fish at home that has been made ready for me or wait until I am with my uncle Randall at his house to go the whole nine yards! But yesterday was about fish. Monkfish.
The practical was long. I served a great pot au feu. The chef said "bon". I hope that means good in his eyes. The other dish of sauteed monkfish was not good. Oh well. In my restaurant I won't be serving monkfish in ANY form. The dish on monday was fish and with the same fish and he said I did great, well "bon". I take that as great.
Today is my day off. I've done work for my Club De Amis. My menu is looking good. I went to talk to a chef today, but he gave me some other ideas. I might rethink my menu, but as now, here it is:
App - pumpkin ravioli with sage butter and roasted pumpkin seeds
Main - Venison accented with gremolata butter with side salad, sauteed green beans and sesame seed tuile.
I think I might need a little more to the dish, but I don't really care. I think the chef wants me to add a sauce, but the gremolata butter I think will do just so. I might rethink it, but I think I am just gonna take a chance. I won't be horribly upset if the chef does not pick my menu....but it would be cool!
Well I better get going and do some work. Lots of costing out to do. By the way, Chef kim, if you are reading this....THANK YOU FOR SHOWING ME HOW TO COST THINGS OUT! I actually know what I am doing! It's amazing.

2007-09-08T12:54:00.000-05:00

Hello faithful readers,
The week has finally come to an end. I got my first taste in the kitchens and it was interesting. Friday I had my first practical, at 7pm. It lasted about two and a half hours. There are 7 of us, including me. There is supposed to be 8, but the girl never showed up. So I am the only girl my group, B, out of the 7 students. This could be good and this could be bad. I don't know yet.
I was early to class and walked into the kitchen. In the other schools the students got there atleast 15 minutes early to set up their stations. Things work differently here then the other schools. You wait for the chefs to allow you to come in. So you sit and wait for the practicals and for the demos. Good thing to know.
We were in the production kitchen....where the chefs come to assemble their mise en place for demos. So the 7 of us went into the kitchen and began to unload. I felt so weird and actually alittle nervous. I of course picked the smallest space to work on, only a cutting board could fit! But I made it work.
I felt alittle lost. I had no idea where anything was or what to do. Do we use garbage bowls? Do we unpack our knives and utensils and just leave them on the table? So I light my stove or will the chef do it? What the hell am I doing here and why are there no girls?! So I freaked out for a half second, or maybe a little longer, and then pulled myself together. I bugged the guy beside me to ask all the questions, like where are the cutting boards, where are the plates, and where is the fridge? I felt so stupid for asking him these questions, but I never got a tour of the kitchen, so I couldn't feel that bad.
The practical was all about cold dishes- salmon tartar, cucumber with cream cheese and crab, shrimp tempera, stuffed cherry tomatoes, chicken sate, and beef carpaccio (which we ran out of). It took me while to find my groove. The whole idea of mise en place (gathering all your ingredients for the dish together) completely slipped my mind. I did the best I could, so I worked one recipe at a time. And it worked! I was not the first nor the last to present my dish to the chef! That has to say something about me, right? The chef I did good. My sauce was good and my presentation was good too. He was very nice and told me if I needed anything, help with recipes or presentation to come find him. He was very nice and very helpful!
Then it was time for clean up and soon we could go after it. The kitchen is very quite when we were working. No one was really talking except for the occasional questions, which would have been asking something. People are very focused on their tasks, cutting a brunoise (very find dice of vegs) or assembling their plate. It was very different from what I was used to. In Paris, my group was very talkative and we sang alot - Oh Happy Day....In Australia, there was just so much noise from the chefs talking to one another or dishes being dropped for some smart ass joking around. Maybe it all has to do with what cycle I was in at the time. In Australia I did basic so people were just getting to know one another. There were three classes and the classes were all together, in one large kitchen. In Paris, I was in intermediate. People were tired of cooking and the constant repetition of filleting fish and making concasse! We needed something to break up the silence. And in Ottawa, you have to be focused. This is the last step. This is what the chefs really look at when making recommendations. Or maybe, it was just the first day of cooking in a group. Give it time and I am sure the kitchen will become loud and crazy!
I think this school is going to be the best. Definitely more challenging and it will test me, I LOVE THAT! Welcome to superior cuisine 2007. Stay tuned.

2007-09-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

CANADA ROCKS!

Orientation was on Tuesday, the 4th. It was long and very informative. It began at 10am and it lasted until about 2:30pm. It was talk after talk, and then a tour of the school, pictures and the basic students got their uniforms and knife kits. I had to run home to get dressed in uniform and rush back to school in time for my superior orientation at 3:30pm. This orientation was short, only 30 minutes, short and sweet!

Wednesday, class began at noon. It was a seminar about Club Des Amis. This is a membership through the school. Superior students put on a lunch in the 3 star, 5 diamond Signature restaurant. We have about a week and a half to find recipes, cost them out for 25 people and then write out the procedure and such. It’s gonna be great!
Each group consists of three cuisine students and two patisserie students. We each assemble a package of the main and appetizer dish, while the patisserie students assemble a package with two desserts. The chef will then determine which recipes go together and thus our menu is born for the lunch date, on Thursday and Friday. It’s gonna be interesting. No Le Cordon Bleu school has a restaurant at their school. The restaurant is the most unique thing to the Ottawa school.

Thursday was our first demonstration. It went well. Our first lesson was about fish. It was about sushi! Fantastic! There are seven recipes that the chef made. For our practical we will be making five of the dishes. My practical, the time I get to make the dishes, will be tomorrow on Friday. I can’t wait to see who is in my practical. There aren’t many of us in superior. So it won’t be crowed in the kitchen for once!!!

I think this school is going to be great. I think I am going to actually learn something and walk away with something other than just the diploma. This whole experience is going to be different and great. Superior is all about creativeness. You have learned the basics and you have the knowledge to apply skills to the dishes. In superior, you get to play and show the chefs who you are. You get to come out of your shell and develop your own style of cooking. Hopefully I will not be disappointing and show great skill and depth of knowledge of all that is culinary! I will come into my own and begin to define who I am as a chef.

2007-09-03T11:28:00.000-05:00

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA
SUPERIOR CUISINE

ALMOST...THE WHITE HAT IS ALMOST IN MY HAND!

Well, the feat to get to the last step of my degree has proven to be a little difficult, almost more difficult than applying to college! The effort I have put forth to gain admission to Le Cordon Bleu Australia, Paris, London and Ottawa has proven Herculean. But without fail, I have conquered the admission process and I am now about to enter the final step in Le Grande Diploma at Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa!

After spending 2 months trying to find housing in the picturesque town of Ottawa, I finally settled on a quaint B and B located less than ½ a mile from school. I am situated between two parks and the river is just a couple blocks from me. I can’t wait to get out and explore. The B and B, Avalon, is actually the cheapest place I could find. Shocking, isn’t it! Ottawa is a growing college and sight seeing town, not to mention the capital of Canada. There are three college/universities in this town alone. There are lots of places to lease, but no short term leasing. Thus, I settled on the B and B. Hopefully my experience here will be better than it was in London. I really hope so. If not, I look at it this way…it is only 10 weeks out of my life. What’s the worst that can happen?

I got into Ottawa around 7:30, a minor delay out of Chicago. I went through customs and immigration, the easiest yet! Got a taxi and got to my B and B, a quick easy ride from the airport. I meet the couple who own the B and B, very nice young couple. Marnie is a sweet woman who is nervous about having a guest staying so long – but she is going to do fine. My room is very nice and it is so much bigger than the London room! But than again, it’s not hard to beat that! The people here are very accommodating and so sweet. It’s gonna be great! I think this last cycle is going to the ONE that is the best!

I have walked a little around the neighborhood today and it seems like a real college town mixed with ethnicity. Like any other town the city is in a grid system. So it is easy to get around and not get lost. There are two main streets, Laurier and Rideau, (well what I think are the main streets) that run parallel. These are the main streets that everything is on. It’s fantastic. On Laurier there are bars and restaurants, the quintessential college town; it reminds me a lot of Auburn. On Rideau there are lots of ethnic restaurants, Indian, Thai, Lebanese, even Korean! I can’t wait to eat at each of these places. I ate Indian last night and it was good!

This is my first time to Canada….well if you don’t count Niagara Falls, which I don’t. So I am really excited and I can’t wait. Hopefully I will have time to exploring outside of Ottawa, if I’m lucky. I’ve heard of wonderful places all around the country, just beautiful places. I am coming at the best time of the year – just in time for fall. I will see the change of summer into fall. See the trees loose change colors and slowly loose their leaves. When I was little, I thought that if I picked all the leaves off all the trees then snow would come. So I would go out into my yard and pulled the leaves off the trees. Disappointed every morning, I would wake to no snow, with the exception of the snow blizzard in 1996 and again in 1998? I’ve had my share of the cold though; going to school to Syracuse, New York has awakened my perception of what a cold winter is. I have trudged through freshly snow laid tracks of those who walked before me at 8 am. I have worn scarves covering my nose, so my nose hairs would not freeze. I’ve experienced a harsh winter, two times too many. But I am excited to be in cooler weather and perhaps have the possibility of seeing a snowflake or two once again, anything would be better than the 100+F weather we Alabamians have experienced this summer!

2007-06-10T11:38:00.000-05:00

HELLLLOOOOOO EVERYONE.

I am so sorry for not writing in such a long time. Time has really flown by. Let me try to catch everyone up with me. This will unfortunately be the last entry for about 3 months. My stay in London is rapidly coming to an end as I have finally finished Superior Patisserie on the 8th of June. But I have decided to take some time off to regroup and take a much needed break for some R and R. Then in September, I will attend Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa to finish my Le Grande Diploma in superior cuisine and finally I will get the white hat!!! But I am getting ahead of myself.

These past few weeks have been exciting. My last full week of classes were for the tea party. We made numerous types of pastries and made tray after tray of overflowing sweets. It was nice. It got a little chaotic when we were all trying to assemble the trays of sweets, but in the end it was well worth it. We had one day of prep which lasted about 6 hours and the following day to put finishing touches on and set-up the room.

I was finally done with superior patisserie classes! I was so happy. I had about a week until my mother and her friend, Charlotte, came over. So I decided to sleep and just relax, doing whatever I wanted.

Finally, June 1st, mom and Charlotte came. We were on the go, sight seeing everything London had to offer. We went to Hampton Court, saw museums, went on tours and saw Portobello Road (it wasn't like Bednobs and Broomsticks), to name a few. We even went on a boat ride on the River Thames. It has been a wonderful time.

On Wednesday, 6th of June, I had to go back to school to do my final. Mom and Charlotte went on another tour to Stonehenge and some other places. My final started at 9:45 and ended at 3:45. I had 6 hours to cook - well, one hour of cold prep (I was not able to use any heat) and 5 hours to cook. I did it.

I finished on time and I was pleased with my products. We then stayed to clean up and get a debriefing from the chefs. I did not get home until about 6 and I was tired. It was a good long day, but now I am finally finished!

The next day I took it easy. I had to return to school to get a run down on my products. Chef Pascal said I did well. I got good marks and I should be proud of my outcome. There were about 40 of us and only 2 failed. That is the lowest amount yet. I didn't get an 89%, as I hoped, but I did well enough to pass and to graduate. So I was happy. No more LCB London.

On Friday, 8th of June, we got all gussied up and went to the Four Seasons Hotel in Hyde Park for the graduation ceremony. We had canapes and champagne for an hour, then a three course meal before the actual ceremony started. I sat at table 11 with two kids from my group D and chef Pascal. It was a lovely lunch. We had wines and coffee and little sweets at the end. Then the ceremony began...Le Grande Diplomas were called first, then superior, intermediate and basic. It was great. I have a full diploma for completing the superior course and metal to show for it. I am so happy to be finished. Next step....the white hat and to complete Le Grande Diploma.

The next couple of days were filled with sight seeing and on Sunday a proper English afternoon tea at Brown's Hotel. It was lovely! I highly recommend people doing this in London. Tomorrow we will go see Kensington Palace and gardens and just it easy....soaking up as much as London as possible. Tomorrow will be our last full day and then I AM GOING HOME!!!

This 3 month stay has been interesting. I've learned a lot in superior patisserie. I really enjoyed it when I was in the kitchen. I will not miss my house mother here, her constant nagging and complaining about life has reached the top. Since mom and Charlotte are here, they have been able to cover me, so I don't have to sit and listen. That has been nice. Anyways...it is time to say good-bye for awhile. But I'll be back in September to report on my final 3 month journey into becoming a chef.

2007-05-21T09:15:00.000-05:00

One more week of classes, then finals, then graduation, then DONE.

This past week has been our last week with sugar playing. I had my last go with my sugar show piece and received good reviews from the chef. I just have to fix a few things and I should be ok. Everyone is getting nervous because our final is coming up soon. People are asking last minute questions and practicing a lot - at home and at school. One of the chefs, Chef Julie, opened the school to some students on saturday to practice. I didn't go. I'm not going to practice - which might be bad, but I don't really care. I need to make one thing from my final, because I have never made it....but then I think I will be ok (knock on wood).

My final consists of 5 items. A sugar show piece, with 5 or 6 pieces, all attached. The piece will be the colors of red, because that is my favorite color. It is rather abstract, but I think it looks pretty cool. I just hope it goes well for my final. The second item is sable holandais. This is a cookie, almost like shortbread. It is two different flavors - cocoa and cardamom - wrapped in roasted walnuts. I am going to make a checkerboard or a swirl with the to flavors. The third item is chocolate truffles flavored with Grand Marnier and coated with both white and dark chocolate. The fourth item is bread, brioche a tete. I just have to make sure I don't kill the yeast and hopefully I won't. The last item is the creative part of the final - the plates dessert. We have to have a main item, two sauces and something crunchy - like a cookie or tuile. We may also have an ice cream or a sorbet and one sauce, instead of the to sauce rule. I am choosing for two sauces.

We have 25 ingredients to use. We have to use 20 of the 25 ingredients. Each ingredient we use after the 20, we will receive extra points. I plan on using all 25. My final is the last final of the superior patisserie groups. This is bad. The judges, our three patisserie chefs, will be sick of raspberry compote and bavarian cream - because this is what most are making. Bad luck for me. Oh well, I will impress them nonetheless.

On Wednesday, I got to see friends from home: the Cannon Family, minus two. It was a blast. I met them at an Indian restaurant called Zaika. It was so good. I admit, I am not a huge fan of Indian food, but I am always willing to try. This place was a cross of Indian food with western items now. It was very good. We had great food, great wines and great conversation. I met a cousin from France and she was so nice, very full of life. Our dinner stretched on for hours, but I loved every minute of it. It felt like home - finally being around people I liked and could get along with. There was no complaining or annoying people whining about this or that. It was a great break.

On Thursday, we finished with pastillage - a type of sugar, using powered sugar. I made a lighthouse. I thought it would turn out very bad, but I was wrong. It just needed some color and some more imagination. I thought of the lighthouse on Kangaroo Island in Australia. It was beautiful and I wanted to try to recreate it.

On wednesday we had our 5 hour sugar assessment. We had to make a rose, a ribbon, a fruit and a sugar piece. I took my time and finished on time. The chef said I did very well on my fruit, a pear; my ribbon and my rose. I decided to the colors of the rose and the ribbon in the colors of Auburn - because I knew the colors went together. A little tribute to those who go to AU and to those who support! I was proud of my work. Hopefully I got a good grade. There was only one who did not finish on time.

Well...that was my life, of last week. We have a tea party this week. I hope it will be fun. Then on Friday, all our paper work is due....so right now I am trying to finish it all. I am just trying to figure out a name for my plated dessert and how to write a description. Any ideas? I am open. I guess I better get back to work. I'll let ya'll know about the tea party.

2007-05-15T08:26:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!
I am sorry to report that there is nothing new happening in my life. We have continued to work with sugar. Last week we made fruit shapes. Actually that might be unfair, shapes is a better term. Blown sugar is very hard to do. We first made circles...which I could actually do. Then the chef showed us how to make fruit shapes - a pear and an apple. It looks easy, but trust me, it ain't! I made circles, but the resemble of fruit was not very apparent. I tried. Not many of us could do it. Oh well. I would show you pictures, but I did not take any. They were just too horrible....spheres, I mastered!

This week we have two demonstrations about cake making and decorating. The cake making is not so interesting, but the decorating is so cool. I stayed three more hours after the demo ended to help and watch the chef make all kinds of flowers out of gum paste. It was so cool. She made roses and jasmine and leaves, oh my. It was really cool to watch, making flowers and a gazebo.

Wednesday is our five hour sugar assessment. We have 5 hours to make a sugar show piece, an apple or pear, pull a rose with leaves and pull a ribbon. I hope my hands can make it through 5 hours of handling hot sugar!

Tomorrow I will be seeing familiar faces from home, the Cannon Family. I can't wait! We are going to go out to dinner and it will be a nice release from the everyday routine. I'll report back after my sugar assessment, hopefully with pictures!

2007-05-04T19:13:00.000-05:00

Pictures from LCB London. Sorry they are not straight. I have not figured out how to do that yet.

To the left: The chocolate piece with my patisserie group - New York themed

Below: The chocolate box with chocolate goodness inside.

To the left: The chocolate windmill made for the chocolate assessment with chocolate truffles.

Below: The sugar piece that I might do for the final assessment in June

Below: the first sugar show piece I did

My first sugar flowers - roses to the right

2007-05-04T18:40:00.000-05:00

The one thing I looked most forward too in superior patisserie was the thought of playing with sugar. Sugar that is heated to untouchable temperatures and then pulled, blown or poured. It is an amazing thing to watch. For years I have been captivated with the food challenges on the Food Network channel, channel 55 at home. The channel is usually left on at home, even by my mother who does not cook, but loves to watch it. Let's face it, the Food Network knows what they are doing, even if their show personalities annoy the hell out of you!

This week we have learned about sugar. It is so cool. On Wednesday was my first go at pulled sugar. We made roses. The sugar is hot in your hands, but you just breath through the pain and continue working with it. You make about 15 petals. First pulling the petal shape then flicking the wrist to break the sugar from the mass, then reshape it in your hand giving it depth and movement. Then to assemble the rose, you use a blow torch to heat the petal ends and attach to the 'bulb' of the rose - a tightly rolled petal. It was the coolest thing to do.

The next day, we tried again with the sugar flowers. This time the sugar was not as painful. It was not as hot - I guess the hands get used to it after awhile. We also had our first go at poured sugar - for sugar show pieces. It as pretty cool as well. The sugar is heated again to ungodly temperatures and poured onto a silpat mat - a grease proof mat. There it cools down to the shapes you have outlines with shapes. You can add color and shine. You can cut the semi - set sugar with a knife, pipe the sugar and the possibilities can go on and on. That same day we had a demonstration about sugar. We learned techniques. It was a great demo.

Today we did another type of sugar - pastillage. I don't like this stuff. We have to come up with a drawing. I could not think of anything, until I was rolling it out - a light house from Australia popped into my head - my muse. We made the pastillage - combinations of lemon juice, gelatin and powered sugar. Then we rolled it out and made our shapes. The pastillage has to dry for a few days. Then you can assemble the pieces and paint color. I have a week or so to come up with a back round - hopefully I can make it look good.

We will be continuing working with sugar for the next two weeks. And the final week is the Afternoon Tea Party. It should be fun, but I have no idea what we are doing. The sugar work will be a blast. I just hope I don't get tired of it like chocolate. Stay tuned.

