As always, I am very proud of my students .
Tuesday, 25 April 2017
The Wall of Thanks at The Good Shepherd Street Mission
Every month possible my chef students go to The Good Shepherd Street Mission and serve clients their lunch and help prepare dinner. We welcome between 300 and 450 people each time we go. The pace is frenetic, the need almost overwhelming. After two hours of flat-out service my students have nothing left to give, physically or emotionally.
We are on the Wall of Thanks at The Good Shepherd...humble but delighted to be so as we have the chance to serve.
As always, I am very proud of my students .
As always, I am very proud of my students .
George Brown Chef School Visit
Inspiration ==> Perspiration ==> Inspiration ==> Perspiration ==> Inspiration ==> Perspiration ==> etc.
Once in a while it is important to remind one's self where the trajectory leads ... why the learning NOW is important so doors will open in the future. Having a vision is important, and a sense of the possible. This creates hope...and without hope we are nothing.
George Brown Chef School is one of the premier places to get a wide and solid grounding in Culinary Arts in Canada. From personal experience I can attest to the quality of programs AND the absolutely terrific support offered to students and graduates as the move is made into professional work and life. The Director of Chef School is Chef John Higgins, who always welcomes my students to a tour of their possible future with a wide smile, a strong handshake and gentle, wise advice.
We chatted with Chef Higgins then were welcomed into the kitchen of Chef Dario Tomaselli, who gave my students 15 minutes of professional time and encouragement as well as a specific look at a professional teaching kitchen at College. Keep a good work / life balance, he encouraged my students, and aim high ... very, very high ... you'll never know how far you can go.
Be willing to take risks, and always keep learning...you'll never be 'full'. See the rapt attention!
Then we were off to The Chefs' House Restaurant, the teaching restaurant operated by the students of Chef School.
Teaching Chef Oliver Li welcomed my students, then had one of the student chefs do a "Chef's Call" for us, 
teaching the front-of-house staff about the dishes on card, and features that are special. Thank you Chef Li!
This is what excellence looks like, and today my students learnt what it takes to be this good, this respected. That you, Chefs!
Once in a while it is important to remind one's self where the trajectory leads ... why the learning NOW is important so doors will open in the future. Having a vision is important, and a sense of the possible. This creates hope...and without hope we are nothing.
George Brown Chef School is one of the premier places to get a wide and solid grounding in Culinary Arts in Canada. From personal experience I can attest to the quality of programs AND the absolutely terrific support offered to students and graduates as the move is made into professional work and life. The Director of Chef School is Chef John Higgins, who always welcomes my students to a tour of their possible future with a wide smile, a strong handshake and gentle, wise advice.
We chatted with Chef Higgins then were welcomed into the kitchen of Chef Dario Tomaselli, who gave my students 15 minutes of professional time and encouragement as well as a specific look at a professional teaching kitchen at College. Keep a good work / life balance, he encouraged my students, and aim high ... very, very high ... you'll never know how far you can go.
Then we were off to The Chefs' House Restaurant, the teaching restaurant operated by the students of Chef School.
This is what excellence looks like, and today my students learnt what it takes to be this good, this respected. That you, Chefs!
Friday, 7 April 2017
Mid-Term Exams!! (Are We Nervous Yet??)
Aaaargh! Time for an exam!
First, the REALLY hard part ... the written part. I offered students all the instructions on how to make beautiful focaccia. All they had to do was put the 34 steps into perfect order.
Tough!
We practised yesterday by writing out, working in pairs, the instructions for two basic recipes requiring technique; making filled profiteroles,
and classical cheese risotto. Every pair wrote out the method of performing the recipe, and handed their writing to me. And waited a little whilst I took a look at their work ... then, with great glee I tore all the papers into small bits. Students blanched! 
"OK", I said, "Now just stand up, in your pairs, and TELL me what you wrote down. Everyone else add, correct or encourage the speakers." With some nervousness and glances at each other, every single student stood and spoke ... and had to do BOTH recipes.
Today, each pair of students was told to simply prepare a basic station for two chefs. then, after the morning announcements, each pair was told what to make ... with no paperwork, no access to phones ... no support EXCEPT each other.
