Greetings from Delaware

Howdy, folks!

I just found this site today and I'm quite excited to jump in.  My name is Rob and, as you can probably gather from the topic, I live in Delaware.

I currently work as a PHP/MySQL/Oracle web application developer for a state college as well as act as an adjunct faculty member for our computer science department.  One of the nice perks about working for the college is that if there's any classes I really want to take, I get to take them for free.  Sure, I have to pay for books and whatnot, but tuition-free learning has allowed me to explore a lot of my interests to a professional level.

Cooking is my latest venture. :)  I'm a 38 year-old father of two who's been behind the stove for the past 15 years of my marriage and even longer before that...  nothing formal really, but I do love to cook and try different classical techniques when I'm in the kitchen.  Since it really has been a life-long passion, I figured "why not formalize that knowledge?"  So, I pulled a few strings, filled out some paperwork and landed a spot in our culinary arts program.

Granted, between my work and teaching schedule (along with a multitude of other things I do), I'm doing this part time; one or two classes a semester.  I start on May 26th with my Sanitation class and I'm quite excited to get rolling...  

Being the techie/geek junkie I am, I've decided to actually blog and podcast about my experiences and classes.  Back in the day, I used to do some sound engineering for a buddy who worked at a radio station, so I broke out my microphones, fired up Adobe Audition and got the site up and running over the course of a few days.  I figure, aside from being a learning aid for myself, it can be a source for folks who've always wanted to know what culinary school was like but who don't have the opportunity or resources to attend themselves.  Feel free to check it out if you like:

http://culinarystudentpodcast.com/

In any case, I look forward to getting to know folks here!

~Rob

That's awesome!  We apparently live in the same county, but we've never crossed paths -- I'll have to make an effort to introduce myself, as I always love to network.

I particularly enjoy cooking -- so, proteins, sauteeing, broiler.  Granted, I haven't really had much experience with garde manger or saucier work, but I'm looking forward to it.  I didn't think I'd enjoy baking all that much, but I took the plunge and got a sheet pan and wound up doing my daughters' first communion cake using a high-ratio cake recipe I came up with after researching ratios.  Buttercream crumb coat, marshmallow fondant and my first attempt at piping out decorations which came out a lot nicer than I expected.

Now, I doubt I'll ever be as enthusiastic about delving into the world of a patissier as I am about putting meat on fire (*grunt grunt*), but I do like making a mean dark chocolate cupcake. :)

I appreciate the welcome and the conversation starters.  I will definitely take a look at all of what the site has to offer and hopefully contribute a bit of my own. ;)

Thanks!

Rob