Week 5 sem 2, plus Changes Changes Changes....(with pictures)

So I am about two weeks behind, but with good cause.

For Aromatics, we did a test run of the school's restaurant. My team was assigned the vegetables for the meals. Nothing too fancy...glazed carrots, sauteed zucchini, and sauteed mushrooms with onions.

As for our veg items, the carrots turned out well. The mushrooms and onions turned out well (though a little tardy...more in a moment). And the zucchini were mushy. I think the zucchini needed to be sauteed in small batches so that way they come out a little more firm and retain their color. But we were instructed, after verifying the recipe with chef, to place them all in a rondo at the same time. So basically with all the moisture in the pan at the same time, they came out tasting like they were boiled or simmered.

The mushrooms and onions were a little tardy because we needed to wait for the stuffed flank steaks to be seared first...so that way we could then sautee the onions/mushrooms in the same pan (a big self contained frying surface that can tilt to pour out liquids as needed--never did catch the name of this device--looked like a giant stainless steel tub or igloo cooler). They tasted fine.

As for Butchery, we FINALLY got to the long awaited Beef sessions. Nothing too exciting yet...just trimming the sirloin, pulling off the tri tip, then cutting steaks. Chef did, however, show us a hidden steak in the sirloin that is tender and juicy and the perfect size for sandwiches.

Now for the career change update. (long)

Way back in April, I saw a call for resumes on craigslist with a very respected French restaurant in town. I responded immediately and actually got a call from the sous. He explained that they were compiling a list of people to hire for after their summer vacation (the restaurant closes for July). But he liked my responses to questions he posed and said that he would be calling me back in July.

Things at this time were already getting tight financially, so I was forced to look at other options and put my time into job hunting over the summer instead of summer cooking classes. My goal for starting school was to give my resume some credibility so that I could enter a decent restaurant. But so far, nothing was panning out.

So, I looked at all sorts of jobs in CA (including non-cooking positions). Once I had some ideas of where to apply, I took a week long trip to CA to apply. And wouldn't you know it? The VERY FIRST DAY of jobhunting in CA (in fact, my very first hour of driving to jobs in CA) I get a call from another respected french restaurant in town wanting an interview. Further, my wife called letting me know I received a hand signed letter from the owner of that restaurant--a chef I truly admire. My final decision? With these encouraging contacts, I decided to refocus on local culinary jobs and interview with this restaurant.

So I came back home. And , of course, The VERY FIRST DAY back from CA while I am preparing to interview with this restaurant, I get a call from my old employer offering me a position (excellent, excellent pay). I honestly explained that I was interviewing shortly and was given until the end of the week to decide.

I attended the interview and it went extremely well. The sous said that he like me a lot and wanted to extend me an offer but needed to have a second interview in a couple of days (I assume with the GM? Exec chef?) and we set the appointment.

Based on this, I called my old employer and said that I would probably not be available since the interview was so promising.

Two days later, when confirming the second interview, I was told that the sous would not be available so to call back. When I called again, he was not there that day. When I called again, the sous didn't come to the phone and instead said to the person answering the phone that the second interview was canceled. When I asked whether that meant permanently canceled or temporarily, the guy on the phone couldn't tell me and couldn't pass the phone to the sous. I waited for some contact, but in the end I sent out thank you cards as this was obviously not going anywhere.

So at this point, I have withdrawn my CA applications for the restaurant jobs; I turned down a great paying job in my old field for this promising restaurant job; and now I am back to square one.

Remember that restaurant from April? I decided to give them a call, just to see the progress since we were nearing the end of July. The sous was pleased to hear from me again and proceeded to complete a full interview over the phone. At the end he said, "As far as I am concerned, I consider you on my team." But, the position wouldn't be open until early fall, October at the latest.

So, again, I wait. And we all know how the economy went between July and now. My wife is in the mortgage industry and had been able to weather the turmoil, but things were now ever MORE tight. I needed a job NOW, and I was back in school...hoping to make some sort of connections/contacts/etc. in the culinary field.

Finally, when things were so bad that I couldn't wait for the cooking spot to open, I called up the restaurant one last time to explain that I needed to move on. But before I could say anything, the sous said, "GREAT! Thanks for calling. It reminds me that I forgot to email you last night. Can you start with us on Monday?"

I was flabberghasted! And what great timing! I said "sure" and we made arrangements. I told my wife and we were so relieved. Later that day, I told her not to tell anybody just yet or else it will get jinxed. WIth my luck, I knew that I should not consider this job a done deal until my signature was on all the paperwork. Unfortunately, she had already spread the word a little bit.

Well, less than 24hours later, I get a voicemail from the sous that he had to withdraw the offer since the owner needed the spot for somebody else. Not blaming my wife, of course. This is just my usual kind of luck.

The next day, still in financial straights, I pumped myself up for returning to my old career. It was a hard task to come to grips with, and was emotionally draining, but I got the nerve up to start making calls to old contacts. Did NOT want to come to this, but it was needed.

Well, after getting all my energy and momentum going in this new direction (i.e. toward my old career), guess what? You guessed it, I get ANOTHER call from the sous who says that they are now ready for me again and could I come down.

A week earlier, I would have been jumping for joy. But now, being in need of more money than I would likely get from this job, and with all the momentum going a different direction, I was truly torn. And it came down to the old debate: money vs. desired career.

It was a long weekend of deciding and contemplating. We needed money, but isn't getting into a great kitchen like this the exact reason why we sacrificed so much? The timing was well beyond not being ideal, but isn't it worth the risk? If I passed this up now, how likely would it be that I EVER return to the culinary world?

After long discussions and encouragement from my wife, I called up the sous and accepted the position.

So, starting tomorrow (October 9), I will be FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY be working in a French kitchen full time. I am being put right to work on the line as the entremetier (vegtable cook).

I withdrew from my classes as they served their purpose (getting me into a classical kitchen). And, for better or worse, the blog will not deal directly with classes anymore...but I am sure that I will still have plenty to share about what I learn in the live kitchen.

My only two concerns: 1) Money (of course); and 2) Can my body take it?

In the original cheftalk diary of Logan Worley, he described the physical toll the career took on him as an older newcomer to the culinary world. He looked to be in better shape than me, so I just hope I can learn the best ways to cope and recover from the physical demands.

Well, I will keep you all posted. Please find pics, below, from my final classes:


Stuffed Flank Steak


Top Sirloin Whole


Step 1 Trim Top


Step 2 Trim Bottom


Step 3 Trim complete


Step 4 Pulling off Tritip


Step 5 Tritip off


Step 6 Divide into thirds


Step 7 Cut thirds into Steaks


Spot where hidden tender steak comes from. Chef doesn't know what it is called but loves it. You can see the actual steak in the photo of step 6...it is front and center of the photo.