Caul Fat

I am not so sure I like quiet nights at the restaurants. Sure, it's a break from stress, but the time tends to creep when there is not much going on. This is the slow season in the wine country despite the amazing almost 70 degrees sunny day we were having. I really have no designated duties at the restaurant. I just show up and the cooks either fight to give me stuff to do, or like last night, since everyone was caught up they didn't have too much for me. The Chef told me to begin by chopping the herbs. So I did that.

"What next Chef?" Apologizing, he said that he had some "shit work" for me if I wanted to do it knowing that it wouldn't exactly improve my culinary skills. "Give it to me." Just keep me busy were my thoughts because that clock almost stops when there is nothing to do. So, I bagged about 30 quarts of chicken stock, 22 quarts of veal stock, and vacuum packed some marinated truffles.

Finally, the meat cook gave me something fun to do. He has always taken care of me. This kid had me sautéing scallops with him on the line on the very first day of my internship. Tonight he wanted me to finish preparing the main ingredient for a dish called pavé a la bourguignon. It's a nifty twist on the traditional beef bourguignon. The dish is made in the traditional way, except, once cooked, all of the vegetables and meat are strained out. The braising liquid is then reduced to a demi-glaze. Then the vegetable and meat are added back in. The stew is then placed in a pan with a weight on top to compress it and then cooled in the fridge where it solidifies. It is then cut into blocks. Hence, the name pavé which means square stone tile or paver in French. Next, each block is wrapped in caul fat. Caul fat is the membrane that surrounds the internal organs of an animal. Typically beef or pork caul fat are used. It's an excellent way to hold together

an ingredient such as forced meat, or rolled meats. When ordered, the  caul fat wrapped pavé is placed in a hot saute pan where the fat initially contracts to hold the pavé together and then slowly melts away as it's heated keeping the pavé moist and imparting a light bacon flavor. It's a really tasty dish. My job was to wrap the caul fat around the blocks. Not earth shattering work I do admit, but it allowed me insight into the creative method of preparation for this tasty dish.

Another Winery job?

I went in to the restaurant last night just for the prep. The garde manger cook, a relatively new guy. was a bit behind so my night was dedicated to helping him with his very lengthy mis en place. Although a junior position in the kitchen, I think garde manger may be one of the most challenging. He is responsible for the amuse bouche, the cold apps, salads, soups, bar food orders, and terrines. On busy nights, the station is manned by 2 but we're in the slow season, so the Chef keeps only one guy at the station on the week nights.

While cutting away at the prep station, I asked the Chef about his old job prior to the restaurant. He had been a winery Chef at a Sonoma Valley winery. As we spoke, he mentioned that his successor at his old winery job is one of his best friends and he would be happy to pass my info to him for working special events! Wow! Another winery job and working for another Chef would be great. I didn't respond immediately because I don't want to bite off more than I can chew, but I also couldn't let such a generous recommendation slip by. So, I said "yes". This does not mean that his friend will want me or even need more people, but I was flattered that the Chef saw me worthy enough to recommend. This profession is truly incestuous with an extensive spider web of connections between the Chefs which is another reason to always do your best, present a good attitude, and refrain from burning any bridges because It could come back to haunt you or as in this case, it could reward you.

Cooking with Integrity

As much as I felt like a clutz last week, last night I felt like an old pro at the restaurant. Funny thing about the restaurant is that unless you screw someone over, mistakes are usually forgotten and forgiven with each new day. I had a clean slate today and I was determined to do everything perfectly. It was a very slow night, so everyone played catchup by stocking up on their mis en place for the upcoming week. It was a relaxed night free of the usual stresses of a fast paced kitchen. Everyone was in a good mood. There has been a reshuffling of the kitchen hierarchy and the new Sous Chef is an excellent people manager and I credit him for setting this relaxed tone. He gets the job done without intimidation.

As I walked in, I was happy to see the garde manger finishing up the herbs. No herbs for moi today. The Sous gave me a verbal list of assignments and the first on the list was artichokes. I can now say that I am not afraid of turning artichokes after turning 2 cases of them (approx. 40 large ones)!  I tried to do my best on each artichoke. Coincidentally, I had practiced turning about 20 French carrots at home in the morning, so my hands felt pretty gnarly and wretched after finishing the chokes.

Next on my list were some small tasks: cleaning chanterelles, bagging 40 qts of veal stock, drain and re-soak sweetbread with milk, etc..

"Mark, can you assemble the Mac and Cheese ?" was the Hot apps request. I had done this before and luckily I had taken notes (as I do for everything I do in the kitchen) 
because all the ingredients of this appetizer have to be weighed out on a scale in a very specific proportion.  It's officially a truffled lobster Mac and cheese. Expensive ingredients require that there is no waste, hence the use of scales. It was to be my last chore of the night.