They had 90 minutes from cold start to absolute finish, including cleaning their stations and having the place literally perfect.
Enough talk from me ... here are the results, in photos.
Every single student did VERY well ... almost all marks are in the 90s ... and I am delighted.
After the exam was over we sat all together in my office and talked about how they're feeling about being ready (or not), and how they feel their skills are developing, and their confidence in themselves.
Every single student has discovered a new confidence in themselves, in their skills and abilities to accept a challenge, trouble-shoot on the fly and think creatively while all the time keeping clear, focused communication with their partner. I asked them all to think back to the very first day ... "Make Me Cookies" ... and there was rueful laughter. 
Jacquane reminded us all how every cookie went into the trash ... they were, truly, awful.
Now? Wow.
We wound up with me presenting an alternative form of imagination and excellence to my chef students ... the amazing Maestro Cameron Carpenter, organist. (Listen and see Maestro Carpenter here.) He is a punk in style, but one of the world's best organists. He has taken oodles of classical training, then added his own sensibilities and style and made both the instrument ("The King" -- the mighty pipe organ) and the music his own. I shared with them also the fact that HE had a mentor, someone to follow ... and my students met the amazing Virgil Fox.
"Work towards being one of these two dreamers", I suggested. "Get a solid, solid training in the classics of your trade, and then reach beyond what you've been taught and make it truly your own."
Congratulations, all.
First, the REALLY hard part ... the written part. I offered students all the instructions on how to make beautiful focaccia. All they had to do was put the 34 steps into perfect order.
Tough!
We practised yesterday by writing out, working in pairs, the instructions for two basic recipes requiring technique; making filled profiteroles,
"OK", I said, "Now just stand up, in your pairs, and TELL me what you wrote down. Everyone else add, correct or encourage the speakers." With some nervousness and glances at each other, every single student stood and spoke ... and had to do BOTH recipes.
Today, each pair of students was told to simply prepare a basic station for two chefs. then, after the morning announcements, each pair was told what to make ... with no paperwork, no access to phones ... no support EXCEPT each other.
Enough talk from me ... here are the results, in photos.
After the exam was over we sat all together in my office and talked about how they're feeling about being ready (or not), and how they feel their skills are developing, and their confidence in themselves.
Now? Wow.
We wound up with me presenting an alternative form of imagination and excellence to my chef students ... the amazing Maestro Cameron Carpenter, organist. (Listen and see Maestro Carpenter here.) He is a punk in style, but one of the world's best organists. He has taken oodles of classical training, then added his own sensibilities and style and made both the instrument ("The King" -- the mighty pipe organ) and the music his own. I shared with them also the fact that HE had a mentor, someone to follow ... and my students met the amazing Virgil Fox.
"Work towards being one of these two dreamers", I suggested. "Get a solid, solid training in the classics of your trade, and then reach beyond what you've been taught and make it truly your own."
Congratulations, all.
Wednesday, 29 March 2017
Chefs Are Givers, and Takers too! We all need each other.
Chefs, taken as a group, can be slightly obsessed, slightly wild, slightly ... crazy?! We do things the hard way sometimes, but to a woman or man, we love to create, share and welcome others into the community we make. This week we have been privileged to welcome into Monarch Park the wonderful teacher, Chef Walter Herbst. 
Chef brought his decades of experience, his fundamentals of tough training through a 4-year apprenticeship in Austria, his decisions to come to Canada and take his chances ... and more than a few stories about chefs he's worked with, some of whom were just weird.
So, our students got an earful AND training in the fundamentals of pastry.
Starting with just four ingredients (water, butter and flour, followed by a few eggs) they learn to make choux paste ... and then work magic with it!
Take a few basic things and learn to play
... treat the results with heat, then tenderly fill the little balls up to make profiteroles,
injected with Chantilly cream lightly touched with flavour. After making them, letting them cool and counting them, we had about 117 profiteroles. Every one of them got filled 
and, by the end of lunchtime there was not a single profiterole left.
Most everyone looked a bit glazed over.
Check the concentration. Enjoy the result!
