Some guys really do have all the luck.
There is a student in my class, one of the students I am closer to, that has an in with Gary Danko, renowned restauranteur. Chances are, he'll be externing at Restaurant Gary Danko, which is a little like, say, being a rookie ballplayer playing centerfield for the Yankees. Nice.
That said, if I could hand pick 4 or 5 students from my class to extern with at the lowly CCA restaurant (which is a little like, say, a rookie ballplayer playing backup catcher for the Dodgers Bakersfield affiliate), I just might do so. We have a LOT of fun in class these days.
In contemporary cuisine, there is no mad rush to get your plates together. We are split into groups of four and we only do two recipes per group each night. There is a lot of down time in which to cause trouble, crack jokes and generally make asses of ourselves. And we are a bunch that apparently carries around the reputation for cooking at a very high level in comparison to other classes, and being a touch more rabid than other classes.
This week the groups are developing their own menus for each day. Group One had Monday, Group Two, Tuesday, etc. Thus far, the recipes we come up with out class the book recipes we are given by a long shot, so it's been fun. Insofar as flavor and plating goes, tonight was probably the best we've produced collectively during our sordid stay at CCA.
Tonight, Dave, a fellow Group Fiver, and I did a simple linguine with a rustic tomato, olive and garlic sauce that actually got Chef's attention. I sprinkled arugula and basil over it for plating, a little parmsean - it was gorgeous. It was a hollandaise moment for me. Chef Tony is a second generation Italiano, so he claims to know and love pasta. To get a very strong nod over a simple pasta dish felt pretty good. That I can make a good sauce of any kind I owe entirely to Mom. Entirely. Thanks, Mom.
So, Group Five rolls out its menu on Friday, the last day, and we're working up a good one. Lot's of heart-healthy BOLD flavors. It should be fun. I'll give y'all a full rundown when I settle on things.
There is a student in my class, one of the students I am closer to, that has an in with Gary Danko, renowned restauranteur. Chances are, he'll be externing at Restaurant Gary Danko, which is a little like, say, being a rookie ballplayer playing centerfield for the Yankees. Nice.
That said, if I could hand pick 4 or 5 students from my class to extern with at the lowly CCA restaurant (which is a little like, say, a rookie ballplayer playing backup catcher for the Dodgers Bakersfield affiliate), I just might do so. We have a LOT of fun in class these days.
In contemporary cuisine, there is no mad rush to get your plates together. We are split into groups of four and we only do two recipes per group each night. There is a lot of down time in which to cause trouble, crack jokes and generally make asses of ourselves. And we are a bunch that apparently carries around the reputation for cooking at a very high level in comparison to other classes, and being a touch more rabid than other classes.
This week the groups are developing their own menus for each day. Group One had Monday, Group Two, Tuesday, etc. Thus far, the recipes we come up with out class the book recipes we are given by a long shot, so it's been fun. Insofar as flavor and plating goes, tonight was probably the best we've produced collectively during our sordid stay at CCA.
Tonight, Dave, a fellow Group Fiver, and I did a simple linguine with a rustic tomato, olive and garlic sauce that actually got Chef's attention. I sprinkled arugula and basil over it for plating, a little parmsean - it was gorgeous. It was a hollandaise moment for me. Chef Tony is a second generation Italiano, so he claims to know and love pasta. To get a very strong nod over a simple pasta dish felt pretty good. That I can make a good sauce of any kind I owe entirely to Mom. Entirely. Thanks, Mom.
So, Group Five rolls out its menu on Friday, the last day, and we're working up a good one. Lot's of heart-healthy BOLD flavors. It should be fun. I'll give y'all a full rundown when I settle on things.