Throughout the night, the same thought kept running through my head. Two weeks ago, I had approached the Chef with my news of getting the winery job and had asked him for advice. "Chef, do you have any words of wisdom for me"? He said "Keep your eyes open, take mental notes of everything, don't ask the same question twice, and cook with integrity". 
On the surface this seemed like generic advice, but in 
retrospect they were wise words.  Cooking with integrity. This means that when I turn 40 Artichokes , I don't accept mediocre results. Or if am assembling the Mac and Cheese, that I redo it if I mess up the proportion of the ingredients even though I am the only one who knows that it's done incorrectly. An easy concept, yet one that requires an immense amount of self discipline to apply to every little task in the kitchen.

What has the past 12 months meant?

It was a year ago when I left for Le Cordon Bleu on a much anticipated deviation from my life's course. In the past 12 months I completed the Basic Cuisine course, interned at a restaurant for 10 weeks, currently going to the same restaurant once per week as a part time intern, and have practiced intensely at home on most of my days off. This afternoon I made the appetizer to the right. It is gougère filled with chicken remoulade. It incorporated making choux pastry, mayonnaise, roasting some chicken, and balancing the use of fine herbs, acid, and seasoning. Maybe it's not so complicated, but a year ago I could not have made any component of this appetizer without a recipe, nor could I have come up with the concept of the final product. This was something I came up with this morning at the gym and whipped it together this afternoon without the aid of a recipe.  As I was making the dish, It dawned on me that the past 12 months have been really significant in terms of advancing my cooking skills. Since returning from Le Cordon Bleu, I have avoided using recipes and have attempted to combine ingredients using the tools I acquired in school (braising, poaching, roasting, etc..) I have liberated myself from the crutch of recipes. I now use them to gain ideas for techniques and food combinations, but the days of being tightly tethered to a recipe line-by-line may be behind me. I have also practiced and read a ton since my return from school. This is not to imply that everything I have made has been stellar. In fact I have had LOTS of disasters but each mistake led to a lesson learned. LCB gave me the tools and the confidence to try new things and helped shed the fear of failure. Finally, the internship has allowed me to see those basic techniques refined beyond anything I had imagined. The restaurant has also helped me with more creative plating ideas. Bottom line is that ALL of the above are responsible for where I am today. I have SO far to go. I may be only an inch along a mile long journey, but after putting this plate together, it feels so good.

Kitchen Nomenclature and Situational Awareness

In the world of aviation there is a standard phrase "Situational Awareness"  (SA) that describes one's ability to be in a state of heightened awareness regarding one's surroundings. It is a critical trait for being a good pilot. Some of it is innate and some of it is acquired.  It can be applied to any mode of life like driving, walking on a busy street, etc...As an example, someone who is driving while texting does not have good situational awareness and will most likely not respond adequately to an unexpected event. SA has a huge application in the kitchen as well. I pride myself on having a good SA while flying, in my home kitchen and generally while performing any task, but I just can't seem to have one in the professional kitchen.

It seems that as soon as I step in the kitchen, I become a fumbling clumsy oaf. I know what the problem is, but I can't help but get frustrated at myself. It really has to do with many things such as being unfamiliar with all that's going on in the kitchen around me, unfamiliarity with the equipment, and not knowing all the terminology and lingo of the kitchen. Typically when in a new environment, one's SA is seen through a tunnel and it slowly expands as one becomes more knowledgeable and comfortable with the surroundings. My kitchen SA is definitely a narrow tunnel because so many things in a professional kitchen were never taught in Culinary school and are acquired only through experience- sometimes the hard way!

Last night I went to the restaurant and I decided to take care of one the mysteries of the kitchen terminology. What is a 9 pan, 6 pan, 3 pan, 2 pan etc...I had figured out by watching what a 9 pan is, but I had been too embarrassed to ask about the others. I had simply never acquired their names nor did anyone teach me when I started in internship. I had looked online, but no luck.  Finally I swallowed my pride and asked to get it all sorted out. It has nothing to do with quantity in qts, or length in inches...it's how many pans fit on a large sheet tray. You can fit nine "9 pans" on a large sheet tray, six "6 pans" on a sheet tray, etc. They are actually called 1/9th pan, 1/6th pan, etc...but are shortened to 9 pan, 6 pan, etc...