Then, just as a second tease to the palette AND the tongue, we made Black Forest Cake.
Black Forest Cake is a traditional dessert. It has room for little variation if done according to tradition, and in our kitchen this time we discouraged experimentation ... learn the basics, learn the fundamentals, appreciate the traditions ... THEN inject yourself into the creative process AFTER you've got the basics down pat. That is my rule, and Chef Herbst reinforced it with every example.
First, make a plain and very good chocolate cake in a springform pan. Make it slightly higher than usual, if possible, so the layers come out right and very visible.
Cool the cake overnight: A cake even slightly warm cannot be dressed with icing or any topping.
Today (Chef Herbst's third day with us) was all about the final finishing and decoration. New skills learnt included the use of a baker's comb and skillful manipulation of the piping bag. Start by taking the cooled cake and cut it in half laterally, then fill the inside cut with cherries in heavy syrup.
Then replace the top slice
Then ... Pride! check it out!!
Well done all.
And at the end, student chef Mariam offered Chef Herbst a thank-you on behalf of everyone.
There was no cake left...none at all.
Chef brought his decades of experience, his fundamentals of tough training through a 4-year apprenticeship in Austria, his decisions to come to Canada and take his chances ... and more than a few stories about chefs he's worked with, some of whom were just weird.
So, our students got an earful AND training in the fundamentals of pastry.
Take a few basic things and learn to play
injected with Chantilly cream lightly touched with flavour. After making them, letting them cool and counting them, we had about 117 profiteroles. Every one of them got filled 
and, by the end of lunchtime there was not a single profiterole left.Most everyone looked a bit glazed over.
Check the concentration. Enjoy the result!
Then, just as a second tease to the palette AND the tongue, we made Black Forest Cake.
Black Forest Cake is a traditional dessert. It has room for little variation if done according to tradition, and in our kitchen this time we discouraged experimentation ... learn the basics, learn the fundamentals, appreciate the traditions ... THEN inject yourself into the creative process AFTER you've got the basics down pat. That is my rule, and Chef Herbst reinforced it with every example.
First, make a plain and very good chocolate cake in a springform pan. Make it slightly higher than usual, if possible, so the layers come out right and very visible.
Cool the cake overnight: A cake even slightly warm cannot be dressed with icing or any topping.
Today (Chef Herbst's third day with us) was all about the final finishing and decoration. New skills learnt included the use of a baker's comb and skillful manipulation of the piping bag. Start by taking the cooled cake and cut it in half laterally, then fill the inside cut with cherries in heavy syrup.
Then replace the top slice
Then ... Pride! check it out!!
Well done all.
And at the end, student chef Mariam offered Chef Herbst a thank-you on behalf of everyone.
There was no cake left...none at all.
Saturday, 4 March 2017
Pasta ... Learning a New Skill !
The free-est chef is the chef who needs very few tools.
The free-est chef is the chef who knows technique.
The free-est chef is the chef who enjoys being skillful.
The free-est chef is the chef who only needs fresh ingredients.
The free-est chef has a few good tricks and bits of knowledge up her or his sleeve!
The free chef makes her / his own pasta AND can do something with it!
A classic of the 'pasta cuisine' is tortellini ... a simple pillow of pasta, made from one sheet, with a prepared filling. We have a contract for next week to prepare dinner for 80 or so members of the South Riverdale Community in Toronto, and we have proposed the following menu: Tortellini da Zucca, a Caesar salad with house croutons and a dessert of choice. (The client does not have a dessert preference, and Chef just got a great deal on a heap of Meyer lemons, so we're making semifreddo for 80!)
The big skill to be learnt is making tortellini ... after my students have the skill to do this, they can change the filing any way they want, and mess around with the size, and invent sauces ... no limits to a good young chef who has skills and techniques and imagination!
Here are the steps being demonstrated:
Prepare the filling of choice (in this case acorn squash with nutmeg and a tiny amount of pepper and even less crushed leaves of kasoori methi
Make long sheets of pasta
Use a piping bag to put 'spots' of filling along the pasta-sheets, one dot every 5 cm or so
Brush egg wash between the spots, and use this to seal the pasta after folding and creating pillows
Use two sizes of pasta-cutters (one to press and seal, the other to cut) and create filled individual pillows
Cut the pillows and fold the tiny tails
Lay out on sheets and chill for later service
We have to make about 600 tortellini, so we've practiced working as one big machine, each young chef doing one function and the whole brigade just going like blazes. It works!