2007-05-01T10:13:00.000-05:00

Last week was spent plating desserts. This was helpful since our final assessment in June includes plated desserts. We played with sauces and decorating plates. We began by dividing the recipes into groups. Each group of 2 made two dishes. I made this chocolate thing, chocolate mousse, wrapped in a tempered chocolate bow. It was not that much fun in making. I was also reminded that I hate tempering chocolate.

The plus side of plating desserts was playing with sugar. We made sugar decorations. It was so cool. We piped it, made sugar cages to hold ice cream and sorbets and I made angel hair. We also had a go in making chocolate cigarettes with tempered chocolate - it did not work out so well.

The second day, Thursday, we plated our desserts and began our assessment for the third module. I also got another go with the chocolate cigarettes - it worked out perfectly! I was thrilled. We played with more sugar. I love it.

The last day, Friday, was spent plating our final, bavarian cream with fresh raspberry compote. It was a relaxing day. More sugar and chocolate playing. We even got out early.

The weekend was spent in trying to finalize my final. I think I am almost there. I just need to test a few theories, but I think I am ok with it. My plated dessert is going to be cool.
cocoa jaconde (cake like) wrapped around strawberry bavarian cream with fromage frais
fresh raspberry compote
lemon anglaise
sugar, chocolate and vanilla tuile (cookie like) decorations.
It's going to be awesome! I can't wait to do it and be done with it all. June 6th is coming up.

A friend from home is coming to London with her parents, so that will be a nice break in the middle of May. Then my mother and her friend are coming at the beginning of June. There are many things to look forward to. I am not sure what we are doing this week, but I think we are putting on a tea party. It will be interesting to find out tomorrow at school. Until next time, cheers

2007-04-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

Streets close, police escorts, police with dogs and police on horses, follow massive crowds through the streets of London to the pitch. This happens when there is a game. People of all ages join in a crowd and begins chanting their team's chant. Then they begin to walk as one to the pitch to watch the game and get drunk on alcohol. I got to witness this event this afternoon. It was pretty cool. I was amazed at the man power they dispatch for this kind of game, almost every week. They have police escorts to the pitch and away.

My house mother was nervous, but that is expected. She is nervous and frets over everything. It is actually alittle annoying. She dwells over things far more than I could. She is a constant worry wart. Oh well.

I only went to school twice this week. It was a module in bread. It was ok. We never made any bread by ourselves, except for the brioche, which is also on our final. We made the bread three times. We made bread as a group and then shaped it by ourselves. I like the shaping part. We made loaves, braided breads, filled breads of both savory and sweet, and so much more. In making bread, you can let out stress and anger, when you knock the bread down.

The bread module was good. The next thing we move on to is plated desserts, or so I am told. This will be helpful for my final assessment.

I have decided to quit the program after graduating with the diploma from patisserie. This is for personal reasons. I will graduate with a diploma in patisserie, basic and intermediate certificates in cuisine and the dux award for patisserie from Australia. If I choose, I can come back to any Le Cordon Bleu school within two years and finish Le Grande Diploma. There is always that option. I haven't been to the school in Ottawa...For right now, I am content with this.

The weather here in London is changing, as the seasons is around us. Spring is settling in nicely and I love feeling the warmth of the sun on my face as I walk to the train station. Soon it will be spring in full swing. London is a great place. I can't wait for the summer. I just wish I had more dresses and skirts to dress in!

cheers

2007-04-14T09:15:00.000-05:00

I AM DONE WITH CHOCOLATE UNTIL MY FINAL IN JUNE!!!!!!!!!!

Superior patisserie is what I thought culinary school should be like. Tons of time dedicated to one aspect in the pastry field, then moving on to another aspect of the culinary field. This is how it should be. (Plus, in the beginning people should learn the basics. I guess we did that in Basic, but intermediate was kind of a waste, it you ask me. And if you didn't ask me, tough.)

The chocolate module ended on friday. We completed our huge class masterpiece and it was amazing! Then on thursday and friday we had our assessment. On the first day we tempered chocolate, cut out pieces for a windmill and made molded chocolates. On friday, we tempered chocolate, assembled the windmill and unmolded our molded chocolates. It went ok.

We also had a new chef who came in to grade us. His name is chef Pascal. He is from France originally. He seems great. He did not teach us, only watched and took notes. Then he played with chocolate while we did our assembly of a windmill. I have been told he is quite and is true. But I am sure I will be taught by him soon.

Our next module, I over heard was bread. This is only for a week with two times going to school for about 6 hours each. We are making tons of different types of bread - baguettes, savory and sweet breads and a curry bread - interesting. I love making bread. I just wonder if we will be making it by hand or using a machine.

We got our papers for the final, in June. We have to make 5 different things. A brioche a tete - a bigger size of a regular brioche and they gave us the recipe; molded chocolates - truffles - again, they gave us the recipe; a type of cookie called sable holandaise - two flavors molded together in a pattern, cut and baked - again, they gave us a recipe; a sugar piece and finally two identical plated desserts. They did not give us the recipes for the last two. We have total of 25 ingredients and we get bonus points if we use them all, if we don't, we get points taken off. I have managed to use everything except a few items, so I am trying to rethink my plated dessert. I have alittle over a month to decide what I want to do, draw up a time line, recipes and gather information before I have turn in my proposal of my final, by May 25th at 5pm. So I have been busy working on that.

Other then that, nothing is really going on. The two girls that were staying at the house left on thursday. I have the house to myself again. But this bliss will only last for alittle bit. In a week or so another person is coming from Austria for alittle bit. Things are going...3 weeks have passed. Well I better get going, I'll be writing more later, ta

2007-04-06T10:25:00.000-05:00

Another week of school have come and gone. This was the second week of chocolate. It went fast. Wednesday was the worst, I was at school for the whole freaking day, from 9 in the morning until 8 at night, with a 30 minute lunch break. We have had two lectures about flour and plated desserts. They did not last long, thank god. We were in and out in about 30 minutes to an hour. It was awesome.
the rest of class time was spent doing chocolate, so much tempering, huge bowls of white and dark chocolate. The smell of chocolate at such an early time is not good for the stomach. One of the ways to check the temperature of chocolate is by touching the chocolate to the bottom lip of your mouth. This is one of the spots on your body that can determine temperature. I would not taste chocolate at 9 in the morning, so I went for another method of checking temperature, touching the front part of your pinky into the massive bowl of chocolate. I like to think it works much better!
So one day we worked on airplanes. It was OK. I was getting tired so I did not put in a lot of effort, but I was the one only one to give my plane a call number - B52. I also painted the plane in dark chocolate and a blueish color. It looked cute. By the time I got home the plane has crashed. The wings had fallen, I guess when I was in the metro, I must have hit something. Oh well. I did not get a good picture.
The rest of the week was spent working together, the whole class. We are making a huge class centerpiece. It is themed after New York City! It is going to look awesome. Everyone has a task and in a few days we are going to put on the final touches and assemble the whole piece. The center of the piece is Ms. Liberty's torch. The highest point is the flame with fingers and the hand that holds it. A little farther down will be a plate that holds part of the Empire State building in 3D and street signs of 5th avenue, Madison and so on. On the opposite side, farther down will be the trees from the park and of course an apple since New York is called 'the big apple'. Again, going farther down and on the opposite side will be foods that goes hand in hand with New York - pizza, pretzels and hot dogs. At the base will be the New York sky line and the words of New York. The words are going to be in white chocolate and then sprayed with the colors of the flag and maybe a few stars added. It is going to look awesome. If I can figure out a way to put the picture of the centerpiece on my blog I will. I hope it is going to be awesome!!
School is school and that is what I am trying to focus on. I am assembling a list of places I want to go - it is a long list - but I think during my break will be the best time to go see all these things, on a pass. The pass will allow me to pay one price and then have my run of national treasures to go see. So if anyone wants to come over....please do! I hope everyone is doing well. Take care

2007-03-31T10:41:00.000-05:00

Once again, the end of a week had come to classes. It is a blessing; it means I can sleep and recuperate from waking up at 7:30 every morning. This past week, the first week of class, has been a nice introduction the life of London and how the London LCB runs. People are nice and low key. There is not competition between one another. The students in my group, Group D, show up about 10 minutes early to class, if not 15 minutes. It is just like France, students going up early to get the good spot or steal the equipment. But it is not like that here. People just show up early to get there early. Students take out their knives, scales and other equipment they own. There is plenty of bowls, pots and pan for everyone, since there are only 8 students in Group D. It is a relief. There is not running around like chickens with their heads cut off. If there is running around, it is controlled running around - people just hurrying to get things done. I like not being in a competition to see who finishes first or who out does another.

The past two days were filled with making assortments of chocolate filled truffles. There were many different kinds of truffles - raspberry, soft caramel, orange marzipan, banana, liquor, cherries, and so many more. It was busy, but we all finished on time. We all good reviews and markings from the chef, Chef Julie. She will be my chef for the next two weeks while we work on chocolates. We filled our chocolate boxes we finished on the first day of classes and took the rest of the truffles home, along with out chocolate box.

I brought mine home to my house mother, Mrs. Mary Leen. She loved it and was in awe that I did something like it. It was pretty cool to see what I had created. The two Austria girls staying with her, came down for dinner and liked the box too, but they likes the truffles even more! Chocolate is the way to any woman's heart - remember that boys! It was s good end to the first week of classes. I was happy with my chocolate box.

Other news from London, well nothing really. The weather has been weird, cold one day and hot the other. It has been raining and nasty out, but then beautiful sunny sunshine will fall on you. I was talking with chef and she told me to save all my tourist seeing for April - it would nice and pleasant out by then. I might take her word on that. That way, I can try to get into some kind of routine with sleep and school. I was thinking about getting a job. My best bet would be getting a job in a hotel. I might try. Who knows really.

Oh, exciting news...mom wrote me to tell me I received my certificates from Australia. I did not fail cuisine after all! Now, I just have to wait for the certificates from Paris for cuisine and patisserie. Hopefully soon they will arrive!

I think life in London is going to be good. Graduation from superior patisserie is on June 8th. Anyone want to come? I found out on Friday that last term they graduated a girl who scored the highest in many years on her final. She scored an 89% on her final. That does not do much for my confidence, but it does a world for my competitive streak inside me. I want to beat that and try to do better. So now I have something to strieve for. The only problem is, I have no idea what out final is going to be. And that makes me nervous. But now, I have something to strieve for - a 90% on my final assessment!

2007-03-28T10:58:00.000-05:00

Well....I know you are all just dying to know about my first day of school here in London. You're gonna have to wait just a bit longer, unless you scroll down. In my description from the last blog, I forgot to tell you about my neighborhood. There are old facades that run down the whole road. It is very sweet looking. My neighborhood is filled with all kinds of ethnic foods, not your typical English fare. You walk down the street and smell meats roasting or fat frying from the regular fast food chains. The smells are not as great as walking the streets of Paris, but at least I am able to walk through the neighborhood. It is great to walk around and actually understand people; it makes it so much easier to eavesdrop on them. I think this city could grow on me. I might even have to give the Indian food another go - curry is not my most favorite thing to eat. There are of course fast food chains, mainly McDonald's and a KFC and some other chains that are local to Britain, I think. There are few bakeries that can bring anyone off the streets by the sweet smells that drift out of them - fresh baked breads and sweets, YUM. Then there are Chinese restaurants, Lebanese, Indian, Caribbean and lots more. The possibilities are endless!

Now, on to the first day of school. My first class was at 9 this morning. It was on the third floor, with the head of the patisserie chefs. Her name is Chef Julie, I think, but she is fantastic. She made me feel at home at once. She introduced herself and showed me around the tiny kitchen. About half way into the class, other people began to introduce themselves.

We jumped right into the lesson - tempering chocolate to make a chocolate box. We paired off and began tempering dark and white chocolate. It was fun and I learned a new method - using an ice bath. We then began to make our chocolate pieces. We worked from 9 until 12, then it was time to break for an hour for lunch. I went out with four other girls to lunch, just up the road. One of the girls works there, there are only girls in my class - 8 of us. It does not seem that anyone is competitive, so I am my own worst enemy, great. Lunch was great - just talking and them asking me questions about the schools and what not. It was pleasant. Then back to the kitchen. We assembled the pieces and decorated them. Don't worry, I am taking pictures of everything I do this time! I will have slide show later on, at the end of the term for everyone!

Tomorrow we work on filling the chocolate box with different kinds of filled chocolates. I don't know what they will be quite yet, I have not looked over the massive notebook with the lesson plans. That will be tonight and also trying to decipher my wacky schedule. I will not be going to school everyday, thank god, but when I am there for school I am really there all day. I think this is going to be good, hopefully the best yet (save the best for last).

I will be working on 5 different modules: restaurant style desserts, afternoon tea (Mrs, the tea room might just come true), boulangerie (which I will not be assessed on), chocolate and decorative sugar work. These are not in order of how we will be doing the schedule. Superior is graded differently than basic and intermediate, the final counts for a lot more.

The set-up of the school is the same as Paris. There are three levels and a basement for changing. There are 5 kitchens and two demo rooms. The changing rooms are not hooked to a bathroom, those are on different floors. The outside of the building, Paris is better. Paris just looks the part. Well it is only the first day. I will have more to write on as the week progresses. I am glad that I transferred. It helps in knowing what the chefs are saying. I am a little nervous, but hopefully it will fade away as time goes on. The knots and nervousness never really went away in Paris. Well, Cheers.

2007-03-26T10:29:00.000-05:00

Who has seen Love Actually? Most of you, right? Well in the beginning Hugh Grant starts off with going to Heathrow Airport to see people who love each other. They are hugging one another and being happy, they miss each other from long absences. When I arrived in Heathrow, I thought I would be able to witness all the love, the hugs and the kisses, but then I remembered, I was coming in with the domestic flights. So sad.

After three months in Paris, I was done with intermediate cuisine and patisserie and on my way home for five days of relaxation and just being in the comforts of my own house. Well, I got to relax, but I was sick. I ran errands and slept as much as I could. My birthday, 23 years old now, was spent with family. It was perfect. The following day I was boarding a plane and going abroad once more to finish my culinary diploma.

My flights were easy. (Note to self, fly on the weekdays, NO ONE flys then, so you are able to have whole rows to yourself!) I tried to sleep on the long flight, but it was hard. I arrived at the Manchester airport and had to go through customs. It was alittle hard, but my bear is still with me! I forgot to print all the documents that tells the customs agents that I am enrolled in school and my housing information. The customs agent was very nice and let me go, just in time. I just made my flight to Heathrow. I went to collect my bags and find a pay phone to call the housing agency. I had a car waiting for me!

I was driven to my house for the next 3 months. I meet my 'house mom'. She is probably in her 60's. She is from Ireland originally and has lived here in London for the past 30 years. She likes to talk, which might cause a problem, but oh well. She likes to cook and she cooks alot of food for dinner! I will not go hungry while I am here. Her food is good. Nothing beats a home cooked meal! She loves tea. She loves watching English soaps - Days is much better Charles!

My room is small. Very small. It is about three twin beds put together. There is a bed, a closet, a chest of drawers, a little bedside table and chair. And yes mom, all my stuff fits. The bed is so comfortable. I love it. Mrs. Mary, the house mother, has never seen anyone sleep as much as I can. She has woken me up twice. I think she finally understands that I like to sleep. It is going to be fine. The house to close to a train station, about a 10 minute walk. I am happy.

I went to orientation on Friday. It was ok. The whole trip, from house to school, takes me about 30 minutes. A 10 minute walk to the train station, a 10 minute train ride and then another 10 or 15 minutes walk to get to school. It isn't bad....just like Paris, except I get to take the train. I am at a good stop, so the train is not too crowded. The walk is nice too. Just pray for not alot of rain while I am here!!

The school is ok. It is better then Australia. It is it's own school. I think in terms of look, the Paris school takes the cake. Orientation goes to London. It was very informative. I was taken for a tour, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I will get a better idea of it when school begins, then I will write more. The school is four stories high. There are 5 kitchens, I think. The set up is like Paris. The patisserie kitchens, 2 of them, have marble tops. The cuisine kitchens do not. I will write more about the school when I get to explore it more.

Bad news: I will be here for 6 months, well 5 1/2 months. They had no room for me in the superior cuisine course. So I have to stay here longer to finish it out. It sucks, but it will be worth it in the long run. I might try to get a part time job, so I can stay busy. I am going to talk with the chefs on Wednesday. I will only be going to school a few days out of the week, not everyday like I was accustomed to. This has it's ups and downs, but whatever. I'll deal with it. Hopefully I will be able to get a job...that will keep me busy. I'll let you know.

Well, this is the only news I have for ya'll. I'll write more when school begins. Until then...take care.

2007-03-13T18:04:00.000-05:00

I AM FINISHED!!! Monday was my patisserie final and Tuesday was my cuisine final. They went ok. I could have done better, but my nerves got the best of me. Oh well. That's life I guess. For patisserie I made a passion fruit and raspberry tart. We also had a technical point, writing OPERA and doing a boarder on cardboard. It is harder than it seems. I need to work on my writing skills. For cuisine I made beef, celery flan and turned potatoes. The technical aspect in cuisine was making a Bearnaise sauce (thank you Aunt Karen).
The finals went alright, I should have done better. I think the nerves were just too much. The crust on my tart should have been straighter. That would allow my surface to be smoother and look a little prettier. Oh well. In cuisine, the beef was a touch over done....I was busy working on the Bearnaise sauce. Stupid! I should have known better, oh well. That's life.

After the cuisine final I went out with a friend, Beka. She is fro Houston, Texas. She is awesome. She took me to one her favorite restaurants on the Champs-Elysees. It was so cool. The rooms were old and palace like, lavishly decorated, like in the times of kings and queens ruled, just smaller. It was rich in colors of green and yellows and the smells from the kitchen rose. It was fantastic! We got to the restaurant by 7:30 or so and did not leave until 10:15. We talked and ate. I got a glass of champagne to celebrate being done. It was fantastic. Then for dinner a black truffle omelet stuffed with tomatoes, ham, cheese, mushrooms and fine herbs. It was SO good. For dessert, four mini macaroons that we shared and a coffee. It was the best time. The macaroons were amazing! Crusty surface and a smooth middle of luscious yumminess! We got vanilla, raspberry, dark chocolate and violet-blackberry, which was so yummy! We sat and just talked about life and school.

After dinner I took a cab back home. But I did not go home right away. I decided to walk around the river Seine and take in the beauty that is Paris. (I was careful mom) It never ceases to amaze me the look of the Effiel Tower. I will never grow old of looking at it. It was bright and lit up on my way to dinner, sparkling. Tonight, it was quite and lit. The spotlight at the top of the tower was rotating going into the distance. It is soothing and just beautiful to look at. You stand by it and you feel so small. It is just unbelievable. I said good-bye to Paris.

One more thing. I finally got my grades for patisserie in basic from Australia. I was awarded the Dux award. This means I was first overall all the patisserie students. How cool is that? I got a book of desserts from LCB. It is very exciting. I just need to receive my certificate for basic cuisine. Hopefully I will get it soon!

Well one more chapter closed in this culinary journey. The next section will begin and end in London. I am 2/3rds done and I can taste the freedom. In superior patisserie I will be playing with pulled sugar and chocolate show pieces. I CANNOT WAIT! Cuisine, well hopefully I will get in for the cycle starting March 23rd....that would be a great birthday present. Well, until superior starts....au revoir

2007-03-13T17:58:00.000-05:00

This is for Nicole.