I got the pans sorted out. Maybe my SA will now improve by .01%. During service I stood at the line, ready to assist when needed. "Mark, can you run and get me the swiss chard from the 6th drawer" the Sous Chef yelled across the line. "Yes Chef" as my legs began to move toward the natural food storage area (the walk-in), my brain was asking where the hell is the "6th drawer"??? I had to run back to the line for clarification. As I turned the corner, the Sous said "the SIX DOOR". I must have looked confused. The "SIX DOOR right next to you". OK, I get it now. There is a fridge at the Garde Manger station that has 6 doors on it.  I just didn't know it was called the "six door". Damn I felt like an idiot, but my SA just increased by another .01%. Great I only have another 99.98% before I can feel as comfortable in the kitchen as I do in a 757.

Back at the line I was ready to retrieve any size pan and could nail any request to get something out of the 6 door. The meat cook yells "Mark run back to the walk-in and get me 15 from the Sail kid in a 1/3 pan". I reply "Sail kid"? Yes "sail kid" was his response as he was deep in the middle of juggling about 25 pieces of meat on his grill. OK, I am going to figure this one out as I ran to the walk-in looking for this sail kid. Is this a name for some variety of fish that I don't know. My forehead is sweating and I feel very hot despite the fact that I am standing inside a fridge. Did he say "scallop" and I just misheard him. "Sail kid..scallop".."sail kid..scallop". The more I say it, the more they begin to sound like one another. At least I'll get the correct pan now that I know what a 1/3 pan is. No time to waste, so I grab 15 scallops and run back through the mine field of the line and hand them to the meat cook in a beautiful 1/3 pan. He looked at me like I am crazy. He ran to the walk-in with me in tow and showed me the "Sole Kit". A tray with sole filets on it. Why didn't he just ask for sole? Damn, well add another .01% to the SA pile.

I drove home feeling very frustrated. It really comes down to time. Time spent in the kitchen. Seeing, hearing, doing. and making mistakes are all essential component of learning. As a perfectionist, it's painful for me to make silly mistakes, feel clumsy, or be disoriented. I have to believe that we all begin at this level and improve with time. Lesson learned: swallow my pride, develop a thick skin and put in the time. It's the only way!

Back to the Restaurant

It's been almost 4 months since I have worked at the restaurant. I wasn't sure if I would feel welcomed because I had left so abruptly after a 10 week internship. During the past few months, I have felt a brewing desire to return. In some ways I was disappointed with myself because I felt that I had somehow given up on professional cooking (not a usual tactic for me). I missed the feel of a professional kitchen and I missed the people. Most importantly, I missed learning. The restaurant has a crew of very talented chefs who had all taken time to teach me each in his own style. It was a rewarding 10 weeks.

I went in today with a few butterflies in my stomach. It was a big night at the restaurant because it was hosting a special wine event in addition to regular service. I had studied the event menu before going in to know every angle of each dish. I wanted to be prepared mentally even though I knew that I would be out of "kitchen-shape" physically. No amount of home cooking can be enough preparation for the physical demands of the professional kitchen. I walked in and was greeted with lots of warmth and smiles. Pheww...

I dove right in. The Chef employed me to help with the special event preparation in addition to helping everyone a little with their mise en place. This is an amuse bouche that I made for the event. It was simple to make but looked so nice when it was plated. I loved the colors. It tasted great too. I'll keep the ingredients a mystery to protect the restaurant's secrets! (Not that you can't figure it out by just looking at the picture).

I also made portions of and assembled the Cheese plates pictured below for the event. It was composed of a black pepper short bread which I made with a fig marmalade canelle, and reduced Syrah sauce. I think this event was an excellent preview for my upcoming winery job.

All in all it was fantastic to be back. The Chef was patient with his instruction. They guys were the same. There were a couple of new faces who kept their distance, but all in all a great night. My body felt it..my back, feet, hands are very sore. My knife skills have waned quite a bit and my speed is gone. I guess it's like any thing where proficiency requires practice.

Cooking News!!

We received a dinner invitation to a friend's house and I was tasked to bring an appetizer. I dug this one out from the cobwebs of my internship a few months ago. The restaurant used a salmon variation of this for an amuse bouche. It's simple, easily adjusted to individual taste, and employs a a couple of interesting techniques (making torchons using saran wrap). I made it using a chicken breast that I threw into my short rib braising liquid yesterday. I also added some golden raisins steeped in port and red wine. It also includes butter, chives, celery, and tarragon served on a toasted brioche disk.

