Session One

So, I wanted to blog each day after class. In a few hours, however, will be Class #2 and I haven't said anything about Class #1.

The very first day, I was spewing with excitement. It was the first time, as a class, we looked around at everyone in full uniform. A girl next to me confided that she was nervous. I was not nervous at all- just very, very excited. I had also thrown back 2 espresso shots just prior, so that may have had a little to do with it.

We met Chef Philip Burgess, our Chef Instructor, and were given our knife kits. Sitting- or standing, actually, since there are no chairs in the kitchen- at the very front, I tried to smile at the Chef to relay my excitement. He did not smile back, and he may have given me a confused look, but definitely no smile. I took that to mean that Culinary School is serious business and there would be no smiling done. So, I straightened up and tried to force my face to be serious. Nope, couldn't do it.

I was relieved when he started class by saying that most students want him to be hard on us, "like the jackasses on Top Chef," but since we were all adults, he would treat us as such. No belittlement? Yay!

Chef Burgess went over most of the aspects of the kitchen, from where our cutting boards were stored, to which bins were compost, recycle, and garbage, to how to clean our stations. We unzipped our knife kits and made sure everything was accounted for. He encouraged us to have them engraved, as things tend to go missing sometimes.

We practiced all sorts of knife skills with our new knives, and were shown how to sharpen them with a special Japanese sharpening stone, which I still need to pick up right now before class today.

And, we got to cook! We did two styles of cooking: A'langlaise and A'latuvee. For the first one, we boiled carrots in salted water, and the other, we did this unusual method of sauteeing turnips in butter, salt, and water, underneath a sheet of parchment. My partner(yes, he gets all the blame) burnt our turnips. Our neighbor was kind enough to give us two pieces of her own so ours weren't a complete sob story. But, that Chef Burgess is all-knowing.

"What happened to these two guys here? Were they sitting on top of the rest or did you get them from someone else?"

At least I made an impression on him because he knows my name now, even though he says it with the tone of a disappointed parent.

The HIGHLIGHT of my day was when I opened my locker at the end to put my shoes away. Inside was a pair of shoes and a note. I thought, "Great. Someone is already trying to claim my locker."

But, the note was from a former student! An act of kindness from a stranger:

Dear future Occupant of this locker,

I'm graduating today and I wanna leave these shoes(clean) and best wishes.

This school is the most amazing school ever. Remember to love what you are doing and always be humble. These are going to be the best months of your life. Take advantage of them. I did pretty damn good and leave this locker full of luck for you.

Best Wishes.

Chef Alexandra Blandora(?)

P.S. Remember to love your class- they are your forever family<3