Nicole, LCB is awesome! I am so glad that you were able to get some insight to Le Grande Diploma. But one word of advice, if you plan to come to Paris, I hope you know french. Superior cuisine and patisserie are taught only in french. If you know it, good. If you plan to take french lessons and take Le Grande Diploma, you need alot of coffee and a lot of stamina; it takes alot out of you.
About housing.....when you are accepted into any program within LCB, they send you info about everything, especially Paris. Paris is wonderful with all the information they give to you. It is very helpful. I went through one of the agencies that was in their booklet of housing. It did not take long, except looking at the apartments on-line. There are many flats and apartments, you just have to be willing to look.
I hope this helps you. If you have anymore questions, please contact me. I would love to help you in anyway! Just leave your e-mail in the comment section and I won't publish it. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask
Laura

2007-03-08T09:29:00.000-06:00

This week has been filled with, well, the ending of intermediate cuisine and patisserie. I have not been able to sleep very well this past week. My only guess to why is because of finals approaching. On Tuesday, I had my first written exam in patisserie. It went ok. It was 8 pages long, but nothing too serious, except the last page with half a recipe missing. We were supposed to memorize 8 different recipes and then fill in the blank on the test with quantities, ingredients and the names of each part of the cake or macaroon or whatever. I did not memorize the recipes. I learned bits and pieces of each. But all in all the test went smoothly. We will have to wait and see about the grade.
Wednesday was my last practical ever in Paris, for both cuisine and patisserie. Unfortunately I missed my last cuisine practical. I wanted to sleep, so I did. Plus we were doing fish and I did not want to smell of fish all day. So I slept and went to school by 12 for my 12:30 class, a demonstration in patisserie. We were making croquembouche: little choux puffs filled with delicious patisserie cream, dipped in caramel and stalked high. It was fantastic. This demo was for us to watch the chef assemble the masterpiece. He made two. We also got to watch him play with sugar. He made three different colors of sugar and then began to pull it.
Pulled sugar is a mixture of sugar, water and glucose which is cooked to 170 degrees Celsius, or around there. Then it is colored and poured out onto a silmat. It is then worked into itself, by turning the sides into the middle and kneading it. This is to prevent the sugar from forming lumps. Finally, when it has cooled a touch, the chef begins to takes pieces and made things out of it. Chef made a ribbon of three colors, a red/yellow rose and petals. It was so cool to watch the chef pull sugar. The whole room went quiet. The room is never quiet. It makes you stop breathing just watching. I want to do this!
My croquembouche is ok. It needs alittle help, but it is my first one. I will have pictures up later. The students in Paris had made a base for a cake in basic using this method of choux puffs, patisserie cream and caramel. So they had a head start. But it was a great last class.
Today, Thursday, and tomorrow are the last demonstrations. Today's last demo in cuisine was fantastic. The food was excellent and everyone was happy, even chef. Tomorrow, I have my cuisine written exam, patisserie demo and then the student party later that night. Le Cordon Bleu rents out a pub for all the students. Just about everyone comes. There is free food and free drinks from 10 until 2. That is 4 hours of complete debauchery. And since we are chefs, or wanna-be chefs, alcohol runs in our blood and it is of course a given that everyone will get drunk. It should be interesting.
The rest of the weekend I shall be studying and hanging out with some friends, a final good-bye. The friends that I have made here are sad that I am leaving. But they understand. Hopefully we will keep in touch. Next week is my final time in Paris. Two cooking practicals for finals and then I am on a plane back to the states. Hopefully I will not miss this plane like I did in Australia, knock on wood. Well, I should go and study, take care all
Laura

2007-03-02T17:55:00.000-06:00

I woke up today with a sore back, right at the base of my neck. I finally realized why when I left school this afternoon….making bread. On Thursday, my patisserie group got to make bread, the real French bread: baguettes and sandwich bread. It was so cool. Making bread makes me happy.

My class is so much fun. It started off, like most every class (cuisine and patisserie), with a song, the whole class (who knows English) begins to sing “O Happy Days”. (It usually only 6 of us, but it is still fun.)That’s right, the same song in Sister Act II. The chefs think it is funny and it puts everyone in a good mood. So why not do it. So we sing, weigh out ingredients and began making bread. We kneaded the bread for at least 30 minutes, by hand. We bring the dough over our heads and slap it on to counter and repeat. It kind of tires you out, but the final outcome is perfect. We made two different breads. The first was the traditional French baguette that you can buy for less than a euro in most bakeries. Mine was perfect, according to the chef, pointed end and everything. The second type of bread we made was sandwich bread. It was different; we cooked it in molds with covers on it. This prevented the dough from rising too much over the mold. When it was done, I turned out a perfectly square white sandwich bread. It was all very yummy. I dined on a great sandwich from my freshly baked bread.

I think one of the most exciting things about going to culinary school in France is learning how to make French bread. I know my father was excited to know I would be learning how to make the French baguette. He loves bread. We always have a baguette with dinner. Plus, bread serves as a utensil at times. You can use bread to mop up sauces and juices, use it to scoop up salad and with the leftover from dinner, in the morning make French toast!
I learned, but I still have a lot more to learn about bread baking. It all has to do with the flour. In France, they use type 55 flour. In America, we use bread flour. These two flours are very different in gluten, what gives the bread elasticity. The chef said that a great baker would be able to make great bread anywhere anytime. Hopefully, one day I will be able to do that, even using the bread flour from America. Just give it time. Bread baking is an art form, one I hope to learn more about.

It is the end of another week, almost. That means I am another week closer in coming home. Finals begin on Tuesday, with written exams. Than on March 12th, the final in practicals begin. That is when I will actually be cooking. No one really knows what to study or what to expect. Oh well. I have to buckle down this weekend and study study study. Anyone have any tips in memorizing numbers? Let me know.

2007-02-25T07:37:00.000-06:00

As of Monday, I am in London LCB! This is good news. Right now I am only in superior patisserie, but I have high hopes that I will get into superior cuisine. I am very excited. And yes, Herndon, you need to look into finding a plane ticket to London now, not Paris.
If anyone knows of anyone that knows of a place in London…pass it on my way!

School is slowly coming to an end. You would think school would be winding down, but it is just the opposite. School is picking up, with lots of practicals and demos and just being busy. Next week is my last full week of classes, and then I have a week of classes, final demos and written exams. The last class, in cuisine and patisserie, is a demonstration that the chefs will put on for us, but we will not be preparing them. Kind of sucks, but I guess it is a perk for us.

In two weeks I have the written exams for cuisine and patisserie, so I have been trying to study for them. It is a little hard. In cuisine, I have to memorize 10 different recipes, ingredients and quantities, plus the different regions in France and what makes that region so profound. For patisserie, I have to memorize 8 different recipes, ingredients and quantities. On top of memorizing recipes, I have to memorize culinary terms and procedures. I hope they have a review like they did for us in Australia.

There was not a lot of exciting events this week. There was one exciting day at school. On Tuesday, as you know or maybe you didn’t, it was Mardi Gras. The French celebrate it in style! I came to school around 11 and they had a small buffet set up for the students. They were serving a bubbly cider, baked goods associated with Mardi Gras and one of the chefs was making fresh hot waffles serving them with delicious toppings. It was a feast and it was so good! People where acting kind of silly, but I think they were just excited. It was a nice break from the sandwiches we usually eat everyday.

2007-02-21T15:57:00.000-06:00

This is just an update....

I am in LCB London. It is not official yet, but it will be as soon as I send in some paper work and sign a few things. I begin March 23rd 2007 until June. I only got into superior patisserie, not superior cuisine. I am on the waiting list, second on the waiting list. There is still time for me to get in, but there is no guarantee. So please keep your fingers crossed and think good thoughts so I can get in.
The worst case scenario is I am in London for 6 months instead of the three originally intended. I will still receive le Grande Diploma, so that is good news. If I have to stay for 6 months, then I can go travel England, maybe go see my cousin in Germany and even come back to see friends here in Paris. The possibilities are endless. What is 3 more months to a life long dream?

I will be coming home for a couple of days in March. I will arrive back in the States March 14th until March 20th. I then will travel to London to finish out my program and receive Le Grande Diploma. If anyone is at home during this time I would love to see you. I will be writing more at the end of the week. Until then...a bientot!

2007-02-17T06:57:00.000-06:00

What’s that saying? When in Rome, do as the Romans do? Well in Paris, you do as the Parisians do. Drink, eat and enjoy it. In what profession allows you to drink before noon? Food. We have been given wine and more wine in demos and in practical a few times.

The past two weeks have been busy and it is only going to get busier. Last week we were given our midterm grades. I am doing well. I am above average for both patisserie and cuisine, but just barely. Our midterms are given for each group we are in; I am in group A. Group A is the best group there is and I am not being conceded. Group A and group B are the best groups to be in and have the highest group averages. Groups A and B in basic had the top 5 in the class for both patisserie and cuisine and I got put in the better. The over all class average is lower than the group averages, so I know I am doing better then most students.
The grading is out of 5., for patisserie I have a 3.78/5. The group average for A is 3.75/5. I have to do better, I can do better. For cuisine my average is 4.05/5. The group average is 4.01/5. Isn’t it weird that the area I am in interested in is worse then the area I don’t really like? Maybe I should rethink the area I want to go in. Or perhaps this just means that I need to concentrate in patisserie to do better.

Unfortunately this is the only news I have to report. What a dull life I lead. I have just a month left for intermediate cycle. Next week is hell week. We were supposed to have the international buffet on Friday, but they cancelled it. They did not get enough entries to put on the buffet. So I do not have to go to school on Friday. But because of this, this means that Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I have three classes each day. My schedule is long and hard with demos and then practical right after another. My week starts at 8:30 and ends at 6:30. Tuesday I have class at 12:30, but I don’t get to leave school until 10. Then the next day I am back at school by 8 until 6 or so.

There is still no word on London. I am trying to find out if all the students have responded and paid up for the next level. If all the students have paid, that means I will be staying here in Paris. But if some students have not responded then I still have a chance to transfer….that is what I want.

2007-02-01T05:09:00.000-06:00

To Sybil and Bill:
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for such a wonderful night on the town, in Paris. It was my first time to eat a delicious meal and share it with friends from back home.

This week was actually busy. A couple from home, Bill and Sybil Sylvester, also next door neighbors to my mother's house, came to Paris to celebrate their wedding anniversary. They invited me to dinner on Tuesday to a great restaurant, L` Atelier de Joel Robuchon. I met them there at 6:30. We enjoyed a delightful glass of champagne and looked over the menu. Poor Bill was in the middle of the two women gabbing the whole night. We all decided on the same thing, the tasting menu, with a red and white wine to accompany the respectful courses.
The night was wonderful. The food was unbelievable. The people superb. The set-up of the restaurant is a mix of Hot n Hot from back home. It is an open kitchen with a frame, if that makes sense. Imagine a wide open space; with tables and storage underneath. Then on top of the tables are huge opened window frames. In the "window panes" are large glass jars filled with thinly sliced and curled zucchini and orange peel; or a rectangular glass container holding stuff tomatoes or little mushrooms. The sight is so cool to see. It is dark what seemed to be wood and red linings to some of the furniture, my favorite color, so I loved it.
This place is so popular. There is a long line of people who wait to be let in at 6:30. The restaurant only takes reservations at 6:30 then it is everyone for themselves. I think they are always busy. I can see why. The food was unbelievable, 9 different courses. We started off with an amuse bouche, which really teased the taste buds, foie gras mousse and a light sprinkle of truffles went every so nicely with our champagne. It was served in a shooter glass with a little foam on top. It was so good, melt in your mouth good. Then the meal began. Scallops served raw and sliced very thin, a langoustine ravioli, a deep fried cod quenelle which was my favorite, water chestnut soup with foie gras and sea bass simply prepared. The seafood courses were all amazing and went perfect with the white wine.
The main dish was either lamb chops or sweetbreads. While I try to be adventurous, I opted for the lamb chops, as did Bill and Sybil. It was so good, little tiny chops and mashed potatoes. It was yummy! Then we ate a mixture of fruits in their own syrup with a dollop of basil sorbet (so good!) and finally dessert, chocolate sensation. It was exactly that. It had chocolate mousse, silver balls that were crunchy that were throughout the layers of chocolate and sorbet. It was amazing. Dinner was, well there are no words to describe it. If you ever get the chance to come to Paris, go eat there!
So Bill and Sybil, thank you so much for a wonderful meal. I had a great time.

As I said, this week was busy. Class was class, cooking and watching really boring demos. Cuisine was alright, but nothing too exciting. In patisserie this week we tempered chocolate, milk and dark. It was fun. I love working with chocolate. I have to try to work cleanly and come out of the practicals still in a white uniform. This is very hard for me, but I am improving. The students here have never tempered chocolate, so I was the first one to do it, without the chef looking over us. The chef told me it was superior! YAH ME. But I wish we got to do something different, since I had already tempered chocolate and done some of the treats. Oh well.

Friday was the student dinner. Our class is so big, they had to split us into two groups. I got to go to the better restaurant, Cafe Minotti. It is a wonderful Italian restaurant. The chef is a close friend to one of the chefs at school. The school rented out the whole place. Tables were pushed together in the three different rooms and we all met at the restaurant by 8. I sat with some kids who were in my group, A, and a french woman who I did not know. I was told the last student dinner, basic, they ate good food and drank way too much. Well the intermediate student dinner, we ate great food and people drank too much wine.
We were given an amuse bouche of a room temperature broccoli shooter. It was yummy. Then we ate thinly sliced tuna that was seared and served on a circle of puff pastry and a tomato compote. The next course was a shrimp risotto which was so good, it just needed a little salt and some cheese. The main course was a slice of veal with a balsamic reduction, gnocchi and a little wedge of cabbage. Then a cheese course of Gorgonzola and two slices of pears and finally the dessert of chocolate mousse, a crunchy middle and nuts on top of a chocolate glaze that surrounded the entire chocolaty mass. It was phenomenal! The dinner was served with red and white wines and we were given plenty of it. I drank espresso to finish the meal and enjoyed every last drop. Daddy, this is a meal you would have loved!
We finished the meal around 11 or so. People were drunk off of all the wine they drank and happy from all the food they just consumed. I left with a few other people to find a taxi a few blocks away. People were still there drinking and contemplating going out. I went home to find my bed and catch up on sleep.

This week was fun. I enjoyed myself. The meals I ate were unbelievable and I hope to eat like that again, very soon. It is Sunday, so I have prepare for another week of lame demo classes and cooking. Monday, I get to cook with pigs blood as a thickening agent for a sauce. I tried it in demo. I don't believe I will be taking this dish home with me. Well, stay tuned for more adventures....au revoir and a bientot.

2007-01-28T12:31:00.000-06:00

This week has proven to be a little more exciting than last week. On Monday I was in a cuisine practical when an admission’s person came to take me out of class. She told me that I was not enrolled in the next cycle, the last cycle to my nine month course. She told me that I never applied and that there was hardly any room left. I told her that I did apply for the spot, last year when I Fed-ex my application to them. I was in the middle of cooking and needed to get back to my stove. She told me to go see the admissions people after class. I finished cooking in a not so good mood.

So I went after class to talk to one of the women in the admissions office. She is the woman I have been dealing with since the beginning of all this nonsense of applying. She was the one who accepted me into the program and sent my letter of acceptance with the dates through the end of superior. She told me that I could get a seat in the patisserie course but not in the cuisine course. I would be on the waiting list. GREAT. Just great! If I could not get off the waiting list for the cuisine course I would have to stay here another three months to get my diploma. OR, I could try to transfer to the London school (the only school they will transfer my funds too). What I did not understand was why I was not already accepted into the superior courses. They have known I was coming for both intermediate and superior in cuisine and patisserie. The reason behind this mayhem: I did not send in another application with the fee for superior level. When applying to different schools or transferring, you have to apply for each level (I think that is just for Paris), sending in the application and application fee for each level, however if you are starting with basic through superior you just have to apply once. I was never told this, upon applying. I was pissed!

I got the woman to check with the London school if there are any openings. The next day I went back to check…the London school was full. So I asked her to put me on the waiting list, just in case. I was not going to know anything from the Paris school until Friday. This was only Tuesday. I had a lot of waiting to do. The waiting turned to thinking and the more I thought about it, the more I came to think that I would be better off in London, where they spoke English. Maybe then I would learn something.

LCB Paris is a wonderful school, but just like any school it has its pros and cons. One of the major cons is the language thing. Even though there is a translator you can’t communicate with the chef in the practical. This is because there isn’t a translator in the practical, only in the demos. Another thing they forgot to mention. I figured if I am going to go to culinary school I might as well try to learn something and make it worth my while. In superior I will be able to get by (if I have to stay), by watching the chefs in demo, but I will not be learning anything. I am not the only one who feels this way. Plenty of other students feel the same way I do; they learn nothing in class, even with the translator. The chefs never explain why they are doing something this way, or why add this to that sauce. They just do it. And it is so frustrating.

I love Paris, but it is not worth my time or money if I am not going to learn anything. The name of LCB will look fantastic on my resume, but what good will it do if I can’t hack it in the kitchen? The name of Le Cordon Bleu will help me get my foot in the door, but I would make a fool of myself and the school if I cannot perform when I get there. Perhaps I am just trying to justify my reasons for leaving, but I think they are solid reasons. I just have to pray I get into London….PLEASE GET ME OFF THE WAITING LIST AND INTO LONDON!!!! Think good thoughts!

What have I learned you might ask? Well…..this week I learned how to debone a whole chicken, by myself. When the chef did it in the demo, I could not see anything. He was too far away and was not really explaining how he did it. He just began cutting telling us he was deboning the chicken. So when we got into the practical everyone was just kind of cutting blind. The chefs do not really stay in the kitchen to help out. They come and go, more going than staying. Students help one other, but it’s hard to do that when no one could see anything and when no one knows what they are doing.

I have worked a lot with chicken, well cockerel, and fish. I have tasted and cooked squab, guinea fowl, lamb, lots of duck and on Thursday I got to cook and eat lobster. Cuisine in Australia was taught a little differently. There we did at least three dishes and presented them to the chef at different times. Cuisine in Paris, you cook the entrée (one of the three dishes the chef prepares in demo) and serve it to the chef at whatever time you get done. It is a slow pace here in the kitchens of Paris…not the running of the bulls for pots and pans, no eye gouging for a strainer or fights over produce. Paris is run much smoother. In my class, there is not competition, unless you make it for yourself. The atmosphere is quite, you hear the water boiling, smell the item cooking and you have time to get lost in your thoughts, kind of.

You are busy in the class, just not as busy as in Australia. I take my time. I decided to do things my way. I decided when I am in the real world; I will be on my own. I won’t have anyone looking over my shoulder, correcting my every move. I will have to fend for myself. Of course I will have to do it their way, but I also need to find my own voice within the crowd of chefs. Since the communication here is,well not there, I figured I could do it in the way I see fit. If they have a problem with it, they will just deduct points. I will still graduate and I will graduate doing it my way. Stubborn much? Yes and proud of it!

This next week I will be cooking fish, rooster and lamb. I will be playing with chocolate in patisserie, tempering chocolate. Tempering is making the chocolate pretty, in simple terms. I did this in basic for a week; They did not temper chocolate in basic. This should be interesting. Maybe I can work on coming out of the kitchen clean, not covered in chocolate for once. Doubtful, but perhaps.

Patisserie is completely different than cuisine and completely different then in Australia. Patisserie in Paris is run very quickly. There is hardly any time to think. You get in and go, running from the start. I am so concentrated on my work, I forget to smile. One of the chefs, chef Jean-Francois, always comes up to me and tells me to smile. It’s funny. Class here moves fast, gets slower in the middle and then speeds up towards the end. Patisserie class in Australia was slow paced…taking your time to enjoy making your cake or assembling your master piece. You never had to hurry. It’s all strange, very strange. If I could mix…the patisserie class from Australia and a mix of Paris’s cuisine with Australia’s cuisine, that would be ideal!