Chicken rillette on brioche

Now to the news...The big news for me came in the form of an email from a Chef in Napa yesterday. I have been hired by him and the winery to cook for special events. By cook, I probably mean prep, given my almost non-existent kitchen experience. This may be the avenue that could work for me- a way to cook professionally to feed my passion and also maintain my flying job to feed the bank. I have also contacted the Chef from the Michelin restaurant where I did my internship and have been granted the ability to come back for more training. I plan to go in to the restaurant one day per week just to continue my growth under quality mentorship. It's hard to say "no" to such an education right here in my back yard. Incidentally, both the winery Chef and my internship Chef are CIA grads. One cooks in a classic French style and one in a style which incorporates the classic French techniques to create Italian dishes. I am loving life! This broad base of knowledge is a dream.

My first event will be November 6-7. 

Cook for Fun, Fly for Money

My decision has been made. As nice as it is to fantasize about cooking professionally, the reality is that the flying job provides (and will continue to provide) me the income and flexible scheduling that has allowed me to pursue my passion for cooking. It has allowed me free time to practice at home, to study in Paris, and enough time to do a 10 week internship. It would be easy to throw caution into the wind and flow with the adventure of the unknown if I was fresh out of college, but age brings about such boring virtues as responsibility and accountability. Additionally, I am only a couple of years away from being eligible for retirement and it would be highly negligent to forgo all of those benefits.

So, no Intermediate Cuisine this November. Currently, it's difficult to justify the expenditure of going to France, if it's only as a hobby. Perhaps I will attend in the future. In the meantime, I will continue to hone my kitchen skills by cooking for friends and family. Sometimes, my own kitchen can be the greatest classroom. In the meantime, I can "experience" the professional kitchen world through the eyes of my friends like Sjoerd, or Will who have continued on to work in the real world.

On a more upbeat note, I am excited for my Basic Cuisine friend Alan who will begin Intermediates in one week and plans to follow that with the Intensive Superior in November. Congrats!

I am heading to Amsterdam in 2 days to visit my friend Sjoerd and his wife Jayne. It'll be nice to get a first hand account of his adventures in a real kitchen.

To Cook or Not to Cook, That is the Question!

Not to imply that my dilemma is as burdensome as the one faced by Hamlet, but at times it does seem to weigh me down. I am paralyzed with this seemingly simple decision whether or not to go to France this November to continue my culinary education. Although the above title may imply otherwise, I will always cook. What is at question is "in what fashion" will I cook? After my 10 week stage in a Michelin restaurant, it became clear to me that working in a restaurant kitchen may not be the path for me (although I won't close that door quite yet). As much as my mind was intrigued and challenged, my body just didn't like the physical punishment the job demands. Catering,  being a private chef, and instructing do not interest me either. But I still have a huge appetite to learn more about the art of French Cuisine. Where does that leave me? Am I simply destined to cook just for myself and for those around me? Maybe the center of the struggle is the disappointment that all of this may lead to no place new professionally. Which brings me back to the Paris decision. The investment to attend Intermediate Cuisine is only fully realized if one couples it with ultimately attending Superior Cuisine. Given my financial responsibilities, Is it wise to make such a financial investment in something that may only bring personal satisfaction? I suppose that only I can answer that question.

just thinking out aloud....advice? comments? wisdom?

NASCAR in Town

The NASCAR weekend is here, not that I personally care about cars going around in circles, but it's a big deal in Sonoma for local business. The restaurant was expecting a fairly big night. Most of the chefs were there tonight and surprisingly they were happy to see me. It would be nice to think that I am loved, but the truth is that I am free labor and I think it helps everyone a little when I am there to help with the prep. The day began with the herbs. Damn, where was the new extern? I thought I had been promoted out of the herbs? A big night, meant a lot of herbs! After that I helped a little with the meat cook's mis en place which took me right up to the service.


I took my next task of hand shredding rabbit confit legs on the line until I needed more room at which time I went back to the prep room. Here I am almost finished with the task. The restaurant does a very nice recipe with this rabbit confit. After shredding it and ensuring that all the bones and cartilage are removed, a rillette is made along with black truffles. next a rabbit leg is stuffed with the truffled rabbit rillette and then wrapped in Caul fat. When the order is fired, it's cooked in a pan with some veal sauce. It's served with a ragout of morels, fava beans, and spring onions. Very tasty!

After this I went back on the line and helped out the Hot Apps. I mostly assisted with cooking some of the simpler apps and helped when things got busy. The service ended around 10pm. Not a bad day and night.

Tension in the Kitchen

I went in today for prep only (1:30-5:30). A new extern from Finland began work today on a 1 year externship. So guess who had to do the herbs? Not me! A new guinea pig is in town. I did some cutting and basic prep but I was given some more advanced tasks which was nice.