This tray was produced in about 6 minutes...it is their very first try.
Well done everyone!
The free-est chef is the chef who knows technique.
The free-est chef is the chef who enjoys being skillful.
The free-est chef is the chef who only needs fresh ingredients.
The free-est chef has a few good tricks and bits of knowledge up her or his sleeve!
The free chef makes her / his own pasta AND can do something with it!
A classic of the 'pasta cuisine' is tortellini ... a simple pillow of pasta, made from one sheet, with a prepared filling. We have a contract for next week to prepare dinner for 80 or so members of the South Riverdale Community in Toronto, and we have proposed the following menu: Tortellini da Zucca, a Caesar salad with house croutons and a dessert of choice. (The client does not have a dessert preference, and Chef just got a great deal on a heap of Meyer lemons, so we're making semifreddo for 80!)
The big skill to be learnt is making tortellini ... after my students have the skill to do this, they can change the filing any way they want, and mess around with the size, and invent sauces ... no limits to a good young chef who has skills and techniques and imagination!
Here are the steps being demonstrated:
Prepare the filling of choice (in this case acorn squash with nutmeg and a tiny amount of pepper and even less crushed leaves of kasoori methi
Make long sheets of pasta
Use a piping bag to put 'spots' of filling along the pasta-sheets, one dot every 5 cm or so
We have to make about 600 tortellini, so we've practiced working as one big machine, each young chef doing one function and the whole brigade just going like blazes. It works!
Thursday, 16 February 2017
Catering For 50! This Brigade's First Challenge
We have been asked to cater for a group of 50 teachers tomorrow, providing an arrival snack, then refreshments throughout the day. The group is being trained in, and certified in, First Aid.
Our menu is, as always, limited by budget. We have about $2.25 per person. What to offer?
We have settled on an opener of Birchermuesli in individual cups,
Followed by focaccia fingers and our special smoked maple house hummus
To go with these we have built a variety of fruit trays for a quick pick-me-up
And an afternoon invigorator of mini cheesecakes and 2 kinds of coulis ... raspberry and orange.
Bon Appetit!
Our menu is, as always, limited by budget. We have about $2.25 per person. What to offer?
We have settled on an opener of Birchermuesli in individual cups,
Followed by focaccia fingers and our special smoked maple house hummus
To go with these we have built a variety of fruit trays for a quick pick-me-up
And an afternoon invigorator of mini cheesecakes and 2 kinds of coulis ... raspberry and orange.
Bon Appetit!
Being of Service to Others
Sometimes it is easy, TOO easy, to be a receiver of the work of others. It requires intentionality to be a giver, a supporter, engaged in listening.
Three afternoons this semester the whole brigade will be heading to the Good Shepherd Mission at Queen and Sackville to serve. We are offered this time and willingly take it, not as a burden but as a working challenge to ourselves. What does it mean to build community? To be in community?
Here is the group who attended to the needs of others this afternoon.
Many guests and workers at the Mission came to speak to me about how impressed they were by the character, the outstanding manners, the kindness and the care shown by each member of the brigade. I thanked each generous complimenter, and told them that this group of students has been with me for less than 2 weeks!
Respect!
Each one is a fine young person, and I commend them for their care.
Three afternoons this semester the whole brigade will be heading to the Good Shepherd Mission at Queen and Sackville to serve. We are offered this time and willingly take it, not as a burden but as a working challenge to ourselves. What does it mean to build community? To be in community?
Here is the group who attended to the needs of others this afternoon.
Many guests and workers at the Mission came to speak to me about how impressed they were by the character, the outstanding manners, the kindness and the care shown by each member of the brigade. I thanked each generous complimenter, and told them that this group of students has been with me for less than 2 weeks!
Respect!
Each one is a fine young person, and I commend them for their care.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)