Well, I will keep ya’ll updated on the school situation. Pray that I get into London. I really want to go. Six more weeks and I am done with intermediate. Wooo-Hooo!

2007-01-20T10:26:00.001-06:00

What are life’s simplest pleasures? What do you get out of them? A wonderful cup of tea or coffee as a pick me up…it brings a smile on your face as soon as you hear the kettle going off or the smell of the roasted coffee beans making your delightful cup of coffee? Perhaps it is the satisfaction of completing a long task or making that deal that you have been working nights and days for the past weeks. Maybe it is as simple as a hug and a kiss from your kids or a simple “thank you” after washing their clothes…life’s little pleasures are endless and different for everyone.

One of mine is simple: people watching. I love to people watch and what is a better place to people watch then in Paris, France? You can sit in a side café, drink coffee (another life pleasure for some) and just watch the world go by. You see all sorts of people pass by, dressed interestingly, some people with their dogs that you JUST know fits their personality, or people who are just on a walk to enjoy the lovely winter day. My favorite place to people watch is in school. It has it all.

My school has a place called the Winter Garden, where students gather to talk, eat, drink, copy notes and so on before and after classes/demos. Every student spends plenty of time here, in between class, after class and before class. The Winter Garden has two vending machines for drinks, one for cold drinks such as coke, water and tea; and another machine that is filled with many coffee options, only two of the options work though. A great deal of money is put into those machines.

After purchasing a beverage of your choice, people sit down and begin talking. It is always with the same people, the same groups form. In basic, when you arrive, you are quickly thrown into groups, (A, B, C, D and so on) these groups become your family. You form clicks and that is who you will hang out with for the next nine months of your life. It makes you feel that you are in high school again, a transfer student. You know no one, you’re an alien. Since I came here late, I do not exactly fit into any of the clicks. I am what you call a loner, the same word used in high school. I sit by myself, read a book or the lesson and just watch how everyone conducts their business.

There are many groups, usually paired together from where you are from in the world. There is a group that sits and talks so fast….but it is not French, it’s Portuguese. Then at another table, or tables pushed together, there sits a rather large group of Asian kids. They all speak in their native tongue, pointing with their chopsticks and giggling. There is a table that is made of most American kids and another one for the mixed company of the combination of nationalities. I’ll pick a table and people come sit with me and then get lost in their own conversations. I don’t mind though.

I think the best person to look at is during my cuisine demos. She is of Asian decent. She has bleached her hair, to a light brown mousey color. She has painted her face with make-up badly, but she is sweet. She has a great smile. She kind of reminds me of Mrs. Haversham in Great Expectations. Well at least in the way she has done her make-up, not her personality. I think she likes men, since she wears a wedding ring. But she always makes me giggle when I see her. Sad, I know, but I don’t care.

Now, I know what you are thinking, ‘poor Laura, she doesn’t have any friends.’ Well I do. I have made friends, in my group and outside of the group. Since everyone knows everyone, I kind of stand out like a sore thumb. People come up and talk to me, asking me if I did intensive to catch up to be in intermediate with them. Then we begin talking about Australia and their program. I have the option to hang out with them and maybe soon I will. It’s just I am still not used to this schedule.

Life is still good. I have a washing machine in my apartment and I love having it. I can do my laundry every week and have clean jackets for every practical. It’s great. I have also just discovered the Itunes store on-line. So I have been trying to download movies and episodes. But this has proven much more of a challenge, since my internet is a little hard to operate. It has a mind of it’s own, but it has been cooperating for the past week! Well, I better go….hope you are all doing well, until next week.

2007-01-13T10:53:00.000-06:00

Well it is the end of another week. It’s had its ups and downs. Waking up by 7 has proven to be difficult. On Friday, I was so tired, I could not get up. I finally got out of the bed by 8 and got myself together and out the door. I had to take a taxi to school. I got there in less than 5 minutes, perfect. The past two classes, we have only had three in all, we have had in patisserie we have made things I have not liked, so I don’t get to bring them home with me. I give them to other people. Hopefully soon we will be making something I like to eat. The patisserie course only meets 20 times in the span of 10 weeks, not the 30 times we meet in Australia.

I am saddened but happy to report that I will be coming home earlier than expected. It is a double edge sword. Instead of coming home in October, I will be coming home sometime in June, the later part. School ends June 1st. I think my mom and Mac are going to come over for my graduation and then we are going to do all the tourist things you are supposed to do in Paris. It’s gonna be great.

My life here is almost the same like it was in Australia. I wake up, get dressed, walk to school, do the school thing, walk back home, eat dinner, and go to sleep. Then repeat the process Monday through Friday, and one more Saturday this week. Since there are a few friends here I will hopefully make myself get out of my apartment and venture out into this wonderful city.

In school I have yet to really learn anything that I cannot pick up in a cook book or just ask someone. I did cook Guinea fowl for the first time a few days ago...it wasn't very good. It needed more taste or more seasoning. We worked with fish yesterday, boy am I getting good at handing fish, deboning it, taking the guts out and poking the eyes out. It's gross, but kind of cool at the same time. Thank you uncle Randall for showing me about fish, it really is helping me.

The one thing I have found to be the same in each school are the chefs and their communication. Perhaps it is unfair for me to say this, with the language barrier, but chefs cannot communicate very well, with each other or with us. For instance, yesterday we made a Jamaica cake. It is layers of sponge cake with two different types of mousse, coconut and mango-passion fruit, surrounded with a layer of sponge. Then topped off with neutral glaze and fruits. The layer of sponge around the cake was supposed to be cut 2/3rds of the way of the cake tin...the sponge cake was not supposed to come to the top of the tin in other words. This was what we were taught in demo, BUT during the practical the chef told me to bring the sponge cake all the way up to the top of the tin. IT WAS WRONG. The worst part of it all, I knew it was wrong. When grading came around, I know he took off for the cake, but he said the glaze was done perfectly.

The lesson of this story is: from now on, I will be doing what I think I should be doing. If I get counted off for that, then so be it. In the real world I will not have a chef to look over my every step, I will have to use my common sense, or of what I have, to do what I think is correct. Why not try it while in culinary school, when I have a chef(s) to look over me and critique me. I rather try to do it my way anyways....I know, I am stubborn, but that's just who I am. I like doing things my way. After all, don't we all!?!

I am sorry to say there isn't really anything to report on. My life is pretty much the same routine over and over each day. School and home, with the occasional stop off at the market to get a few items for dinner. The markets here are unbelievable! There is this one, about half way from my home and school. They sell fresh produce of fruits and vegetables. The produce looks amazing. I brought some apples yesterday, I have yet to try them, but I know they will be so delicious. I'll let you know in the next entry. Until then, a bientot

2007-01-08T15:48:00.000-06:00

I apologize for such a long absence of writing. Getting back into the swing of things has proven harder than anticipated. The layout of this course is quite different than Australia. Here we go to school just about every day for long periods of time. Instead of going on a specific day for each course and designated time, I am all over the place. In Australia, cuisine demo and practical were on the same day, from Monday until Wednesday from 7:30 until 2:00 and patisserie demo and practical were linked together on Thursday from Saturday from 8 until 2:30. In Paris, I go to school at different times for demo and for practical. I don't have to go to school on Saturday’s like I thought, just twice! I also have one Wednesday off of not classes. However we do have a couple classes at 6:30pm. It would be alright with me, but the next day we have to turn around and be at school for demo or practical by 8:30, which sucks. But I know this is worth it, so it's all good.

I have yet to experience the metro, because I walk to school everyday, a little under 2.5 miles there and back. It takes me about 30 minutes to walk to school - depending on how much I am awake and if it is raining. The walk is beautiful. I pass through a little town with markets and lots of people; it is all hustle and bustle, at certain times. It's great. I think the best part is going to school so early in the morning. For classes at 8:30, I am out of my apartment by 7:30...I have to extra time to change and get ready, we are allowed into the kitchens by 8:15 and you gotta get a good spot. But walking so early in the morning to class you can smell Paris at its best. The bakers have been up for hours and the morning pastries have been cooking in their entire splendor. It is an amazing smell. I pass about three or four bakeries and the smells are good enough to eat. It really is a lovely walk.

The first class in each course was a little nerve racking. I was so nervous the night before. Some chefs refuse to speak English at all, even though they can a little. Others are a little nicer and try. I've meet a few people, who are extremely nice, and they help me out. Actually one woman, Kelly, is from Maryland and she married a man from Birmingham, so we have had a lot to talk about. Class was great, a little rocky at first, but it turned out fine. Cuisine was very rocky...since I showed up 30 minutes late to the demo on Thursday; I missed what to do for the cockerel. The chef had to help me so much. I felt so stupid, but he was nice about it...at least I think so. He spoke in French, so I could not really understand him. The finished dish he was perfect though! In patisserie, the chef was very nice, I really like him. He teaches us demo and is just funny. He can speak English, so it helps me a ton! He would help me and then tell me to smile! I showed him my product and he told me they were perfect. So now I have confidence...I am slowly learning my way around the kitchens and how they do things. The French will come to me, eventually. Some of the students here did not speak French either, but now after doing basic, they can understand and communicate with the chefs and with other people. I am not that worried, but I try to listen and read in French. The recipes are both in French and English. I just keep telling myself I CAN DO THIS. IT will all work out.

I've talked to a few people who know people who have done the externships. They say it is worth it, but only if you get a small restaurant, well of course. That way in a small restaurant you are not stuck doing the dishes all night! However, the chefs have no tolerance for English, only in French. I am not sure if I will be doing an externship here in Paris. Instead, I might try to go to other home culinary schools. I think it would be beneficial. Or I might just be a tourist for a month and go see the sights, take my time in the museums, sit by the river, people watch by Notre Dame. Who knows. If I cannot master French in the next three months, I will not be applying for the externship, my rules. You apply for the externship at the beginning of superior, come middle March. So fingers crossed.

OH, I have forgotten to mention the kitchens. The kitchens are wonderful here. In any kitchen you walk into, there is a long marble table in the center. This is our work bench. Underneath are refrigerators and other various storage spaces for things. Around the work bench are electrical stoves, storage for pots and pans, spices, oil, sinks and convection ovens. It is beautiful. I think of Julia Child and I imagine her where I stand. I can picture her here, working. It is so cool. There are little white windows that look on the street and other homes, it is such an experience.

Well, I think that is all for now. If ya'll have any questions or want to know something, let me know. I'll try to answer it. Au Revoir

PS. Blogger.com has moved my blog from blogger to google. I don't know if this has affected anyone. If it has, I hope you were able to find the blog again with ease. The website said nothing would change. If it is to change, it is for the better. I hope that's true.

2007-01-04T13:19:00.000-06:00

Bonsoir or bonjour,

For me it is 8:30 at night on 4 January 2007. I got home an hour ago from my first day at Le Cordon Bleu Paris. IT WAS AMAZING! It was everything LCB should be. Take for instance the structure, the building, it was PERFECT. It is a few stories tall, old looking and just perfect. It is definately better than Australia. I walked to school this morning at 8:50, to get to school by 9:30. It was a light drizzle of rain, then pouring, then nothing by the time I got to the school. I looked amazing! You enter the building going up a couple of steps and you are greeted by the admissions director and other various office people. Each speak French, English or another language. It is so cool. We got booklets, tags and were led to our rooms. I went into one of the demo rooms to be briefed on the internal rules and such. It was very informative and actually helpful.
Then we were led into the Winter Room, where it was so cold, and we got our uniform/equipment, lockers and locks, filled out office information and got a tour of the school. By this time it was past 12:30, almost one...I was late for my first class, cuisine, through no fault of my own. I changed quickly and one of the office ladies showed me to my class.
The demo rooms are just like school rooms...the teacher stands at the front writing on the chalk board or in my case cooks and the students look on and write everything down. There are flat screens angled throughout the room to show what the chef is doing and a huge three panel mirror that shadows the chef's every move. It is so much nicer than in Australia. There there were tv monitors that we could never see and the chef had to change them everytime he moved...in the beginning of school, the main tv busted. I was thirty minutes late to the class, so I missed some stuff. Hopefully I can figure that out later. The class went on with the chef speaking french and a translator telling us what he says in english! YEAH for me. At the end of class we are given portioned pieces of food that the chef has made - roasted chicken stuffed with butter and herbs, cherry tomatoes with goat cheese and sauted vegetables and oeufs a la neige with creme anglaise and blueberry sauce. It was fantastic. Then we were free to leave.
However, I did not have much time, I had another demo class at 3:30 for patisserie. This class was just as big, if not bigger and held in the orientation room. The aspects as in cuisine. At the end of the demo we were allowed to sample the almond cake, scottish cake and this other cake made of puff pastry, fro,age blqnc and apricots. It was all fantastic.
By this time it was past 6, I went to change out of my clothes and begin my walk home. I stopped off to buy bread and cheese (my dinner - a fabulous sandwich, really) and I got home by 8, I think. I was so tired. I took a long hot shower, made my kick ass sandwich dinner, popped in a dvd and went to sleep. I have to wake up early for tomorrow`s class at 8:30.
LCB Paris really is great. It is the first school and it shows. However, I did like having demo in patisserie to only those in the group. Also, I have to get to demo earlier to get a good seat. In Australia I sat in front to see everything. Here, I sat in the back...boo. I`ll work on that.
I will have to buy a few more things here. Here they give you three chef jackets and a scale, plus so much more. The people are nicer and more helpful, a huge bonus. I think I am going to like it here! However walking in the rain today will not be great for me.

2007-01-03T10:12:00.000-06:00

Well...who wants to laugh...at my expense? Thought so.

So I had trouble sleeping last night. I tossed and turned and for the life of my could not fall asleep. The one time you need your chemistry or old English tape to help you nod off, it isn't there! Well...finally around 11am I was able to drift off into slumber land. At 12:30pm, my land lord calls - I need to go pay rent. So I get dressed, still half asleep and walk out the door, with coat, purse and scarf. OOPS! The key is still in the lock INSIDE my apartment. For safety measures I keep one the keys in the lock in my apartment to automatically lock the door when I come in. The other key is on my key chain, so I remember not to lock myself out without a key. Good going Laura! Smart move. So, now actually realizing what I did and coming out of my sleepy stage, I get down on my knees and try with my Swiss Army knife to push the key out of the key hole. You can imagine to my surprise, it did not work. I swallowed hard, part pride and part stupidity and went to hail a taxi to take me to my land lord's.

The land lord was not that helpful. It took me forever to find the damn place...through doors and locks and codes I was never given. Of all the cotton pickin nerve! I paid my rent and they called a lock smith to meet me at my apartment in an hour. Good. Well, again, being the smart one, I did not take the metro. I took a taxi to the Lourve Museum and walked the next couple of miles to my apartment along the beautiful Seine river. The water brings me peace and settles my mind - I think it is the rhythm of the waves crashing into one another. I was feeling better about myself and looking at my watching, running late to meet the lock smith. So I hailed another cab and drove the less then a mile to my apartment to meet the man. He had me in my apartment in no time flat. Amazing what a few pieces of paper (special I am sure and WD 40 will do for you).

So now....many euros short, a little smarter (we hope)and the lock smiths calling card, I am still tired. Today has been so eventful. See what happens when you try to be productive...you lock yourself out of your own place! Oh well, tomorrow will be better....I begin culinary school, again, hopefully the correct way!

I hope you all got a chuckle from my little escapade. I'm sure I will later.

2007-01-01T15:40:00.000-06:00

Bonjour faithful readers,
Well another journey begins. I am safely in Paris, France for atleast 6 months to study at Le Cordon Bleu. It was a pain in the ass to get here, but the rewards will be worth it.
I arrived in Paris on December 29th 2006. Flying was a bit of a challenge, as always, but I got here. I finally got my luggage, after waiting for it for an hour and got into a taxi to take me to my place, 16 rue Gaston de Caillavet. It was a beautiful day to arrive in Paris, the air was crisp, the sky blue. Coming into the city, I saw the Effiel Tower and the river Seine. It was amazing to see this view. What a greeting! Here I waited for about an hour until my landlord came to let me in. He showed me aroundmy apartment which did not take long, signed some papers and then took me out to two stores where I could get the things I needed, like groceries and pots and so on. Then home to settle in.
My room... is just that, a large room. My apartment is one large room that holds my kitchen, closet, bed and lounging area. It is bigger than the room I had in Australia with nicer furniture! The bathroom is separate, which is nice. It is located to the right when you enter into the apartment. It is in it's own separate room. I have a large window that overlooks the city. There is a huge building in front of me, it blocks the Effiel Tower, but I can see the spot light of the Effiel Tower that revolves. Also, to the right of me, I can see Napoleon's Tomb, the gold just glistens. It's so wonderful. I am in Paris! I can't believe it. This really is amazing. I have to stop and soak it in.
I have not yet gone out to venture around my neighborhood, because of the nasty weather and because I can feel myself getting sick. The past couple of days the weather has turned cold and rainy. But the weather is great to just sit and get cozy in bed. I think my body finally realized that it had some time to just stop and relax. So that is what I am doing...relaxing. When school beings I will be going ninety to nothing again.
This time, I have a few more people coming to see me though. So that will be fun and something to look forward to. A friend, Brian will be coming over for a couple of weeks to eat and hang out. He is a chef and has done the program I am about to finish. He is friends with my sister. Then one of my bosses from Cafe Iz, Ken, is coming over in Feb or March, so it will be nice to see him. Of course I believe my parents will be coming over, a far less distance to travel than Australia, plus better food and more to see. I look forward to them coming.
For the next couple of days I am going to venture out, if the weather cooperates with me to find my school and get a feel for the neighborhood. There won't be anything interesting to report on, not just yet. School begins on 4th January 2007. At that time I will begin to write in the blog, until then, Happy New Year. I hope ya'll had a blast celebrating it. I drank the bubbly and watched movies. What a start the year!

Au revoir - Laura

2006-12-14T00:43:00.000-06:00

I find traveling an adventure in itself. It truly is. Think about it, just the time difference from one place to another. We have it here in the United States, time change, from the East Coast to the West Coast. At times the time difference is mind boggling. I left today, Wednesday, the 13th from Australia and arrived home in Birmingham the same day, but I traveled a total of 23 hours. So weird!

I find traveling a tad annoying at times as well. You have to face long hours on a plane, all cramped up if you are not able to spring for business class or the first class cabin. In economy class you share a row with about two or three other people. It is not a pretty sight. There are tall people, short people, people who are slightly larger than you and those who are thinner then you (as most wish they were). The space back there in the economy place is sparse at best described. There are babies crying, kids kicking your seat and that one annoying person who always seems to sit right beside you, smacking gum or their food. Traveling is an adventure in itself. I have to remind myself of this.

I have been very fortunate to be able to travel all around the world. Most of my flights to and from these places have been so easy. A breeze if you will, to check in, get my ticket, drop off my bags and go to my gate to greet my flight. In the past year my flights have not been so pleasant. Case in point, spring break 2006. I went to Ireland with two girlfriends from college. It was a blast, but the flight getting there was not a fun adventure! We waited on the runway for an hour, just sitting, before we were allowed off the plane in Chicago to get to our other gate - the connecting flight to Dublin, Ireland. We ran, the gate just closed. We were not allowed to board. We were stranded in Chicago for the night. Not a happy camper.