The big Chef was in today and his mood was sour. Some high profile nationally known Chefs and restauranteurs are coming to the restaurant this weekend and there is noticeable pressure on the Chef. At one point he snapped at the Sous Chef which left the rest of us rather silent. It was walking on egg shells for the rest of my shift. I was glad to get the hell out of there for the week.

It goes to show the huge amount of tension that resides squarely on the shoulders of a Chef. The Michelin star pressure must be immense. It is said that keeping the Star is more difficult than attaining one. Add to this the management of the the kitchen staff, the accountability and ordering of daily produce, the menu, dealing with problems, etc...and what you have is one stressed out dude! Makes you wonder why anyone would want to have the job of Executive Chef!

Thoughts to ponder.

Meat Cook's Assistant

What? No herbs today? "I want you to assist the meat cook with his mise en place" was the Sous Chef's direction today. That made me happy. I am eager for new things to chop, dice, julienne, batonette, or brunoise. As an intern with no real opportunity to serve on the line yet, I have been like the guy on the assembly line who performs a few tasks which contribute to the production of the final product without really seeing the big picture. However, I saw different pieces of the puzzle today. In fact, each day I have been exposed to something new along the assembly line allowing me to slowly get a glimpse at the big picture. Today the meat cook had my service at his disposal.  The picture above is the prep work I did for him. (the 3 colored batonettes in water are swiss chard stems)I also worked on the veal stock, prepped fruit for tomorrow's day service, and assembled one of the hot app's dishes for the service.

Chop Chop Chop

I've been at the restaurant only 3 times since my last post mostly due to my busy flying schedule at the airlines and a few badly needed days off. Nothing spectacular has happened at the restaurant to really write about. I have not been given any new duties, nor have I been suddenly thrust into a station during service. Actually, it's quite normal for an intern to do a lot of prep work. The status of the restaurant and its hierarchy has a lot to do with how much responsibility an intern is given (as well as the interns abilities of course). A Michelin rated restaurant such as this one is likely to give the intern lots of prep which equates to lots of chopping. Today was no different.

I arrived early for my 5 hours of prep work. I planned to leave just prior to service since I had to get up at 3:45 am tomorrow for my flight to JFK. The Chef pointed me to my usual herb and shallot prep. I headed to the walk-in and found the herbs. I picked the parsley leaves, rinsed them, and laid them out to dry. While drying, I did the same to the chervil. While they were also drying, I finely chopped the chives into paper thin little rings. Tarragon was my next victim. I picked the leaves and finely chopped them. By now, the parsley was dry enough to finely chop, followed by the chervil. Shallots came next. Finely sliced with a mandolin, and then finely chop them. OK...1 1/2 hours gone. My knife skills have really improved.

Chef had been making a salmon rillete while I was doing all of my herbs. I watched him artfully dismantle a huge salmon and portion it with a few swipes of his knife. He took some of the salmon that he had marinated in pernod and chopped it up, added some chopped up smoked salmon, some "mashed" butter, and then reached over and grabbed a little bit of all of my herbs and shallots and added them to the bowl. Salt & pepper. Mixed it all up and then told me he had a job for me. I thought: "All right! Something new".

My job was to roll the rillete in long pieces of cling wrap, and tie up the ends like a 16 inch sausage. The rillete "sausages" were then placed in an ice bath to set the butter. This would be used later for the amuse bouche. A slice of the rillete placed on a toasted brioche disk, with a chervil garnish. Looks easy, sounds easy, but it took a while to get it right. Fat rolls, skinny rolls, air bubbles, etc. I was beginning to feel like a spastic. Finally some repetition allowed me to get it right.

After that I did odd prep work for the Garde Manger and before I knew it 5 hours had elapsed (6pm) and it was time to leave. I said my goodnights and headed out to the fresh air and sunshine. I enjoyed it!

Goodnight Chef!

I went in yesterday and announced that "slave boy is here"! The big Chef and 2 of the Sous Chefs were at work. "What do you have for me today Chef?" I asked the most senior Sous Chef. "Let's start with the herbs" was his reply. I wanted to say "roger", but I remembered that I am in the kitchen and not the cockpit, so I said "ro..I mean yes Chef".

I set up my station at the prep table, knives, cutting board with wet paper towel underneath to anchor it, a rinsing bowl, a hotel pan, my water bottle, and my trusty scraper which I am addicted to. I grabbed the herbs and went to work. This is only my 5th day as an intern, but there is nothing like repetitious cutting to improve knife skills. I have really improved. No cuts yet! although I did slice a piece of my thumbnail and the underlying flesh with a peeler 2 days ago. Ops normal for a kitchen.

