Kitchen Management

Today was the first day of our two day final. I got to school a bit early today (no use waiting for the numbers on the clock to change, when there's work to be done), and worked with Chef Patricio to prepare the classroom for the day's activities. I set out cutting boards and bowls, all the power tools, and today's produce. We also received two salmon filets, some smoked duck, and two dozen oysters. Yesterday, the class had divided themselves into teams. Today, the teams reviewed our inventory, decided on a dish, cooked, and plated. (We made enough food for show plates, as well as for our regular class buffet.) My job was to keep people on track, problem-solve, make suggestions, find ingredients or equipment, and clean up all the time. Andrea said, "You must feel bad that you're not cooking," but I didn't. I cook almost every night, unlike my classsmates, and the supervisory/support role is one that I've grown comfortable in. Which is not to say it was easy: Chef Patricio has very high expectations, and he made sure everyone knew that the buck stopped with me. Everybody asked me for help and for advice. And everybody asked me to taste their food. I wasn't very hungry, by the time lunch came around.

Our appetizer was smoked duck tacos, thanks to Andrea and Derrick. The duck was easily prepared: sliced and seasoned, then heated up at the last minute. They spent most of the morning preparing the garnishes: an apricot/jalapeno salsa, guacamole, and pico de gallo. Andrea also made a cilantro cream sauce but she was unhappy with it and didn't use it for their final plating. They also fried the miniature taco shells, which was a bit time-consuming, but Jordan took one look at them and said, "Those are adorable!" Andy and Mario made a composed salad of mixed greens, artichoke hearts, blood oranges, and candied walnuts, all in a sesame-soy vinaigrette. Chef's only comment was that five blood orange sections is too many: "You're givin' them almost half an orange, and those blood oranges are expensive!" It was a really well-balanced salad, tart, sweet, and crunchy, and the artichokes added luscious body. Adam and Dava worked on butternut squash soup. I was somewhat concerned about this team, because Dava's been absent for a couple days and she's also quite slow; Adam is a believer in completing his mis en place before getting started, whereas I'm from the "Get the onions sautéing, then finish chopping" school of thought. But we had enough time for them to prepare their soup with time to spare. Chef showed them how to adjust the texture from baby-food purée to light and yummy, stirring in some non-fat milk and some butter right at the end.Jordan, Alex, and Meghan collaborated on the entrée, salmon with roasted red potatoes and asparagus in citrus vinaigrette. Alex whipped his salmon together in no time, baking it right before service, but Meghan seemed to take all morning to peel the asparagus, looking none too pleased about it all the while. But Chef complimented her on her fastidiousness ("The details are what sets you apart from the place down the street"), so no harm done. Jordan mixed his potatoes with grilled onions, bell peppers, and minced jalapenos before roasting them.
Silvia and Sarah presented a tart duo with vanilla ice cream. Sarah made apple-pear tarts with a walnut crumble topping, and Silvia's were raspberry and strawberry. Chef Patricio told the class that the berry pie was a bit tart for his taste, but he would gladly eat a second apple-pear one. After class, I told Silvia (truthfully) that I preferred the berry, and I thought it was just the Chef's preference and not a commentary on their quality. She looked at me and said, "He broke my heart." "I know," I said. "I could see it." She sighed and said, "I have to get better at hiding my feelings."