The fun just keeps on coming, when I try to travel back home. The adventure never stops until you are actually home. Trying to come home early I changed my flight about two more times from the original flight. I was to leave from Sydney at 12:05 - I thought it was at right after midnight. It wasn't. The plane left at five after noon. I was in trouble. It was 9 at night, I was at the airport with three of my friends from the program and in trouble...I was not going home on Tuesday. I had to rebook my flight and stay another night in Sydney. I was going home on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, Sydney time, I finally got to the airport. I was checked in about 20 minutes before the flight left - a very long line and only three or four workers on the counter to check people in. I got to the flight on time though, boarded on time. Everything was fine. My seat was in the middle of the row and in the middle seat. There was no wiggle room. But since I was short I figured out a way to sleep, for about an hour, on the 13 and a half hour plane ride. The rest of the time I watched movies and ate the two meals they gave us.

Los Angeles was not eventful. It was actually very easy. I was able to rebook my flight home from LA to Dallas to Birmingham. It was just a long layover in LA, but well worth it. I got something to eat and a very large coffee. Then I was on my way home. Again, a very full flight to Dallas. The couple behind me had a small child. She liked to yell at a very high pitch every so often along with a small kick. It was a great plane ride. I tried to sleep as much as I could. The flight to Birmingham was less full, I was able to spread out a touch to sleep for about an hour. The only real headache from this whole trip was the long plane ride from Sydney to LA and missing the whole flight all together. Morale of the story: read your ticked properly and remember international flights run on a 24 hours clock. Very important piece of information.

My journey through Australia and New Zealand have come to an end. It was a great journey and adventure. I learned so much about myself and my passion for cooking/baking. It was a great experience! Now to await for the next adventure in Paris....here I come.

2006-12-08T21:57:00.000-06:00

This is the last entry I will be writing about, well for this adventure in Australia. My culinary adventure in basic cuisine and basic patisserie has come to an end. Today was my last day of patisserie, ending in the final assessment. I made a fruit flan covered in kiwi, strawberries and blueberries. I got very good marks. I also made palmiers and vol au vents - figures made out of puff pastry. It was a little hard at times, but I got through it. I had to remake the palmiers - the first batch was not able to be presented. But overall - it was good. I passed everything - theory tests and practicals. So I will get a diploma. Now we just have to wait what kind of grade I will get. Hopefully I will get distinction, meaning an A!

Culinary school has been a great experience. It has not only taught me about the food in this industry, but also the people you would be working with, the language barriers and about myself. It has been an interesting journey. I've asked myself if I would ever do this again. My answer: yes. I have been able to meet some amazing chefs and some interesting people.

There has been a minor hiccup in the Paris Le Cordon Bleu - I might not be going. The school has run out of space in the intermediate patisserie. They will let me know next week if there is room for me next term. Hopefully there will be room for me to go. Paris would be awesome, especially in the winter! To study there would be unbelievable. But things will work out how they are supposed to. I'll be returning to the States on Tuesday, December 12th - so I will be seeing ya'll soon. Happy holidays and a happy new year!

Check back here after the new year to see where I am - Paris to continue the culinary program or somewhere else entirely. Where the road will lead.....to another journey somewhere...waiting.

2006-12-07T21:30:00.000-06:00

I'm in the Home Stretch..one day and counting.

I left off on Tuesday's happening. Wednesday was my last day in cuisine. It was nice. It was very busy! I was the only one who finished everything on the agenda. We make Fish timbales (a fish mousse) with saffron sauce, seared kangaroo with a sweet potato galatte and crepes, plain and filled with pears. It was a busy day in class - those who failed the desserts section yesterday, 3 of them, had to redo them today in class. It was bittersweet to be done with cuisine. So happy for it to be over, but sad because I am leaving Australia.

Thursday was kinda a slow day in class, patisserie. We had a practice day in preparation for Friday's class/assessment. I made palimers and coffee eclairs. After class, I had to take a cuisine theory exam. It was easy, lots of questions though. There were a few questions that made me scratch my head...but a few points lost here and there won't hurt, I figure. Let's hope that's right.

Today, Friday, was the first day for the patisserie final assessment. It went very well. We did not get feedback, but I knew I did a good job. Herve, the head chef at Le Cordon Bleu, came in to assess the products, along with the head pastry chef from the sister school (TAFE). When we came back from lunch, I found an eclair missing. That meant that Herve ate my eclair, meaning it was good enough for him to eat! That must mean something!! I presented 10 eclairs, all uniform shape, color and shiny/tempered coffee flavored fondant. The eclairs were piped with coffee patisserie cream. They were great! I also had to make two puff pastry doughs, in two different methods, English and French method. The methods are different because of the way you incorporate the butter, all the same ingredients though. It was a good day. Good products!

Tomorrow is my last day in basic, hopefully. Tomorrow is filled with making a fruit flan, vol au vents and palimers, in four hours. Tomorrow will be busy, but I think it will be fun. Tomorrow's class really will be bittersweet - the final day.

In class today, we got to go into the kitchen 30 minutes before the assessment began - meaning 7:30. It was like the running of the bulls, with all the students running in to get all their equipment first. It was crazy. You can get run over and get hurt in the dish room just reaching for a bowl. There are 14 of us. It's crazy at times. There are more than enough bowls, pots and pans, but limited numbers of mixing bowls. This causes alot of chaos, chaos that is not needed! So I just stand back, let them gather their equipment and then I go in. The same thing happens in cuisine, but instead of 14 students there are 43 students trying to gather all their equipment. In the cuisine kitchen there are not enough bowls, pots, pan, trays, strainers, measuring cups and so on....so it is a race to the pot room, a real running of the bulls! People can get hurt. The lesson I learned - make do with what you've got when your given it. It's crazy.

Say some prayers....for tomorrow's assessment! See ya'll soon.

2006-12-04T22:36:00.000-06:00

I thought that I would write a quick blog update.

Monday I made omelettes, for an hour. It was good. My first omelette was almost perfect, just gotta work on the shape of it. I finally got it, a perfect one. Sorry my omelette story is not as good as my uncle Webb's. But it was a good day.

Today I had my cuisine final. I got to school before 7:30, to relax and collect myself. I changed into my fresh, clean, pressed cloths, something I have not done since the beginning of school - pressing is overrated. We got into the kitchen by 8:00. We got to set up, gathering pots and pans and just making sure we had everything we needed. Then at 8:30 we were given out ingredients. The cooking began!

Plating began at 11:30 with the beef consomme and julienne carrots, leeks and celery. at 12:00 I served the rack of lamb with parsley crust, chateau potatoes and ratatouille. Then finally at 12:30 the creme caramel with creme Chantilly was plated and served. The chef said after class that my dishes were wonderful, beautiful. Chef Jacky told me that my creme caramel was perfect, the best.

I thought that my food was good. The consomme was ok. It was a little greasy, I thought. The plate too hot. The lamb was a little too medium, not medium rare. The sauce needed to be strained again. The potato, a little smaller and a little lighter. The creme caramel - perfect.

All that really matters is that I passed. I got good reviews by the chefs. There were a few people who have to redo their desserts. If I was grading myself, I would give me a B, maybe a B-. But we will have to wait to see my grade.

I'll keep ya'll updated on the next few days - cuisine theory exam and two days of finals in patisserie!

2006-12-02T23:37:00.000-06:00

It seems so long since I have written an entry. I am so sorry to keep ya'll out of my life. I had no idea it has been so long. So let me catch ya'll up.

My theory classes for cuisine and patisserie are finally over. My last class was on Friday. It was an easy test, about working with diversity. I'm pretty sure I aced that one. The theory course has been pretty easy. It talks about hygiene, customer service, working with colleague's and working within a diverse environment. It is a two hour course once a week. It was very boring, but it is a requirement, unfortunately. I found out too late that I could have bypassed all these theory classes, through the college courses I took. Damn. Oh well. I guess it was a good thing to go over all the nonsense.

Classes have been going well. Just cooking, nothing else. In cuisine I have made beef, potatoes, homemade pasta with tomato and basil sauce, chicken dishes, Nicoise salad, lamb and sweet souffles. Plus so much turning of vegetables. Turning is a position cut, old fashion....old five star restaurants would do these cuts, it is not very popular to do anymore. Because it is a pain in the ass - the shape is a barrel with 6 to 9 sides. But I can do it now!

In patisserie we have made so many baked goods. It starts with breads, then croissants that are plain and filled with sweet and savory fillings, moving on to brioche filled with dark chocolate, butter cream cakes and finally cheesecakes. It has been a busy couple of weeks.

Yesterday, Saturday December 2nd, we made cheesecakes in patisserie class. I was running late to school. I was just tired. I got to school 45 minutes late, but chef Karen did not care. I got done first anyways. But on the way out of the refrigerator, my baked cheesecake fell out of hands and landed on the floor. Usually I would be upset, but I wasn't. I was fine about it. I think it was because I was so damn tired. For some reason school is taking so much out of me. I go to school from 8 until 2:30, only 6 and half hours. Some of the time we work, but mostly watch the chefs demo our lessons. Yet it takes so much out of me. When I am at home and working, I find it so much easier.

Two years ago, I returned home, instead of going back to college, because my internship at Disney was not all it was cracked up to be. I decided to work and work I did. I worked three jobs - Amano (retail, something I will never do again, if I can help it), Iz Too (bakery work, where I have been for the last four years) and Cafe Iz Catering. I worked full time at Amano and another 30 or so hours between catering and bakery work. I was tired, but nothing compared to what I feel now going to school for about 7 hours a day. I don't understand it. Does anyone? Oh well.

The upcoming week is going to be busy. I am in the home stretch. Tuesday is my cuisine practical. It is my final assessment, cooking beef consomme, lamb, ratatouille, chateau potatoes, and creme caramels. I have four hours to prep, cook and serve the meal to my chef and the assessor. On Thursday, I have the cuisine theory exam (different from the class I have been taking. This is the overall theory from the whole cuisine course). Friday and Saturday I have my patisserie practical. It is my final assessment for patisserie. Friday I have four hours to present 10 coffee eclairs, and two different kinds of puff pastry which will be finished the next day. Saturday, again in four hours, I will present a fruit flan, vol au vents and 10 palmiers. Then patisserie will be over with. Cuisine still has another three days left - I might be skipping out on it, if possible!

So my hell week is about to start, but it will be fulfilling and worth while. I just hope I pass and I don't freak out too much when the time comes. My stay here in Australia is just about over. It has been an interesting couple of months. I have been able to meet some amazing chefs and colorful people while attending Le Cordon Bleu Australia. I just hope Le Cordon Bleu Paris will be different and better! Hopefully I will be seeing ya'll soon. Until then wish me luck with finals, take care and happy holidays.

2006-11-23T23:15:00.000-06:00

Well, the week is almost over. The week has been uneventful...I actually skipped class twice in all this week. The first time was when Margaret was visiting me on Monday and the second time I skipped class was on Wednesday. So cuisine was really easy this week, since I only made it to school once. The cuisine was boring, a very easy day - Karen, I did make bearnaise sauce. Mine was a little tarragonish, so I might need you to show me how you do it - measuring is so overrated. I hate it, but I am suppose to do it here.

Thanksgiving for me was ok. It is weird not being at home for a big holiday. I hated it. I have never missed a holiday at home, celebrating with family and friends. However, my sophomore year I did stay at school for Easter, but can you really count Easter? I don't think you can. So we just won't. It was a little hard, but I was able to have a good Thanksgiving dinner for myself. I fixed stuffing in the microwave, mashed potatoes, green beans with sliced onions, sliced turkey from the deli and I got a little help from Campbell's to make gravy. It wasn't a bad dinner, but it wasn't home!

Well, just three weeks until I begin my journey home! Happy thanksgiving to everyone I was not able to say it too. Take care.

2006-11-21T00:08:00.000-06:00

So Margaret arrived in Sydney on Saturday, more specifically around 10:30 at my wonderful accommodations known as Maharlika Gardens. We spent some time catching up on our lives and then went down the road to a local bar. We drank some beer and caught up on the gossip from home, however we did not know much between us. We played some pool, drank some more and talked even more.

Sunday, we woke up and made some phone calls to the States. Then got ready to venture into the city. We first went to pay for the Bridge climb and then went to find lunch - fried fish with french fries (I know, real nutritious), but who cares, we are on vacation! Then we went to find a taxi to take us to Paddy's Market. We were taken to the wrong market, so we walked a spell and then decided to get another taxi.

Paddy's Market is only open a few days of the week. On sunday's the market closes at 5, it was just after 4, we had to hurry. We had plenty of time to look around in the mass chaos and find lots of gifts for people. It was very productive. We then walked George Street. George Street is the main street in Sydney. It runs the whole length of the city, just about (the important parts of the city). We were at one end and had to go the other end. The bridge climb was at 6:55.

The bridge climb was completely worth the money! We got there at 6:30 to rest At 6:45 we went to sit in a room and watch a cheesy movie talking about the experience of the climb, then we were moved into another room to get informed on the climb and sign papers and get a breatherlizer test (we were good to go). Finally, we were given a suit and put all our belonging into a locker. You are not allowed to wear bracelets or watches. Then we were shown how to get into our harnesses and gathered various other equipment, such as a fleece hat, a fleece pullover and a hanky. Slowly, but surely we moved through the large room to the make shift ladder and cat walk, things that we were to encounter while on the climb. I went first, no problem. Margaret went, no problem. There was one couple from Chicago who were on their honeymoon, two girls from England and one guy from...Denmark? Finally, we got radios and we were on our way to climb the bridge.

You begin the trip be walking through a residence and then begin walking up above the cars and be the port. You climb through some close corners and have to duck a few times. Then comes the one of the hard parts, going across the water on the catwalk - about 50 meters above sea level and you can see everything to the left, to the right and below you, perfectly! Then the hardest part, for me, was climbing up the 4 ladders. It was nerve racking, at least I thought. But it was so cool! You climb in between the highway where the cars are. Then you begin the climb upwards. It was amazing. The sun was setting as we reached the ladders and as we made our way up to the top, we could see the city lights and Sydney in all it's glory! We got many pictures - Margaret and Me with Sydney Opera House in the background and then again a group shot. We then began out decent downwards, getting another picture of me and Marge with Sydney behind us. Then came the dreadful climb downwards, the 4 ladders. Now we were climbing down between the two trains. It was, well, an adventure all in itself. We were finished. The climb at night was amazing. Thanks Ms. McCall for suggesting the night climb!

Then we got dinner at a nice Italian restaurant called Amo Roma. It was a great Italian dinner of pasta and bread and a bottle of red wine. Delicious. Then we hailed a taxi and went back home where I passed out and Margaret was hyper, yet again. She was hyper last night too, not going to sleep for awhile.

Monday, I decided to skip school. I slept in and it felt GREAT! Margaret and I woke up eventually and got a bus into the city, yet again. We went to the Imax theatre to see what was playing. We brought tickets to see Extreme at 5. Then went to find a light lunch in Darling Harbour. Then we went to walk around and hang out in the beautiful weather. At 5 we went to watch the movie about extreme skiing, snowboarding, surfing, rock climbing and something else. It was pretty cool.

After the movie, we walked to George Street again to find out dinner - Est. Dinner reservations were at 6:30. This dinner was amazingly good, so good. We got drinks, a great meal and great wine. For dessert, they give you little treats of goodies. Some were better than others. The whole experience was very nice. Daddy, the wine list was amazing! You would have loved it. I wish you were there to tell me about the wines though.

We got done with dinner around 8ish. Again, we got a taxi to take us home. The night was easy, just watching tv and hanging out...eventually going to sleep. It was great spending time with marge, seeing a face from home. It is not far off, but i'll be coming home soon! I hope ya'll have a happy Thanksgiving! Gobble Gobble!

2006-11-18T04:11:00.000-06:00

In life we are presented with things we just don't understand. Well in culinary school I have some things that I do not understand. The first thing is why do students take pictures of the chef's items when they are not even finished? They stand there, crowding the table, blocking other people's view of the food and take pictures every five seconds, NO JOKE. I find it ridiculous. I also find it kinda funny. Oh well, perhaps they do this to learn. Who knows.

The other thing I found annoying was Le Cordon Bleu schools. I needed to fax information to the school in Paris...so I asked LCB Australia to fax the pages for me. Unfortunately, they do not fax internationally and they do not have anything to do with the other LCB schools. How stupid is that!!! I was so pissed. How are you gonna run an infamous school in 20 different locations and not have anything to do with any of the other schools? I just don't understand it.

The count down to coming home has begun, officially, there is now less than a month! The next few weeks are going to be crazy busy - lots of theory tests and final assessments. Classes have been going well, busy at times. Cuisine you stay busy the whole time, doing work and that is all. In patisserie, I have ample time to sit around and do nothing. I get all my work done and have nothing else to do. The chefs let me help them out or just play with something else.

I got to look at my grades for cuisine and patisserie. I am have good marks and I am doing well. In cuisine, I talked to one of the chefs and he told me that I was doing fantastic. He wished that he had more students like me in his classes. I told the chefs that I was leaving after basic, they want me to stay and continue with them. A part of me is tempted in staying, but the other part of me, really wants to go to Paris. The chefs told me that the curriculum is totally different then Australia - having one day to watch the chef demo the lesson and the next two days to do the lesson myself. Plus, the kitchens in Paris are not as spacious, very crowded and hot. Oh well, atleast it will be winter in Paris. I am excited though to be going to Paris, I mean it's Paris - the home of culinary arts, museums, beauty and so much more. I even found a place to live in Paris...hopefully it will all work out.

There isn't much news to report on this week. Life is getting to be very tiresome. I've shown up late to school once already. It is so hard to get out of bed. Besides being late to class once, the only other news is that Margaret is coming to see me. She is coming to stay with me for a few days, Saturday until Tuesday. I can't wait to see her, a friendly face from home!

2006-11-11T00:20:00.000-06:00

I dedicate this blog to my uncle Randall. I go down to his house and my aunt Karen's to chill out and just relax. During this time I catch up on my disney movies, eat really good food (ie chicken salad), get to see family I usually do not get to see, have the closest thing to a little sister with my cousin Mary Alice and go fishing with my uncle and cousin, Harrison.
I went fishing with my uncle and cousin a few years ago on their boat in the bay. It was so much fun. We went out to catch bait and then go find places to fish for about an hour or so, during sunset, the fishes feeding time. During this time, besides being eaten to death by the bugs, I caught a few fish. We got back to the house and we began to fillet them. Uncle Randall taught me how to scale a fish, gut a fish, fillet the fish and take the skin off. Little did I know, Randall was helping me to be miles ahead of the rest of the students in my cuisine class.
So uncle Randall, thank you for showing me how to do all that needs to be done to a fish. I impressed my chefs. However, we were not allowed to use a knife to hold the skin when skinning the fish...I was quite sadden about that one. I liked holding two knifes, one to hold the slimy skin down on the cutting board and the other to skin the fish itself.

The reason why I am dedicating this blog entry to my uncle is...you guessed it. We worked with fish this week in cuisine. The first day we had an easy day, not working with fish. We made a warm goat cheese salad, a whole roasted baby chicken and creme caramel's (to be unmolded the next day). I got good reviews.

The next two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) were spent with fish. I poached a fish in broth and vinegar - the vinegar taste, not so good. It was served with a Hollandaise sauce. A thanks needs to be taken to my aunt Karen...she is a master at the hollandaise and bearnaise sauce. So I had a step up on that as well. So thanks. I also made fillets sauted in butter - very good.

Wednesday, we were supposed to go on a field trip to the Sydney Fish Market, but it got cancelled. It sucked, but atleast I was able to wake up by 7 and not 4. So I was very happy about that one. The coolest thing about this was we deboned a whitening and gutted the fish from it's backbone, only. It was very cool. I'll show you when I get home. People do not debone fish like that anymore, it's old school, but a good thing to know how to do.