Chopping puts me in a zen state. Once I find a rhythm, my mind relaxes and I slip into a meditative state. That's why I've never gone for the kitchen gadgets that chop or dice. I just love to use my knife and chop away. The mood in the kitchen was happy. Almost all of the cooks are under 32, with most in their 20's. Their banter is witty, reflective of their age, and almost always a parody form some movie, commercial, or TV show. This is where I feel a little bit of the grand pa. I have no idea what some of their chatter is about. Pretty funny actually. I have become the guy I used to make fun of when I was younger.  They're well humored about it.

"All finished with the herbs, what's next Chef?" "how about vacuum packing the rhubarb, whip some cream and put it in a 9 pan, and thinly slice some snap peas on a bias and put them in a deli cup ?". About 30 minutes later, "what's next Chef?". "Go help the Grade Manger with his set up". Garde Manger is typically the junior position in the kitchen and is responsible for the amuse bouche, salads, and cold apps. So, I went to help him. The kid working the station put me to work. He asked me to make the amuse bouche which was a shrimp remoulade. I had to finely chop some shrimp, and mix it with herbs, vinegar, mayo, shallots, salt and pepper. This kid displayed a lot of maturity when he told me to mix everything in a ratio that would best balance the flavor! Cool! This 22 year old kid is confident enough to give me some autonomy.

Feeling that I should dispense my slave labor equally around the kitchen, I asked another Sous Chef "what's next?". "Go get the clams that I just baked and use your beak to cut out the clams form the shells, put them in a tall deli, fill with clam juice and put in walk-in". "Roger..damn it..I mean Yes Chef". Guy's thinking I am a total nerd.

45 minutes of clam scraping. By this time, the prep table is empty except for me, as all the cooks are finishing their prep on the line with an hour before service. The senior Sous Chef walks by and says "you can bring the clams on the line and do it there if you want". It was a nice offer to include me  but I was enjoying my quiet space so I politely declined.

The service began. It was to be a very quiet night with only 30 covers. I walked station to station to observe, assist, and take notes. Not much going on. About an hour and a half before end of service I decided that I might leave early. The Sous agreed.."get out of here". I went to the back and changed. As I walked by the line and said goodnight to everyone, the Big Chef who is stoic and quiet said to me: "Goodnight Chef".

WOW. I know that they all call each other Chef, but for THE Chef to say this to me was a real show of recognition and respect. As I walked to my car I couldn't help but have a smile on my face.

Veal Stock

Oh Yeah! After and hour or so of chopping the usual herbs, I was given the assignment of making (or at least set up for day 1) the veal stock. 100 Lbs of bones and knuckles, 15 onions, 25 carrots, 2 bunches of celery, 4 large cans of tomato paste, spices, etc...I first soaked the bones in cold water (degorger) to rid of impurities, then browned them in the oven to get some color and flavor, then I filled up 2 huge stock pots with all the ingredients and topped off with water, and placed on heat. Skim, skim, skim, and more skim. Tomorrow, the stock will be drained, strained, and the juice will be reduced. The bones and mirepoix refilled with water for a second batch. That will also be drained and strained. The 2 liquids will be combined and reduced some more for the eventual veal stock. the restaurant does this every Monday and Tuesday.

It was a slow night, so I received lots of instructional tidbits

from everyone as there was slack time on the line. I have never had pork cheek before. Upon hearing this, the sous had one fired for me to try. I was expecting just a piece of meat as a sample, but the hot app guy prepared me the entire dish and served me the same plate presentation used for service. It was awesome. The cheeks had been browned in a pan, then braised for 2 hours and then sauteed in a pan upon being fired, served on a bed of polenta and Swiss chard, with a veal sauce reduction. NICE!

After that, it was 20 minutes of organization in the walk-in fridge, a little cleanup and the night was over.

The night ended on a high note as the sommelier gave all the cooks a blind taste of a wine to see if anyone of us could guess what it was. No one got it right. I had never even heard of the varietal before. The name was too long to remember but it began with "Franken--------------". It was a sweet desert wine from Austria with flavors of peach and pineapple.

Do You Know How to Turn an Artichoke?

The big Chef was at work today. This being my first day working with him. A quick bio on this Chef is that he is a CIA grad, worked at the French Laundry for 3 years, and is really responsible for this restaurant getting its Michelin Star. He is in his 30's, serious, and runs a taut ship. I walked in and said my hellos and got my cutting board to get ready to dive in to my parsley-chives-tarragon-chervil chopping routine when the Chef asked me if I know how to turn artichokes. "Yes Chef". But since everything is done a little differently in every kitchen, I asked him for a demo. He turned a perfect choke. In school, I would have to turn one or two for my practicals, but today I had to do a whole case. It was slow going, and mine were not as pretty, but the repetition allowed me to improve my speed and technique. I was told that the kitchen record is 20 minutes for a case...uhmm...90 minutes later, I was finally done. No new artichoke records were set today.



