Recently, my shop has had the blessing of being able to try truffles out. We had a box full of free samples come in which included, 3 fresh black truffles, a frozen box of summer black truffles, Black truffle oil, White Truffle oil, a truffle slicer, Truffle butter, and a book catalog about the company's process with truffles. I was amazed to see that we actually obtained such a spectacular present and to have the chance to even see what a truffle was. Chef Berman even said himself that this was...

(Sami "Say Yes!") So much has happened to tell about that I'm not so sure that one blog entry could hold it but I'll do my best.
An important aspect of becoming a chef or becoming a part of the industry in anyway is being open to, and experiencing, the many different facades of cooking as we know it. Becoming exposed to different styles and cultures, and how they affect even the way we cook here. Chef Sandro Capecci visited our kitchens in preperations for the Vendemmia Festival...

(Ashley) One word. Wow. Where do I start? Since the last time I wrote, a lot has been going on. We were graced with the presences of am Italian chef, taken a few trips to the Aquaculture farm, and the Philadelphia markets. In class we have covered all five mother sauces as well. My favorite to make was the béchamel, but the best taste by far was the marinara. I have also been involved prepping for SkillsUSA. Two other students and I compete in the Community Service part of the SkillsUSA program....

Hello everyone,

Well since the last blog, I have been taught a great deal of exciting techniques. Well to start off we’ve been learning about sauces. I learned a new technique called blanching. It usually deals with vegetables or fruits. The step of blanching is fairly simple.

• First boil water
• Add the vegetable or fruit to boiling water
• Remove briefly
• Finally place the item in a ice bath(this is the shocking stage of the process)

When the steps of blanching are complete...

Well in shop we have been working on techniques for sauces. Wednesday we worked on a marinara sauce which actually came out really well. I never made that sauce before and i only have seen it pre-made. This was a great experience for me because the sauce came out well and it had a better taste than previous marinara i have tasted. I really enjoy making any type of sauce and any soups. I think i will continue to expand on that area because i always enjoy it. I can't wait to learn more techniques...