In class, the chef asked who wanted to fillet the salmon we had. I raised my hand and he let me try. However, it did not go so well. I missed the backbone! He had to take over the task. I am not used to working with that big of a fish - like 20 pounds. I like the two pounders, much easier to handle! Oh well. Chef Josepf was impressed that I volunteered to try...he liked that. He did not think anyone would volunteer for the task, I surprised him.

Patisserie was all about Puff pastry this week. It is a pain in the ass!!! It is rolling a huge pad of butter into dough about 5 different times, in a period of about 3 hours. The dough has to rest everytime you turn the dough - to relax the glutein. A turn is just folding the dough in a special way and rolling it out. It is a task to do. Unfortunately, this will be on my final assessment, along with making eclairs...so the assessment will be busy! I've made pies, mini apple pies ( Will you would love these! I think they are better than an apple pie, but you can be the judge when I get home), filled pies with savory items, cookies...the list just goes on. Everyday is just gets alittle more repetitive, so it can get alittle boring.

There was a bit of a hiccup this week in patisserie - a student quit one of the classes and transferred to the other patisserie class. The teacher, Karin, was not happy, the one from Switerzland. I felt bad for her. It seemed that she was going to cry in class, but she did not. Terrible. Oh well, it happens, I guess.

Another thing going on in my life is my awaited life in France. I have been trying to get everything ready for me to go to France, in the next month. I have to get a visa, a place to stay, a plan ticket and pay tuition, among the important things. I found out that I cannot apply for a visa over e-mail, I have to go to the consulate to get the visa. So I am hoping the long procedure of getting this visa will not take me the required one to two months to get it. But France has been very helpful and I think things are worked out - I will get the correct visa and be able to go to school with out having to come back home. Originally, I would have to apply for the long stay visa in the states, go to France on a tourist visa to do the first cycle, come back to the States to obtain the long stay visa during my break of intermediate and superior cycles and then return to France to continue the schooling and the externship. WOW, it just wears me out writing this all. All in all, things are good now, all figured out.

I learned today that I should be practicing my lessons at home. I had no idea. People actually go home and practice the lessons. Hmmm,I feel kinda left out, but I think I will manage. I am reading text books and just learning that way. Brushing up on terms and what not.

Well, school is going well, just busier. Good news though, Margaret McCollum is coming to visit me in a week, next Saturday. I can't wait to see a friendly face! It is going to be so much fun. We are going to the city to the spend all of Sunday there. Shopping and a good dinner. Well, other than sleeping and going to school, there isn't much else going on. I hope life is going well where ever this might find you. I look forward in seeing ya'll soon. Take care

Laura

2006-11-04T23:04:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone. It is Sunday afternoon here in Sydney, Australia. It is rainy and a tad cold outside, but it feels wonderful under the covers with the window slightly ajar and writing to ya'll. I have finally figured out my phone card and was able to make a few phone calls today. It was great to hear the voices from home. This week has been filled with lots of cooking and playing with choux paste.

I thought I would try to explain my week, as some of you have been alittle confused. So...cuisine runs for three days a week; Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It begins at 7:25 with a demo by one chef, sometimes two, and ends at 2. Every week we change kitchens between kitchen 12, 13 and 14. Each kitchen has their own chef. Kitchen 12 is ran by what I think is the head chef, Chef Chris. Then next kitchen is 13, who is ran by another chef Josef and another chef only on Mondays. Then the last kitchen is 14, who is ran by three different chefs on three different days. However, all of these three kitchens are in one large area divided into the separate kitchens.

Patisserie is on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. This begins at 8 and ends at 2:30. Everyday we had a different chef, but stay in the same kitchen. Our chef on Thursday's is Chef Gert - he is so cool. I really like him. He is very inquisitive and likes to talk. He is messy when demonstrating with chocolate. I love that! Friday Chef is Karen, but pronounced Corine, or something like that. She is from Switzerland and has big huge doe eyes. Her teaching methods are a little different from all the other chefs I have. She is a bit tough on some students, some more than others. She finds fault and criticizes without telling any positives, not what I was taught. When I helped grade NHM 115 in college, we were told to begin with the positive, then tell the negative and then end with another positive. Chef Corine does not do this....it pisses some, most, of the students off. Then finally Saturday's chef Karen. I love her! She is so cool!!! Since school is not really in session we are allowed to do anything, within reason. Chef Karen is just awesome.

Cuisine this week started off doing pastries...weird huh? It went well. Chef Chris told me I was "right on spot". The next day we made risotto - it was good, it just needed alittle more liquid. Everything else, was right on spot. And finally on Wednesday chicken and souffle. I made a perfect sauce, finally. I was happy.

Patisserie was filled with making choux paste and piping out designs. Choux paste is what people make eclairs out of. Choux means 'cabbage' in french. When it bakes it spreads out and resembles a cabbage. We made choux puffs, filled with cream Chantilly on Thursday. Friday we made eclairs. Saturday we made Paris Brest - a dessert made for the cycling race from Paris to Brest. It was fun. We also made swans. By Saturday, my arm was a little warn from beating the batter.

Choux paste is a mixture of fat, flour, water and eggs. Your first cook the fat, flour and water together, to cook the flour. Then take this mixture off the heat and beat in eggs, in my case 6 eggs. Then you are able to pip the mixture and bake it. This choux paste can be used to make so many different desserts. We have to make eclairs for our final. So this was good practice for the real thing.

Today, Sunday, I called a few people and then went to the grocery store. I could spend hours there, just walking around. Then home to put things away and write to my faithful blog readers. I hope everyone is doing well. Well, tune in next week to see about my culinary adventures. good day mates.

2006-10-28T04:18:00.000-05:00

This past week has been very...well Great. Cuisine is shaping up to be something better than it was in the beginning first weeks. The pace of the kitchen is heating up, moving faster and more of challenge to get the dishes to the chef on time. It is exciting and just fun.

Tuesday's class we presented two dishes. This is the first time I was not on time to present, but then again, no one in my class presented their dishes on time. The first dish was Pommes Gaufrettes - lattice potatoes. I got these to the chef on time. He loved them, saying they were good color and good seasoning. Then on to the real dish - rack of lamb with a parsley crust, ratatouille and anna potatoes. I was a little late in serving, but received a high mark. He said the lamb was cooked perfectly and the ratatouille was right on mark. The anna potatoes could use a little more salt, but overall a great dish. YEAH. I was happy with the result and I devoured the plate after the evaluating.

Wednesday class was even better. We had a different chef, again, like every other day this week. Again, two dishes were prepared and served to the chef, but I was late in serving just like everyone else. The first dish was grilled chicken with a warm salad. Chef said it was done just great. The amount was perfect, the bacon was crispy, the dressing was perfect, not too caked on. He loved it, perfect portion size. Then it was time for the main course, chicken saute chasseur and rice pilaff. He said that he could not have cooked a more perfect chicken. He loved my dish. I was so happy. He also remarked that I had impeccable bench work - meaning, I kept a clean work space. I was a happy girl.

For the next three days, in patisserie we have been busy with chocolate. It has been so fun! We have been molding, making fillings and playing. I have turned out so many little chocolates, I wish ya'll were here so I could feed ya'll. Today, though, was the best day. My teacher/chef, Karen, is just really cool. After doing some molding and after lunch, she took me to superior patisserie so I could watch the students doing chocolate show pieces. It was so cool - one day I will do that. I love working with chocolate, but I get it all over me. A minor problem. Today was great and the other two days of working with chocolate.

After class today, I also got to go intermediate cuisine, to just watch. Chef Karen introduced me to the chef who teaches cuisine. I got to go in and just watch. I asked the chef questions and soaked up everything I could. It was so cool. I am glad that I am taking these two courses. It will be worth my wait. I just have to stick it out for a few more weeks in basic. Atleast I know what is in store for me in the future...sometimes you have to do things you don't like in life to get to the good things in life...this is one of my things I don't like doing in order to get to the good part in life. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.

2006-10-23T00:38:00.000-05:00

I can't figure out how to upload pictures onto my blog. Sorry. I am still going to work on it, maybe soon it will happen.

I have been in classes for two weeks in cuisine and three weeks for patisserie. In this time, I have learned some and done lots and woken up extremely early. I think it takes a good two weeks for things to fall into place. For the first two weeks in both cuisine and patisserie it was as if I was stupid when I walked into the kitchens. Cake baking, cookie baking, baking tarts, baking bread, sauteing, cutting and what not was just hard to do. It was as if when I stepped into the kitchen I went stupid. My mind went blank and I could not think. After the past two weeks, I have finally gotten into a groove and found my place in the kitchen, both kitchens. It is great. I am beginning to like cuisine more.

Today was the first day that we had to present our food and it got tasted. We made two different products: Octopus salad and Calf's Liver with two sides. The first was to be presented at 12:30 and the latter at 1:00. It went swimmingly. There were no hiccups and I got good marks. The teacher took my salad plate to show to the class. I was happy with my presentation, but I did not taste the food. Octopus was not fresh, frozen...and just not my cup of tea. It was sauted and plated with a mix green salad with an olive dressing. The second presentation was pan fried calf's liver, bacon on top, buttered spinach and fried onion rings. I loved the onion rings!

In demo today, I got to help the chef. I helped with the prep work - cutting, mincing and whatever else he needed help with. It was a slow lecture, not much for me to do, but that was okay with me, since it was so early. When the demo was over, we get to try the food. I did try the liver. It was chewy and very different texture...not liking it so much. I did try it though. Charles, this is for you....I tried it, I don't like it. But I know how to make it for you, if you want it.

In every class you have those type of people who just bug the hell out of you and others who are just over-achievers. I have both of those type of people in my class. Hopefully the bugging part will go away soon. I eaves dropped during our evaluation, and I got better scores than them. Is that wrong to do? I don't care. Things are going smoothly right now. Things will be picking up soon. The heat and adrenaline will begin to pick up soon, just like a real kitchen. Hmmm...

2006-10-19T03:15:00.000-05:00

I now know why chefs and cooks turn out to be alcoholics and drug users. Sad to say, but it's true. Working in the cuisine and patisserie kitchens are completely different, yet same in the sense. I'll try to explain it as well as I can. You put in hard and long hours. There is drama and sometimes angry chefs growling at you. At times, it is enough to make you drink. However, these chefs are not that bad, just hearing the horror stories from the industry from students and chefs...it's nuts.

The cuisine kitchen is fast paced, exhilarating, hot, and lots of get up and go. The chefs are helpful, but critique you and your work space non-stop. It is a good habit to get into, keeping a spotless work space. The chefs in the cuisine kitchen are more hard core and all about getting things done at a face pace. I can understand their reasoning, but some students are not able to keep up the pace in the kitchen, some have never been in a kitchen, much less know how to cut something correctly. Sometimes they treat you like you are stupid, well the non-english speaking students (i.e. the Asian students....what a surprise when they got to me! Ha).

The cuisine kitchen is three kitchens rolled into one, kitchens 12, 13 and 14. Every week we alternate to a different kitchen for three days. Each day we have a different chef. Each chef is different, some more hard core than others. I have only seen one female chef in cuisine. Everyone is in competition with another, trying to get done first and impress the chef. I don't like it.

In cuisine and patisserie, we have yet to present our dishes, after two weeks. We show the chef our food, but they haven't really tried any of it. Serving times will begin next week and tasting will too. Crap! That will make me nervous. But I will not let it get to me. I will go at my own speed. The other weird thing is that we have not been able to taste their products to see if what we make is the real thing. We have no lines to go by - problem? I think so.

Now, the patisserie kitchen is way better than cuisine. The actual kitchen and the chefs are different. The kitchen is just one kitchen in the space. It is so nice. There is a joining kitchen through the sculley (dish room), but we never see those students. The atmosphere of the kitchen is slow paced, easy going, people are friendly and want to help each other. It is so nice! The patisserie chefs are nice. They are there to help you. They critique you, but it's different than the cuisine chefs. They actually notice you. I can't really describe it, just take my word for it. I really like patisserie.

There is one thing that I do love about culinary school - I DON'T HAVE TO DO THE DISHES! There is someone here to do all the dishes for me, except I do have to wash my own equipment, the stuff I own. I don't mind that, I think I can handle those. It is nice to have people do the dishes...it's like in the real world.

Mrs. Strauss, I made bread today...I braided the bread, in three strands and also in four strands. I thought of you while doing it...soon we have to make food!

Cory McEwen, if you read this, I also thought of you today. Your mother told me that you were perfecting bread baking this past summer and you were good at it. I think you would have liked today's class and also the next couple of days. I am learning all these recipes. When I get home, I will give them to you.

2006-10-17T00:17:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! I just found out how to read all the comments posted by people...sorry it took me so long. Thanks for all the good wishes and what not. It helps. Since the last time we talked, well since I wrote, things have been better with a hint of bad. I have almost finished the second week of cuisine and it is ok. I haven't done anything too terrible...yet. We made tarts on Monday and today a pizza. Tomorrow we make puff pastry (the flaky layers of pastry), yumm! I think I am going to hang in there with this stuff, after all I know I can do it!

Patisserie is going well also. We have made so many cakes and tarts in there. It is crazy. My room is overflowing with food, mostly sweets. I think I have been getting good marks for my products...impressing the chefs a little, with my precision in cutting (both in cuisine and patisserie) and just now having fun. I am taking my time and trying to be a little more careful. I think this helps with my nervous.

On Thursday's, I have to stay until 5 to do another course, about hygiene and safety. It is a complete bore...since I have had this pounded into my head since the beginning of college. But we had our first test last Thursday, so I am anxiously awaiting the test results...I will let you know how I did, soon.

After six days of working in hot kitchens, it can be a little taxing on you, so I basically just sleep when I get home, after a little dinner and some tv, depending on the night. Daddy just sent my computer, so now I will be able to watch DVD's and hopefully use the computer from my room, instead of paying $2 where I am staying or staying after class to use the campus's computer's.

Life is going pretty well. Sunday is my day of rest. I sleep in late, then wake up to go grocery shopping and clean my room and of course do laundry. It is a pretty simple routine, but it seems to be going well. There hasn't been any real mess-ups in the kitchens yet, knock on wood, but I think I'm gonna like it here.

On a sadder note, I found out yesterday that a good friend of mine was in a car accident and died from the injuries he received. Joseph Elliot Haskins died on October 1, 2006. He had such a passion for food and life and would have been even greater if given the chance. I am glad that I got to meet him and learn a little something about his passion from him.

Life must go on and that is what I am trying to do here. I admit it is a little hard to go into a kitchen and not think about him, but I use that and push forward. He would have wanted people to live and do what they were passionate about. It makes you stop and think about your own life and ask yourself, "Am I doing what I really want to be doing?", "Am I happy"....the answers for me is all one hundred percent "YES". I hope you are too.

Cheers from down under - Laura

2006-10-10T23:51:00.000-05:00

Thus end the first three days in basic cuisine. It had it's ups and downs, but I got through it. In today's lesson we prepared 7 different vegetables in a matter of 3 hours. It was interesting. I was such a spazz in the kitchen. I've blown this whole thing out of proportion. I've made it bigger than it should be. I should be taking my time and learning the things i've known, just never really paid attention to. I was supposed to make an eggplant and tomato stew, but I burnt it. After that I just felt horrible. I could not shake it. I went on with the other things, but it was not my finest hour.

I think I am just trying too hard. I want it too bad and I am pushing myself to be better and do better. Maybe cuisine is not where I should be...maybe patisserie...maybe not, i've had some hiccups in there as well. I'm blaming all this on the first week jitters of being at school and all that jazz. Hopefully my entries from now on will be better and more up beat. Let's just all hope that I can't screw up anymore than I have already.

I'm thinking tomorrow is going to be better. fingers crossed!

2006-10-09T04:33:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Bea! Another year older, another year wiser...atleast that is how the saying goes.

October 9th marks the first day of basic cuisine. I was up by 6:30 and went to school. Class began at 7:30. I thought I had everything with me: my coat, pants, hat, etc...but I forgot my buttons. Stupid! However, I was saved by a girl who gave me her extra buttons. Thank you! It saved me. Then class began by 7:30. Dressed in our uniform, about 40 of us gathered in kitchen 15, the demo kitchen. Here we watch chef go over what we are to do for today's lesson. First we had to go over all the procedures of safety and cleaning - pretty borning, something I have already done, with basic patisserie. Oh well, you can never hear it enough.

Then at 10:30 my day actually begun. We got to go to the kitchens to begin our lessons. It was all about knife work today. I tried to go slow, to take my time, to not rush through anything and not be the first one done. I wasn't. I was the second. A guy beat me. We worked on knife cuts, julienne (match stick), paysanne (shapes), brunoise (small dice) and so on. We also had to make a concassee (chopped up tomato), garlic done in three ways and herbs. It was kinda boring, but I got to work on my knife skills, always a good thing.

Class was over by 2, when class ends. I went to change and begin my walk home. On my way I decided to treat myself to ice cream and look around the shops in the shopping center. Then home to go to sleep for an hour or so, so I can watch Grey's Anatomy tonight. So sad I know...but I've gotten into the show now. So sleep in the afternoon still allows me to wake up tomorrow not so sleepy. The things we do.

I think that my fears of not being able to do both cuisine and patisserie are now layed down to rest. I know I will be able to do them both. It will be hard, I just have to sleep and do alot of washing. Two uniforms for six days. But I can do it. I am determined. So now on to some dinner and Grey's Anatomy...then repeating my cycle of my new life. Talk to ya'll soon.

2006-10-05T04:04:00.000-05:00

I am so sorry for my absence lately, but school is well school. Let me try to catch ya'll up on my life without boring you.

October 3 2006 was the first time I stepped on campus at Le Cordon Bleu. It was...well an experience. It was nothing what I thought it would be. It was not neat, white and tidy with bleu trim or anything like that. Le Cordon Bleu is a sub school within a school - Northern Sydney Institute of Tafe, Ryde Campus. It is windows and cement, how classy! But the school has it's own building, but most of the kitchens are in the other building, block A.

I spent most of the afternoon in orientation. I was lectured to about visa requirements and making sure to change my address if I should move. Then we broke for lunch, provided by from Le Cordon Bleu (LCB). It was nice. Then pictures for our campus ID's and then a quick tour. It was pretty boring. However, I meet a guy from the States, Tom, from Colorado...and we chatted during the tour, so it made the time pass faster. Then we were free.

I hooked up with two other people and took a bus into the city with them. We had to find the store that had our uniforms and knife kits. It was a long ride, a long day. We got to the city and had to walk numerous blocks to the store. Finally, fitted with our uniforms, only two each and our knife kits, weighing a lot, we left to find food. We hung out and ate and just talked. It was nice to meet people who shared an interest like I do.

Finally, I got a bus to come back to my place. It was now about 7 at night. It was a long day, but a good day. The walk to school only takes me about 15 to 20 minutes, so that will be my exercise for the day. Plus I have to carry so much with me, there and back...it's going to be interesting.

My schedule is as follows: Thursday, Friday and Saturday I have basic patisserie at 8 in the morning. It lasts until 2:30 and on Thursday I have to stay until 5, because of a theory class. The theory class is just a talk about what is correct in the kitchen, the basic procedures to be safe - food and the chefs/students. It is a good class, but I have already done this about a thousand times. I exaggerate, but you get the point. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I have basic cuisine, from 7:30 in the morning to 2. Sunday now really means the day of rest! This is going to be intersting.

I have been talking to some other students. They have told me stories about other students who have tried to do what I am doing, combining the cuisine and patisserie, and they just can't do it, they quit. GREAT! I wonder if I will be able to pull this off. I sure hope so.