I was down for only a 4 hour prep today and would miss the service to allow me to have sufficient rest for my flight

tomorrow. Next I was given a bucket of lobster legs to shell followed by chopping some cooked rhubarb for the  Sous Chef. Next I helped the meat cook with his mis en place by trimming beans, shredding some potatoes and skinning fava beans. That was it. A short day.

My 2nd Day as a Stage

My body was hurting, my fingers felt swollen, and my feet ached from the clogs. I guess I'll get used to it. Today, the most senior Sous Chef was running the kitchen. His leadership style, a little stern and business like, was quite different from yesterday's Sous who was a bit more relaxed.

I began chopping away at the same herbs (parsley, chervil, chives, and tarragon) which are then combined and used as garnish on salads and most of the meat dishes. The number of seating expected was double that of yesterday, so I had to chop twice the amount of herbs. The chopping seemed to last forever. Then I had to brunoise some carrots and celery for the meat cook. Next I made some chicken mousse with creme fraiche, ran it through a tamis, and mixed it in with some duck confit and herbs to make a duck farce. I then made little egg shaped farce wrapped with cooked onion skin. The meat cook uses this for one of his dishes. This took me right up to service time.

The amuse bouche is a dollop of chopped lobster meat and herbs (I think) placed on a toasted brioche disk. I was told to make 20 more of the disks. I pulled out my bread knife and began slicing 1/4" thick slices of brioche. Then using a ring cutter I made 20 disks, sprayed with butter, and headed to the oven to bake them when the meat cook stopped me and told me that my disks were uneven in thickness. "You need to make new ones" he told me. Damn! I went back to my prep station and cut more slices as carefully as I could, made 20 more and went back to the oven. The same meat cook said "hey can you run back and get me ------ from the fridge, I'll watch the brioche". While I was in the back gathering his stuff, he came back and told me that he had forgotten about the brioche and they had burned. Damn! I had to make another 20! By the time it was over, I could cut some nice 1/4" slices.

The line was slammed twice and I did my best to help where needed but mostly stayed out of the way. I fetched items that were needed form the back fridge as stations ran out of their ingredients, chopped some shallots when they ran out, and got a little time at the stove with the hot app cook who let me cook some fois gras.

I got to see the line in full motion. Apparently it was a bit too chaotic because one of the waiters also played the role of expeditor. If an order came in while he was out front, then the ball would be dropped as an expeditor since you really can't do both jobs effectively (that's how it was explained to me anyway).

It was already closing time when I looked at the clock. The service was a big blur of time that had elapsed double time. As I walked to my car I took a mental inventory of lessons learned for the day. This sous chef was reluctant to let me run too freely and kept a little tighter leash on me than yesterday's sous. The kitchen behaves differently depending on the leadership style of the Chef in charge. Fetching items was a great way of learning the whereabouts of items in the kitchen and the walk-in fridge. The brioche fiasco taught me not to present something unless it was done right. I made a few mistakes and learned form them. All in all, another great day of learning in the kitchen.

Stage Day 1

What does a stagiaire do on his first day? For me it was a day full of wonderment, learning, hard physical labor, and a bombardment of information. I showed up 30 minutes early as instructed to get a head start and some acclimation with one of the 3 Sous Chefs. The Chef had told me to wear my Le Cordon Bleu jacket until they could order me a jacket with the restaurant logo. I dreaded appearing as some prima donna strutting around like I am someone special. Luckily, no one seemed to care. The Sous Chef was in charge today since the Chef was off. I was led around and introduced to everyone, then shown to the prep area. It seems that I am a bit of a novelty and a source of curiosity as word had already spread that "some airline pilot" was starting an internship. I did about 4 hours of chopping herbs, shucking peas, de-stemming spinach, etc..During this time, I kept my head down, mouth shut, and my ears open as I settled into the flow of the kitchen and got a feel for the different personalities. The kitchen is immaculate, well organized, and clean. I love it! My body felt the 4 hours of prep. I am definitely out of "kitchen" shape. After the prep, everyone began setting up their stations for dinner. One of the line cooks asked me if I was leaving after the prep, and I replied "I am staying until closing". I had not even considered leaving early as an option on my first day. I think this went a long way toward making a positive first impression.