Ok, so school. My first day was Thursday. I got to school on time, changed and was ready. However, I forgot my apron. This would normally mean I would not be able to participate in the day's lesson, but being the first day, they were nice. If you forget a piece of your uniform, you will not be allowed to come into the kitchen. You will have to miss that day and take an absence. My uniform is: black and white checkered pants, a chef's jacket with the LCB emblem on it, a white skull cap with the LCB emblem on it, a blue kerchief, a name tag, LCB apron, black non-slip shoes and your knife kit. It's a lot of stuff.

The first day of class was to be easy. We were making scones. I've made these before...so it was going to be easy, right!?! WRONG! I screwed them up. I put Cream of Tartar, not baking powder in them. So they did not rise. Great, great first impression Laura. The chef, he just laughed. But he was nice about it. He is Danish. A very nice guy. I was ahead of class in finishing and he noticed that. He asked me to help him out during the class. But at the end of the day, I have to mess up my lesson. Stupid. Oh well. I am going to say it was only the nerves of the first day of class. I hope that is right. I will prove myself next week.

The second day, we had a new chef. This chef was sweet, a woman from Switzerland. Each day in patisserie we will have a new chef. I felt more at ease with her. We made scones again and cookies. Again, I was the first to finish. So I got to help her out during the class. Then we had to pull out our products, I did not screw it up. It all turned out great! The chef from yesterday came in and I showed him my beautiful scones, he told me I did well. Thank god!

Today, October 7th, was kinda a combination of the last two days. I screwed up on my cake batter - genoise. It is a sponge cake like consistency, very airy. I was mixing it by hand, but could not get enough air....I had to cheat and use the mixer. The chef, from Britain, was nice and helped me. I felt just miserable. I screwed up again! I can't believe it. But the other products turned out great...the other cake. I again finished early and got to help the chef out. It is very nice being able to talk to them one on one and be able to pick their brains. I enjoy that. I just hope that I will be able to prove myself and show them that I can do better. Today, we actually got to ice/decorate the cakes. I wowed the chef on that. She knows that I have worked in a bakery....by the decorating and also by me finishing faster than the others.

Culinary school so far seems to be ok. We are doing a mix of things. Some of the products I have done myself and others I have no idea. This will be the exciting part. I wish that I had brought all my "tool kit" with all my stuff. I am missing so much. The reccommended reading, is a cook book and I have it. When I go to France I will be more prepared! Hopefully there I will not make a fool of myself. But I might, because of nerves and being in a new place with new chefs to impress.

My only worry is being able to carry through this whole diploma. I hope I will be able to hack it. It is straining on your back and feet, little sleep, but I am loving it. This is what I want to do. I just wonder if I will be able to hack it. I am going to take this one day at a time and just not expect anything of myself. I am going to concentrate and do what I know what to do. I am going to ask as many questions as I can and soak up as much information as I can. This is my time to experience and just learn. And that is exactly what I plan on doing. This will open doors to places most can only dream. I've dreamt and now I am going to achieve. My life here is going to revolve around the kitchen, just like college. Like college, I have noisy neighbors, but their music does not go all night, just until 11. The crazy thing about this whole ordeal is that now I am finally on the correct time - sleeping. I go to bed by 9 or 10 at night and wake up by about 6:30 to go to school. It's so weird, being normal. I had to come half way around the world to get to the correct times again...go figure.

I hope this finds everyone in good health. I can't wait to see ya'll...the count down has begun, 10 weeks to soak up as much as possible.

Cheers Mate!

p.s. - Will, I am bringing home about 10 cartons of Tim Tams...all different kinds.

2006-10-02T00:44:00.000-05:00

October 2:

Greetings from Sydney, well actually from Ryde. Ryde is your average suburb, like Mountain Brook or Vestavia Hills of Birmingham. I woke up early this morning in New Zealand to catch my plane to Australia. I was just shy of three hours early for my plane....so stupid! I drank lots of coffee to make sure I would not fall alseep in the airport. Guess what, it worked! I arrived in Australia and went through customs, much easier than last time (when they took away my bear). I got a taxi and arrived at The Marharlika Gardens. Of course I would be early though and my room was not ready yet. So I sat in the lobby for about an hour just waiting. Finally, I got into my room.

My room is very basic. I asked for a studio apartment. It has a king size bed (very nice), a bathroom, a closet and a small kitchen (if you could call it that). On the floor there are two iron burns...very classy. There is a table with two chairs, to dine on. To do your dining on, there is a collection of plates, bowls, glasses and silverware. There are about four pieces of each and nothing really matches. I have a mini frige, like you would find at college and a microwave to prepare my meals. I feel like I am at college again. This adventure will test my skills as much as in the Le Cordon Bleu kitchen as well as in my own kitchen where I am living.

The closet is not bad. It fits everything perfectly, but that could also be because I only packed one huge suitcase and one little one. The bathroom though, is quite funny. The shower does not have an end or a beginning, the water just keeps going, hopefully making it down into the drain. We will see, I have yet to try that out. I knew this whole trip was going to be an adventure...so here's to it.

I finally got all settled into my room. I unpacked everything and took inventory of what I would need to eat and just live. I was going to go find my school and a grocery store. My school is about a 15 to 20 minute walk, mostly uphill. The good news, it will be downhill when I come home. The school is very interesting. It is nothing what I thought it would be. It is a part of another school, the Northern Sydney Institute of Tafe, Ryde Campus. I don't know what to expect. All I know, I have to stop day dreaming about things, it never really turns out how you think it should be. I thought of a white building, with the school's emblem on it and the building ledges with blue trim, the school's colors. Oh well, here's to day dreaming.

Well, I must excuse myself now. I have to go to my room to experiment with the microwave containers I brought at the store. This is how I am going to cook for the next 2 and half months, in my room...through a microwave. I am going to look up recipes and then go experiment. When I come home I will be a culinary genius with microwaves, being able to cook more than just ramen noodles! So here is to our dreams

Cheers mate

p.s. - daddy, spell check would not operate, so sorry about the spelling and such.

2006-10-01T01:47:00.000-05:00

September 30:

Well today was not at all what I had planned. My alarm did not go off today. I was supposed to have a tour around Rotorua, but I didn't. Instead I woke up around 9:30 to realize that I was not holding my alarm clock in my hand, as usual. Then I began to freak out when I read the time, great. Well, the bus had come and gone already, there was nothing I could do, so I just put the covers back over me and went back to sleep. It was actually a pretty good day.

The rest of the day pretty much consisted of me sleeping. I really needed it. Plus it was all rainy and gross outside. I did not want to walk around in that. And all the sights were far away from town, you needed the stupid bus tours.

For dinner though I went to a great restaurant - a Korean place. It was so yummy. I ate everything. It was a much better experience than last nights. On this trip, I made a promise to myself. I would not eat fast food while I was traveling or in school. I would atleast try to go out for food at a good restaurant or make myself food, just NO FAST FOOD. Well last night, I went to a decent restaurant. I went to Freos, a few blocks away from my hotel. It seemed nice, good decor, good amount of people, and clean. I went in and ordered a great meal: Corona, Parmesan crusted mussels and venison pie. It was all so bad. The beer had no lime, they just did not have any. But I am flexible, I said ok and drank it anyways. The beer was too sweet to drink. I forced myself to drink half of it, I didn't want to throw away $6, but the beer won in the end. The mussels were to chewy, more than I am used to. It was like rubber, so not very appetizing. I ate two. Then the real deal, venison pie. It was supposed to be like a shepherd's pie, creamy mashed potatoes with cheese hiding big chunks of melt-in-your-mouth venison, carrots, onions and a rich sauce. WRONG. I could not eat it. I think my taste buds are screwy. I gave up.

Dinner was not what I expected it to be. I paid the bill and went on my way. While walking out I remembered the golden arches, a couple of blocks back, so I went. The fries were cold, the nuggets were a little chilly, but it hit the spot. If you have ever traveled over seas in not so great places, you will understand. For those of you who have been to Russia, the cuisine over there is less than stellar. When I was there it was all boiled meat and potatoes, morning, noon and night. By the fourth day rolled around, the whole group, even the grown-ups were racing for the golden arches. Sometimes, it is a good thing to see the yellow arches....sometimes.

Today (October 1) was a good day. Over here it is day lights saving....I would assume over there as well, but maybe not. I woke up and got into a huge coach, fit for about 50...too bad there was only five of us, including the driver, a translator, me and a couple. We drove to Waitomo Cave - a large cave with a river that runs through it. The thing that makes this place so special are the hundreds upon hundreds of glow worms that dwell up above. It was amazing to see. The cave is limestone with stalagmite and stalactite's everywhere. The site was amazing.

The glow worms only live for about 11 months. They go through four different stages. Their last stage is turning into a fly. During this stage they have no mouth, so they die of starvation or being eaten by one of their own. The part that lets then glow is in their tail. When born and the glow worms are developing they give off this mucus from their mouth, which drops from the ceiling. This creates a web to attract their food of flys and mosquito's. It was all very fasinating, a little gross at times, but really cool.

Then we went to a buffet lunch at The Big Apple Cafe - a good buffet. Then boarded the bus again and took a 3 hours bus drive to Auckland, where I am now. The trip was not bad, the day was not bad. It was a good ending. Now I am in my hotel, showered and ready to go to bed. I thought I would write in my blog as my last entry for this particular journey, since today is my last day traveling around Australia and New Zealand. (Happy birthday mommy) Tomorrow beings my journey into culinary school. The actual day of start is October 3, but whose counting!?! I have a car coming to pick me up at 6 in the morning to take me to the airport. Where I will wait for hours and board my plane (if it's not late) around 9 for Sydney. After going through customs again, I will find a taxi and go to my place of residence in Ryde, New South Wales, Maharlika Gardens. Go get ready for chapter two of the journey!

2006-09-29T00:50:00.000-05:00

So Monday (September 25) I spent in the airports and airplanes of Australia and New Zealand. It was not fun. Of course my plan gets delayed in Auckland for like an hour, so we were late arriving in Christchurch. I was picked up from my hotel at 4;30 in the morning. I departed Cairns at 5;30, arrived Brisbane and left at 9:50 to only arrive in Auckland at 2:50. For the nest three or four hours I spent reading and trying to pass time in the airport. I finally left Auckland around 7 to arrive in Christchurch. The time zone changed again, so I was so messed up. I think New Zealand runs three hours ahead of what I was used to, well actually three and a half hours. I hate time.

So I got to my hotel, which was so nice, and then went to find dinner. I had the best dinner yet. A wonderful soup and of course New Zealand rack of lamb...so yummy. Then I went back to my hotel to chill out and finally get a nice sleep.

The next day (September 26) was great. I had a late tour, which began at 1:30. I got to sleep for a bit, actually I slept like I usually do at home. So I woke up just in time to get my bus. The bus was filled with one other person and the guide, so a whopping grand total of three to tour for about 3 hours. The tour was ok. Nothing too exciting, except that I found out how I was going to get to Antartica now, but boat which leaves from here!

I got back to the hotel in time to shower and get ready to go out with a New Zealand family. Actually the original family's father got sick, so I went to dinner with the lady who organizes it all. Her house was wonderful. Mom, you would have loved it. Fresh roses everywhere, a nice garden and the best part, a garden that grew 19 different vegetables, from beans to root vegetables. It was great.

Dinner was even better - a garden soup, made from her vegetables; lamb with a mixture of root vegetables, broccoli and carrots with a cheese sauce and ginger sauce, respectively; and for dessert a Pavlova, sort of like a meringue with fresh fruit and fruit compote. It was all so good! Webb, if you are reading this, the dessert was like what we made for your dinner (FYI, the cream was supposed to be plain, no sugar, oh well...). We talked after dinner for about an hour over chocolate and tea and then she took me back to my hotel to pack up.

September 27, a Wednesday, was nothing special. I boarded a plane again and went to Queenstown, the adventure place. Don't worry mom, I didn't do anything. I didn't have the time. The only exciting thing I did today was go out to dinner, The Boardwalk. It was fantastic. I treated myself to crayfish (aka spiny lobster) and seafood chowder. It was all so good, then home to sleep for tomorrow's adventure.

Today was Milford Sound. I don't know if it was all it is cracked up to be. Granted we had bad weather, but also we spent more time in the bus to get there instead of on the boat enjoying what we paid for. It took a total of EIGHT hours to get to Milford Sound, four there and four back. We only spent like tow hours on the boat to see the sights. A sight, I thought we could see from where we were staying, just by walking around the lake, part of the 52 miles of shoreline. Don't get me wrong, it was amazing to see, just not 8 hours in a coach to see. I could have done with the day to myself and going to see other sites or sky diving. You live you learn.

Finally, today (September 29) I am in Rotorua. It seems amazing. I am writing now and about to get something to eat. I just wanted to catch ya'll up.

New Zealand is an amazing country, filled with natural beauty. I would love to live here, if not only because New Zealand does not have any snakes! Nothing deadly, except for a spider, which if bitten....nothing serious will happen to you. I would love to spend time wandering aimlessly around the quaint towns and wondering in and out of churches...built when this country began. It has wonderful gardens, miles of track and just beauty. The scenery, the sky, the water, the views - you need to come to see it for yourself. It sort of reminds me or Ireland, the unspoiled beauty of it all...breath taking!

My trip is almost over, only two more tours and then off to school. Alot has changed just in this time, but my time in Australia and in New Zealand has been short. If anyone should ever want to come to either one of these places, please let me know! I will come with you. Also, if you come, don't do a tour - they suck, well most of them.

2006-09-26T05:00:00.000-05:00

September 24:

Today I did an all day tour, which was not that bad. However, I got to the railroad station an hour before we actually took off, so that kinda peeved me off! The train took us up through 15 hand cut tunnels, over a water fall and magnificent views of the city and ocean. It lasted about an hour and 15 minutes, not bad at all. Then I went with many others to a coach to go up to the city, well town. I took some time to look around and just hang out. Then I went to meet the hostess and others on my tour to take a walk through Birdworld. It was amazing, so many different types of birds, over 54 in a space. Then it was time to make it down to the skyrail. This was a very large ski lift with enclosed seating for 6 people. It was amazing to go through, 45 minutes. It had two stops. The first stop over looked the waterfall and rocks and the second stop over looked the rain forest.

After the 45 minute ride, I was met by the hostess again to dine on a buffet, which was filled with ok food. I found something to eat though and spent enough time to pass the hour until our next tour.

The next part of the tour was listening to Tjapukai. It was so cool, dance and song. Then we were taught about bush medicine, spear throwing and boomerang throwing. I was ok at it, but there is room for some improvement! We watched a movie about the history of the people, very sad what they went through. Then it was back to the coach to go back to our hotel. I went to bed so early that night.

There is less than a week of traveling left before school starts. I hope everyone is doing well...my prayers go out to you.

2006-09-23T04:04:00.000-05:00

I have a new found appreciation for termites. That's right, that's what I said, Termites. I have learned that they actually help over here is Australia, so I like them being over here, where they are actually being used. They drill holes in the trees which provide shelter/homes for birds and their mounds are used for incubation for an animals eggs. It is all very cool. You learn something new everyday.

I have also learned something new: when you are traveling by yourself, you develop a certain limit that you can hold when around people. This includes all types of people, the smelly ones, the rude ones, the old ones, the young ones, the list goes on and on. However, on this tour around Australia (we have not even gotten to New Zealand) I have learned that I can, you can, reach a limit. However, I never do anything. I take it in stride and just grunt and bear it, oh but I am thinking.

So, I left off on the 20th of September. Well...let me just catch you up.

September 21:

I actually got to sleep in today, but wouldn't you know it, I woke up early anyways. I departed Alice Springs to go to Ayer's Rock. I went on a kinda tour. I was picked up just before 6 and taken in a large bus with many others to a site. We were greeted with champagne and canapes (not so good), everything was warm. But I decided to be nice and drink the offerings, eating was a different story. We stayed at this "summit" for about an hour to watch the sun set among the desert and huge rock, known as Uluru.

Now I am all for history, don't get me wrong. I love it, I have even been reading up on it lately. I know, it's weird. But anyways, I think it is important to know what you are looking at, going to see, the history of how, when, why, who...all those W questions. I knew nothing, I don't think anyone really knew what they were staring at, except a huge ass rock. Actually two of them. But this would not be the only time this would happen. You need to know what you are looking at to appreciate it.

Anyways, after sunset, we were escorted to our meal. I of course sat my self, until an Italian couple came to sit with me. They spoke no English, but that did not matter to me. Until, she did the "psst" number to me, so I could take a picture of her and her husband. No, "ummm", no excuse me in Italian, nada! But that was ok too. I took it in stride. Other than being able to communicate with someone, my night was not bad. We had a great pumpkin soup, which I ate as my appetizer and my main meal, because I asked for it. I did try the buffet of food, kangaroo too. It just was not doing it for me. Then dessert with port. And dinner was with red wine. My night was good. But it got even better with the night's sky. Ms McCall, you were right! The sky is just amazing. It would be bring tears to your eyes. It did to mine, perhaps it was the wine, but it really is just breath taking - seeing the Milky Way and stars that you can't see where we are in this world. It was...simply out of this world. I wish you all could be there with me.

After about 4 or 5 hours it was time to pack it up and go home, time to go to bed, since I had to wake up in a few hours to do the sunrise tour.

September 22:

Another tour at 5 in the morning. Great. We went to the base of the Uluru rock. The same rock I spent last night looking at and had no idea what I was looking at. So I actually asked the guide. He told me it was just a huge ass rock, that basically meant nothing to us. It is big, in a desert, surrounded by nothing. That is why American's, Chinese, Japanese and so on comes to see it. However, it does mean something to the Aboriginal people still here. It has stories of how they evolved. It tells their history, something we do not or have not listened to.

I find it amusing also, that during this sunrise tour, all these buses and cars line up. There are lines and rows of people gathered, on their chairs, all staring at the huge rock, waiting for the sun to rise. It was hilarious to see all these people, all lined up, BUT IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. The sun was going to rise behind them. I chuckled to myself. It was a funny site.

After the sunrise, we went to breakfast. I was excepting a huge layout, that is the picture I got from the description. I was wrong. It was ok, juice, coffee/tea, cereal and bread. Not for me, I ate like 4 crossiants. Then we had to meet for the actual tour.

The tour was good. We were led by aborigines. We had a translator too. We learned how the made fire, made glue and even how to throw a spear. We learned alittle about their history - very cool - it all revolved around snakes though, not so cool. The tour only took about two hours and then it was back to the bus and on to the airport. At 1 I was going to Cairns.

September 23:

Today was so cool! I woke up early, but it was worth it. I went to the Great Barrier Reef. I went on a boat under water to see the coral, the fish, everything. It was awesome. Then I ate a quick lunch and got snorkeling equipment on. I tried it out, to see if I could do it. I could. So I went to meet the snorkeling team at one to take a dip in the ocean. We took a boat out the drop off. We snorkelled around for about an hour seeing all these magnificent things. It was truly amazing. Then it was time to get back to the boat and come home. The reef is so cool. During my time on the reef snorkeling, all I could think about was Nemo, which oddly enough comes on, soon! haha.

On my way home I encountered some more people that drive me silly. But those are all things that should be saved for a rainy day. Besides, I am sure in a few years, I will not remember those silly people, so why bother writing about them!

I stay in Cairns for one more night and then I am off to New Zealand. I can't wait.

Also, I would like to defend myself on pictures. I know ya'll must be wanting them, but I figured, it's just not the same. You need to be here to appreciate everything you see, in all it's glory. As soon as I get my computer though, I will try to post some pictures up. keep in touch!