Next, I was given the opportunity to sit in with the Sous Chef as he briefed the wait staff on the dinner menu, specials, and the amuse bouche. Without a specific assignment, I just hung around the line as the action picked up. I really wanted to observe the flow since this was my first time in a professional kitchen. The Sous Chef was the expeditor for the night so he gave me a little insight into what he was doing. He also allowed me to help with the construction of the amuse bouche. The amuse bouche was being handled by a another intern at the garde manger station, so I didn't want to butt into his turf. I was really just trying to stay out of the way. At one point I looked up and the cook at the hot app station waived me over and started teaching me how he was cooking his sauteed Scallop and lobster dishes. He had made a beurre monte that he was using for the lobster. He showed me his specific browning technique for the scallops. The Sous Chef then allowed me to torch the sugar on one of the custard brûlées. I then got some instruction from the meat station. As I went from station to station, I would take a detour to the veal stock pots and do some skimming (a task that I can do without messing anything up!). All in all it was a whirlwind of information for me.  I was given a taste of almost everything that was prepared. Even the pastry chef made a chocolate plate for me as well as a soufflé for me to try. I felt fortunate that this crew was willing to be so generous with their time for a lowly first day intern.

After the service subsided, I helped with cleanup and helped repack the fish on ice, helped with putting things away, and organizing. As a final task, the Sous Chef pulled me aside and allowed me to help him take inventory for next day's order.

I left there feeling exhausted. After only one day, I have a deeper appreciation for what happens in the kitchen to create that beautiful plate that appears at the table. I was taken by the orchestrated dance I had witnessed on the line. A huge job made to look effortless by some very talented young chefs. Day 2 tomorrow....

Eager Beaver

I arrived at the restaurant to meet the Chef de Cuisine with my knives, jacket, shoes. I was ready for action..whatever that may be! The Chef was nice, cordial, young (32), and spelled out what my duties would be. When he found out that I am an airline pilot his response was "and you want to do this why?" I had to chuckle. I guess it is a very reasonable question. One which I could not really answer without

launching into a diatribe about the demise of the airline profession and the industry's abusive treatment of its employees (see I can't even write about it without going off!) So, I wisely sidestepped it and we discussed his plans for me. He let me know that it is imperative for me to begin my internship by doing the daily prep of vegetables to improve my knife skills. Precision and speed is the goal. Next he would probably move me to garde manger, and then a natural progression after that based on my aptitude. He is completely flexible with my schedule and will work with me on my hours. I couldn't ask for more. I was then introduced to one of the three Sous Chefs who will be my immediate "mentor". A very nice guy as well. I discovered that this kitchen is staffed by a crew of 9 who have all worked together for 3 to 5 years with little turn over. Looks like a happy kitchen.
After another tour of the kitchen I was told to report for my

first day on Monday. Back to the Jekyll and Hyde show .For now, the knives and chef jacket go in the closet and my flight bag and pilot uniform come out for my flight to JFK tomorrow.

Internship (stage)

Today I had an interview for internship at a nearby restaurant. As you may know, since my return from Paris, I have been trying to sort out where I fit in with this whole Chef thing. Should I keep it as fun in my own kitchen, should I explore it as a follow up career, a little of both? Am I too old? Am I being realistic? Upon my return from Paris, with a boundless naiveté, I decided to apply for internship at the French Laundry. Nothing like going for the Gold medal after 2 months of training! A couple months later after some creative letter writing, self-promotion, and anxiety I was denied. I was almost relieved because the thought of working in that kitchen terrified me. What if they would discover that I have absolutely no talent and I am a fraud? The vision of the rest of the kitchen staff constructing cutting edge cuisine in their spotless uniforms while I was hopelessly wrestling with my Hollandaise as food was flying all over the kitchen was my recurring nightmare as I waited for a response. That was 6 weeks ago.

Since then, the nightmares have ceased, I have regrouped

and applied once again to another place...a 1 star Michelin restaurant with an exciting menu of California-French dishes run by a French Chef. I realize that I need to see a professional kitchen before I can go on any further. I may love it, I may hate it, or as a friend said recently "You'll love it and hate it". I need to find out.

Today I met the Executive Chef for an interview and was elated to be accepted for the Stage. I was a bit self conscious as I was given a tour of the kitchen and introduced to everyone as the "new intern". The looks and eyes conveyed "who is this old guy trying to fool" or so it felt anyway. The kitchen was spotless and the facilities are beautiful. Most important for me, the Chef is willing to work around my schedule and essentially allow me to come in when I can. I could not ask for a better kitchen, location, and situation. Tomorrow I'll meet the Chef de Cuisine, a CIA grad ,who incidentally did work at the French Laundry for 3 years, to get the specifics of my job. Time to sharpen my knives!