2006-09-20T05:38:00.000-05:00

September 20:

First things first: I would like to take a moment to thank my parents, Kit and John Samford. They have showed me a world that is not just in Birmingham. And I just wanted to thank my parents for allowing me to grow up as I did. They did not hold me back from anything. They wanted me to experience life and take chances. They did not shelter me from, ...well life. If you have met my parents and their significant others (Laura Lee, my step mother and Mac, who is like a step father) you would know that they are all louder than life. They love life and experiencing it to the fullest. I get that love, passion and drive from all of them. As do my brother and sister.

On this trip I have encountered some people who think what I am doing is just so weird. They can't believe a woman is doing this by herself. It is a different time so it is not as uncommon for women to be traveling the world. Perhaps I think this way because I have had friends who have already done this - going to France, Australia and Prague, to study for 6 months. I just want to tell my parents thanks for allowing me to grow, experience the world and being comfortable in my own skin. You have taught me to experience life and not be scared of what is in store for you. We would not be given tasks and experiences if we were not able to handle them, "what does not kill us only makes us stronger". You have allowed me to do what I wanted to do since I was little - cook and travel. So thank you. Daddy and mom, thank you for allowing me to live. Laura Lee thank you for showing me life through different eyes and Mac, thank you for believing in me. You have all helped to shape me into the person I want to be.

So enough of that, onto my day:

So I have made up my mind about tours....I DON"T LIKE THEM! I pretty much think they are a waste of time, unless it is something really just spectacular. In the many cases that I have been in, they have not. Just a big fat waste of time. Oh well. My fault I guess, but I intend to do better in the future. If only when planning this trip I was able to talk with my travel agent to tell her what I wanted and what I like to do. But I guess at the time, she knew better than I did, since I have never been to Australia or New Zealand before, so I guess that only means that the ball is in her court! Oh well, next time I will know what I want to do.

Today started off going to the airport at 8 this morning. I left my watch at the hotel and the driver went to get for me, thank god! I would never have been able to live without it, Daniel gave it to me, well actually Emily did (she went shopping for our presents, which is a good thing sometimes, so thanks Em). However, the point is that it is a keep sake, something that means the world to me, plus I have already had to surrender my precious bear! So losing my watch would not be a good start to the day.

So to the airport and then off to Alice Springs. We watched in the airport and on the plan about Steve Irwin's ceremony - heartbreaking! Lots of people went to pay their last respects and there was not a dry eye in the house, I was told. Australia lost three people in a span of just weeks. The country weeped. Very sad time for them.

I got to Alice Springs just before noon. I got my things and went to the hotel by car, where I got food and then went on a "wonderful tour" around the city - NOTHING to really see here. If you have read the book by Bill Bryson, In A Sunburned Country, you would have learned that Alice Springs really has nothing to offer. On the tour we did go to see the Royal Flying Doctor Services, very cool. If someone is hurt within 500 meters a plane with doctors and nurses will come and get you and bring you to a hospital in Alice Springs or near by with better medical treatment. Planes fly to remote areas and help those injured. It was neat. Then on to the cyber school. This is a televised school that reaches over 100 kids around Alice Springs and teaches kids preschool to 7th grade. After which they go to boarding school. These kids are also in rural areas, having to stay at home to help with the farm or they just live too far away from a school. It kinda reminded me of my on-line classes, except without the actual interaction with the students and teachers by radio and television. The set-up this School by Air has is very cool. However, I would not want to spend a day doing this, on a guided tour. It is neat to learn about, but nothing you really need to spend two hours doing. We saw the first telegraph station here, that connected cities from all over the country, which was neat, but again, you don't really need to spend an hour there. Old buildings and dirt. We finished the tour with art work in an art gallery show casing the aborigine's art work. Not so cool - parts, but nothing to spend an hour in...plus art is something you need to do on your own time, not when it is scheduled.

The tour was ok, but I would not reccomment it to anyone. Now I am back at my hotel! I went to eat at some Thai restaurant. And now I am going to go back and take a long hot bath in my room and eventually go to sleep! Thank god!

So what did we learn today: don't do day long tours unless you have heard from other people it rocks! In my case I have yet to find one, well maybe the wine tour in Barossa Valley! But it had to do with wine tasting all afternoon so I don't think that counts!?! Does it? And to appreciate our parents! Stay turned for tomorrow's adventure at Ayer's Rock. Tomorrow I actually get to sleep in! It's about time!

2006-09-19T04:40:00.000-05:00

September 19th:

Well hello everyone, I apologize for my absence. Timing has not been in my favor. I have been up early and to bed late, so there has been no time to write on my blog. But right now I am going to play catch up

The last time I wrote I was in Sydney. Since then I have moved on to Melbourne, Kangaroo Island and finally to Adelaide. It was has been a crazy ride, with lots to do and lots to see.

On September 15th, I left Sydney to travel to Melbourne, at 7:30 in the morning. I got in around noon, where I had just enough time to get some lunch and go on a tour, Dandenongs Ranges. Again, it was a quick tour around the city and then travel to the mountains, where we had Aussie Tucker and Billy Tea. It was quite interesting. I drank tea, tried lamingtons and the renowned Vegemite. For those of you who do not know what vegemite is, it is concentrated brewers yeast. The sole purpose of this is to be spread on biscuits (what we call crackers) and consumed. It is an acquired taste, one that I do not know if I have or not, it is still up for debate! Anyways, the tour, I could have done without. There was nothing special to see. I think my time would have been better spent if I was able to venture out in the city and explore for myself. Oh well, you live you learn, plus everything is already set out for me, so no choice!

After the tour, I was dropped with a few other people to the Tramcar Restaurant. This was a real treat. There are three cars, working cars on the railroad tracks. The car is divided into two sections. The first section (where I was) holds 12 people and the next section holds 24. It was fantastic! We had champagne, then a choice of red or white wine or a selection of liquor or just soft drinks. The tables had white linen and set with a carnation, which we got to keep when we left. On the table there was preset pate and red pepper spread with two different kinds of crackers. For dinner we had a choice between two entrees, chicken or beef, of course I choose the beef. Then two desserts, chocolate or a mousse. I choose the chocolate. Dinner was great, the chicken and the beef being cooked in a special designed microwave - so cool! It was quite an experience!

After dinner I went back to the hotel and just rested, going to bed by about 9, very nice!

The next day, September 16, was pretty much a waste, in my mind. It was about 13 hours in a bus. It reminded my of the college trip I took when I was in high school. I was picked up before 8 from my hotel and began the long trip along the Great Ocean Road Adventure. For the first half of the trip I had two seats to myself, but after lunch I had another woman join me, Why did I get crapped out of a seat!?! So unfair, oh well....just no sleeping the second half. It really was not what I thought it would be. There was a lot of winding through the hills, making my alittle sick and remembering the times we had through the hills on the college trip, I just missed my friends and being dressed up for hours! However, I did sit in the back for old times sake!

On the trip I did realize that I should spoil myself and I did just that! When I was on my trip to Ireland with my friend Melinda, I looked over while she was writing. She was updating her List of Things To Do Before She Dies - we all have one, but I did not. So we sat and made a list for me, with her help. Two of my things to do, I can now cross off my list - going to Australia and going in a helicopter. I spoiled myself by paying for a 15 minute helicopter ride above the 12 Apostles. It was amazing to do! I wish I did it longer and went to see more things, but that will be for next time!

After the helicopter ride we went to see Port Campbell - where a reef has claimed over 50 ships and numerous lives. This place has amazing cliffs and views and a strong history. It was amazing to see Razorback and Island Arch. However, these two sites took up about one hour of the 13 hour day. For those who are coming, rent a car and drive it yourself.

The next two days and one night were simply unforgettable! It was amazing! I had a 5:40 am pick-up from my hotel to go to the airport. Where I would arrive in Adelaide to catch another flight to go to Kangaroo Island. However, easier said than done. I was not suppose to leave until night, the plans had changed, I was not informed. But everything worked out for me! The people in the airport were so nice and helped me arrange everything. I was able to catch a plane at 9:25 and leave for the island and begin my adventure.

I was meet when I arrived and traveled with a tour guide (Phil) and two other couples around the western end of the island. We stopped for coffee at Vivione Bay and then went on to Flinders Chase National Park. He showed us a golf course - Daniel you would love, I took a picture of it for you, brown grass, rocks/pebbles for sand and only a dollar to play (that's about 83 cents!). Once in the park we saw a vast forest of trees, ranging from 20 feet inland to 3 feet by the sea. We went to a rock formation which was just breath taking - pictures to come later - Eagle's Beak. Hundreds of years of sea, wind and climate forming these magnificence rocks. Then we journeyed to Cape du Couedic to see a colony of fur seals - so special!

For lunch we went to the storage house for the three families who kept the light house going in the 1900's. It was amazing! Ships, every 3 months hopefully, would stop in the cape too unload the families food for themselves and their horses and so on. A horse and crane would slowly bring up their load many meters above sea level. We feasted on red wine, chicken, salad and 3 different cheeses, all from the island and then dried fruit for dessert. Then we continued our touring. We were able to walk among the kangaroos feeding in a grassy knoll and see joey's popping our from their mother's pouch - the sight was truly amazing.

Around 6:30 I was taken to my B & B, with another woman. We ate dinner at 7, which was celery soup, lamb and chocolate cake - the cook was the best on the island - and it was so good! Then we drank tea/coffee and talked with the owners for two hours about being a travel agent (what the woman did). It was so boring. All I wanted to do was take a shower and go to bed, this happened around 9:30. The day was over, finally, but it was the best day I have had thus far.

The next day, September 18th, was just as pleasant. I went to breakfast at 8, eggs Florentine, pancakes, fruit, cereal, coffee and compotes. It was all so good. Then off the airport to pick up more passengers, a German couple, and on to my second day on the island. Today we ventured south to see a colony of sea lions bathing on the beach, nursing their young and males picking fights. It was truly a sight to be able to walk right beside them! Then we had tea and ventured through the middle of the island, looking for koalas and kangaroos resting among the trees. Slowly we made our way to our lunch site were we had fresh fish grilled with potatoes right in front of our eyes and a big salad. This was followed by fresh fruit and wine. Then we went on a walk to see more kangaroos, wallabies, cockatoos and other various animals native to the island. It was unbelievable! We went to different bays all along the coastline, but we ended up at our tours house to see a joey. They were raising the baby kangaroo because someone ran over their mother. Kangaroos are as common to them as dogs are to us, as pets and seen on the side of the road. I got to hold the joey and see it jump around and go head first into a "pouch". It was so cool! I want one!!!!

That was the last stop before the airport and on my way to the main island, once again. I got to my hotel around 9, ate dinner and went to sleep. A very pleasant day!

Finally today, September 19th. Today was also a good day. I went to the Barossa Valley to taste wines and go on tours. It was amazing. Australia is supposed to have the oldest Shiraz vines here, about 160 years old. I got to taste this smooth tasting wine. It was beyond words, so smooth, so velvety, robust but not too much, just so good. There are no words. We went to several vineyards around the valley, tasting our way through. We stopped at a candy/dried fruit store and got a few goodies and then continued on. We went to a sweet bakery, where I got dinner, pastie (a savory pastry filled with meet, potatoes and carrots, which I will be eating shortly) and stopped to have a coffee. I got hot chocolate. Then we began to make our way home, around 6.

So now I am sitting at a computer in my hotel writing all of this to ya'll. Tomorrow I leave for Ayer's Rock, where I am to have another tour on a bus (I hope it is not a waste), so stay tuned to find out.

ps - daddy the toilets flush unusually. There are two handles, one with a half moon and the other with a full moon. I think this is to tell if it needs a full flush or not....anyone who has been here, can you clue me in?

Also, hooray for the tigers! I wish I was able to see it, but the timing is so bad, plus, internet cafes are not open at that hour!

Hope everyone is doing well! I'll try calling soon, love

Laura

2006-09-19T04:37:00.000-05:00

September 14th:

I would like to take a moment to tell everyone for looking at my blog and supporting me. I am sorry if I was unable to send you the link directly (bacon leg), but that is because I did not have your e-mail address in the first place, whose fault is that?

I would also like to a take moment to tell you about my writing style. For the past almost decade I have been keeping a journal. I write in it everyday and record my life. Keeping a journal means that you do not have to keep track of grammar, spelling, the flow of the piece. You get to do anything you want, because you are writing for yourself. However, this blog is not just for me, it is for people to read, family, friends and strangers. So I have to think about ya'll and how you will be able to comprehend my thinking. So I am going to try to make things not jump around so much, check my spelling and all that jazz....

So onto the day's events. Last night was very relax. I found something to eat and brought it back to the hotel after walking around the city all day. I just took the time to sit and unwind. It was very nice. This rolled into the next day, since my tour did not begin until 2. So I took my time getting up and moving. But before long I was on my way to find lunch and then join a coach to take a tour of the city.

Just as the tour name suggest - City Sights and Bondi Beach - we did just that. We took a coach all around the city. We went to George Street (where all the districts are located, financial, business, garments, food and such), the Rocks (the first settlement came in) and other places. We traveled to The Gap, where the port opens into the sea - a wonderful place. This was probably my favorite, because I was able to smell the sea air, feel the breeze from the ocean and just relax. It was perfect.
The one thing I learned from touring is that people that their touring very seriously!
Case In Point - An elderly Asian couple, who could not speak English very well, was on the tour with me, before the tour began the driver asked everyone to turn off their phones and beepers, for obvious reasons. Well during the tour, about 20 minutes into it, her phone goes off. She picks it up to answer it and talks for a few moments. The bus driver stops the bus, takes off his seat belt and turns around, telling the woman to turn off her phone or he was going to throw it out the window in a second. Well, her conversation lasted more than just a second. Meanwhile, the other tourists were just plain nasty, sighing and telling them to be quite! It was awlful, I felt so bad for them. For all we know, it could have been an emergency! Oh well.
The tour was finished around 6, when I was dropped off at my hotel. I got room service and went to sleep. Overall the day was okay. I would not rate this as something you just have to do when you come to Sydney. Next time, just go get lost and wonder! I think your time would be better spent!

2006-09-13T01:07:00.000-05:00

Septmeber 13th:

Thank god for 12 hours of sleep, a comfortable bed, my own pillow, and a long shower.

I am happy to report that my night was much better than the morning. Last night I walked to a restaurant, the Summit Restaurant, (I was careful mom!). I passed it about 7 times, because the people in my hotel are not really good at directions. So I was lost for a good 15 minutes trying to find my restaurant, walking up and down the same road. Finally I gave in and just asked someone. But they did not know, so back to wondering. Thankfully I found it. I went to the 47th level (floor) to the restaurant. It was a revolving restaurant, so I could have a full view of Sydney....a full 360 degree view. It was breath taking, I saw everything - the Opera House, the bridge, the tallest building and so much more; the view went on forever (on a good day, you could see to New Zealand). Dinner was good. The wine outstanding (pinot noir from right here in Sydney). The wait staff just great.

I think people find it weird when someone is dining alone. I think it is nice. I know these two things because I dined alone, something I think I will be doing this whole trip and secondly because my waiter asked me, plus a few stares from surrounding tables. I find it to be a time to just relax, to take in your surroundings and to reflect on your day. I think I might do it more often, just because I can.

Anyways, then I walked back home, again I was careful mom. I came home and crashed! I don't think it was even 8 yet, oh well, I deserved it.

Today's adventures was just great! I got to see and smell the fresh ocean air. I went on a boat ride through the harbor and up around the more fancy houses, owned by Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe. It was breath taking - Daddy, you would have loved it. The bridges, the coastline, the beauty. There was a couple behind me that made it a very interesting tour - commenting on everything, stupidly I might add. Now I cannot really judge them, because I do not them, but they were being quite silly. They keep remarking on how rough the sea was, We were in the bay for crying out loud! It reminded me of when we were out in California getting the Suladan - Now that was rough waters, hugh swells! But I kept my mouth shut and just went on listening to the commentator. It was awesome though!

After the 2 hours and 20 minutes at sea, I went to find a nice little restaurant on the water. I read my book, took in the sun and ate pasta, so good! I was quite content. Then I walked around some more and just tinkered around. I could get used to this kind of lift style!!!

The one thing I love about Australia is that the wait staff does not bother you when you eat. They serve you and then go away until you ask for them. It is great.

2006-09-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

September 12:

Well today marks my first day here in Australia, the Great Down Under, home to sleepy koalas, the beautiful harbor and the Opera House, the dangerous outback and so much more. Here is my first impression:

I began this trip on Sunday afternoon, leaving from Birmingham, Alabama around 5:40. We learned that the flight was going to be delayed about an hour. So we sat on the runway just waiting until Atlanta let us leave. We were off and got to the Atlanta airport just 20 minutes before my next flight left to go to Los Angeles. So I ran the concourse to the terminal, running up the broken escalator and making it onto the flight. Then we arrived in LA. I saw the monitor flashing SYDNEY and BOARDING, so I ran again, through the concourse to make it to the terminal over, only getting there to find out it was the wrong flight. This was about 30 or 40 minutes before my actual flight was suppose to leave, I still had to get my ticket and go through security once again. I had to walk over three terminals to get the correct one. When I jumped through all the hoops I arrived to my gate just in time to find out that the flight was delayed for over an hour. Great. So I was left being hungry, sweating, angry and tired.

Eventually I got on the plane to go to Sydney. I had a window seat and sat by this lovely couple, whose name I have no idea, because we never talked, the beauty of it all. I got to sleep for about 6 hours and then watched movies and read.

I arrived in Sydney a little after 8 in the morning on a Tuesday morning. I went through all the things we are suppose to and then I got into trouble. The bear that mom gave me, like 6 years ago, was being confiscated, because they had no idea what it was made out of - seeds that cannot be taken into the country because of something or other. I burst into tears, because they were 1) going to have to cut into my bear, 2) send it off to get tested, taking 21 days or 3) I could mail it back home. I chose the third choice. So all teary eyed, I went with the security woman to find my driver, drop off my bag with him and went to mail my bear back to the states. It was terrible. I was so upset - I think because I love my bear, I was so tired and I was hungry. Not in a good mood to deal with all this.

Finally, in the car and on to my hotel. The driver was nice, he tried to cheer my up. He did his best. Then to the hotel - I could not check in, not until 2. So plan B, food and then find Le Cordon Bleu. However, the school is too far away, so plan C. Walk around town and see what I can find. This would be a great idea, but the weather is not that cooperative - rainy and cold weather. So plan D - out of options. So I thought I would write the entry and then go find something to occupy my mind.

I know there is nothing I can do, nothing that could have been done to prevent any of this from happening, so just look to the future and hope for the best. Actually my bad luck with flying I blame on the Ireland trip, but that is awhole different story, for another time and another place.

The one weird thing that happened to me today is that I missed September 11th. I missed a whole day of my life - is that weird to anyone else?

2006-08-21T15:39:00.000-05:00

Dear family, friends and strangers,

Well, this marks the day of my adventure and the beginning into the mind of me.

As of now I am getting ready to embark on a real adventure, filled with colorful people, amazing views of the world (from air and land), mouth watering foods and so much more. I will be traveling to Australia, New Zealand and France in the next year. My father wanted me to keep track of all my travels and I thought that would be a good idea. So here it is, a way for him and others to view what I am doing and basically just keep tabs on me. So I hope you enjoy.

Departure date: September 10th
Places traveling to: Australia, New Zealand and Paris. Le Cordon Bleu - (Australia and France).

For the first month I will be traveling around Australia and New Zealand. Then I begin school on Oct. 3rd for about two and a half months. Then I will be home for the Christmas holidays for about 10 days and then go to france for about 6 months, perhaps a year. Logging on to this blog might be a challenge, because I do not know how much time I will have to write, but I will try to update ya'll on everything I do, from traveling to cooking to learning new things about culinary and life.

Please feel free to leave comments and questions and I will do my best to get back to you!

Laura