Sunday, November 28, 2010

Another sunny day in paradise! I slept in just a little, skipped breakfast, then had lunch at the bar of the Lobster Grill. When you sit at the bar, you look out over the pool then out at the Caribbean and the island of St Thomas. Amazing-it's so beautiful. I took a walk on the beach, then had to get ready for work. I met Janee, the executive chef, in the kitchen. I also met Jesse and Drew who are line cooks (both culinary grads) and old Willie (he's 70 and still working!). After that, Janee gave me a tour of of the kitchen (Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore...). Not even close to what we are used to in the States. A good sized kitchen although everything is kind of old and apparently things break easily down here. I also got a tour of Iggie's, a smaller kitchen but a little newer equipment. Then on to the warehouse. The resort has a purchasing director and they pull from their own supplies rather than totally depending on a supplier tomsend them everything at the last minute. Everyone so far has a been very friendly and nice.

Once the tour was over, Janee had me make some Avocado-Corn Salsa (3/4 of a green pepper, 1/2 a red pepper, 1/2 onion, 1 tomato, deseeded and 3 small avocados. Small dice all of them, then add key lime juice, salt, pepper, granulated garlic and cumin to taste. Serve with fish or protein ofnyour choice.). It turned out well, I think. After that, she went over the new menu she worked up. It premieres in two weeks. It's the first new menu have had in at least two years, so they are very excited. They are serving some of the new dishes as specials until that time. I also worked hot line and the appetizer stations today. I have lots to learn! We finished service at 9am, then made outnown dinners (or rather Janee made me stuffed pork tenderloin then we added mashed potatoes and broccoli. Janee told me that the natives eat very few vegetables, mostly starches. Very interesting....

We cleaned the kitchen before our day was done so the morning crew would have a clean space to work in. I walked out to the bar to ask for plastic silverware and Harry and Denise (the restaurant manager) felt I needed an alcohol drink after my long day in the kitchen,lol. Besides silverware, I left with a rum punch. Yeah!!

Then back to my room to shower, then eat (hot work in the kitchen) and talk with Jordan. Now I think it's time to get some sleep. I will be working the 2-10pm shift. This week I have Tuesday and Sunday off. So far, so good!

The picture is one I took Saturday as I walked around the grounds. I was walking away from the Lobster Grille toward Iggie's Beach Bar.

Friday, November 26, 2010

I'm back! I had a very nice Thanksgiving with Jordan, my sisters Janell and Michele-her husband, Mark and son, Dylan and my mom, who is spending the winter in LA. I have been a little apprehensive about coming out here the last week or so. I think I just wanted to stay in one place for a while. Excited but nervous at the same time. Today, I flew out of LAX to come out to St Thomas, and here I am!

I took American Airline and we landed in Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas at 9:15pm. I collected my luggage (two large bags, with two carry-ons) then got a taxi out to Bolongo Bay. I was in a taxi with about 8 other people going to different places. We had dropped off about half the taxi when they had a black out over most of the island. I'm not sure if this is a regular occurrence or not! It sure gets dark around here!! Thankfully, Bolongo and most of the other resorts have generators. I was greeted with a rum punch and everyone so far has been sooooo nice. Everyone was told I was coming so have been introducing themselves to me. I met Janee (ja nay), the executive chef here. She is also a cook street grad. She said I will be working with her, doing banquets, pantry and baking bread. "Fun stuff"! I am excited. My room is off the hotel lobby in what they call the cheaper section, at least for tonight. Not sure where I will end up long term.

I will give you all a full report tomorrow. I did, however, get something to eat at Iggie's Beach Bar after I checked in. Sitting in the outdoor restaurant/bar, listening to live music, looking out over the bay with the surf rolling up on the sandy beach, WOW! Can't believe this will be "home" for the next four months.

The picture is 007, one of the bartenders at the Lobster Grille. He got his name because he likes Sean Connory and James Bond, lol. At least that's the short version!

www.bolongobay.com

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Well, here I am back in Reno, trying to decide what it is I am going to do with my new education. A friend told me he thought I should summarize my school and European education, so I will give that a try, lol. I surprised myself in that I thought I learned the most in my Garde Manger rotation. I learned how important good stock is to the complexity of a dish. I learned charcuterie, even though I had no idea exactly what it was at the beginning! I learned how to make a terrine, how to roast veal bones for the maximum amount of flavor. I also learned the importance of tasting as you go, so that the finished product tastes so good, nothing more needs to be done to make it better. And I learned when to stop and let a dish sit so the flavors could meld, so that you did not over season it. I learned something in every rotation, but GardMo is still my favorite. Going into the program, baking and pastry was my favorite, so I surprised myself. I still enjoy baking, don't get me wrong!

I can carry on an intelligent conversation about wine. While visiting my friend Betty, we were out with her husband, Don, for dinner and I was teaching Don about wine flights. Our waitress came over and was so impressed with me, I had to laugh. I almost thought she was talking about someone else! I had to tell her I just finished culinary school, and that seemed to explain everything! Who'd have thought?

So now, I need to decide what to don with my education. Work in a restaurant, or a bakery, start my own business, work for someone else, or take the internship in St Thomas? Not sure yet. As soon as I know, I'll pass it on!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Friday we went to Brock's in downtown Fredericksburg for lunch. All Betty's sisters were there and her mom, and one niece. They all wanted to see me! How nice is that? We had a great time. After lunch we walked around downtown a bit. Some stores have close, some new ones opened since last time I was here. There are still quite a few antique stores. E weather, ore than the one day it rained, has been about 70. Amazing!

Yesterday Betty felt well enough to take a hike along the Rappahannock. It was a beautiful day! Don, her husband went with us.

Tonight is Halloween. Betty and Don get quite a few trick or treaters, of all sizes, lol! The little ones are so cute! I have been cooking and baking, trying to stock up their freezer with meals. Some of Don's family came today to visit and were treated to a nicer meal than they ever expected, lol. Roast pork, roasted potatoes and broccoli. Chocolate cookies with chocolate chips for dessert. Anyway, it was nice to meet them all.

Happy Halloween to everyone!

Wednesday, October 28, 2010

I am finally feeling a little more normal since arriving back in the States. It didn't seem so hard going to Italy and adjusting to the time difference but coming back was another story! The weather in Fredericksburg has been in the low 70's, not what I was expecting for fall! The air here seems "heavy" though, no other way to describe it. Yesterday there were ton ado warnings for half the day-didn't expect that either! Rained cats and dogs too.

I have my first "gig". Personal chef for Betty and her husband Don. I am cooking up a storm to stock their freezer with meals for after I leave. It's been fun cooking again, and it helps that the audience is very appreciative! Both us girls have been resting up otherwise. I'll be in Fredericksburg till next Tuesday. It's been very nice spending time with Betty.

Thanks again for every one's support these last months. I just found out I did pass my chef course! Diploma is in the mail! Yeah! :-)

Monday, October 25, 2010

Oh, dear! I have two days to catch up on!

Sunday Alta and I slept in and were eating breakfast at our hotel when Cris and his partner showed up. They wanted to don some sightseeing, so off we went! Our first stop was their hotel to pick Chris's sister, then a quick stop at a pastry shop (like I said, no one does pastry quite like the French!) and off to the Palace Gardens. They flank one end of one of the many palaces in Paris and are on the way to the Louvre. From the train/Metro station there, you can see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc d'Triumpe and and so many other things, I can't begin to name! Our next stop was the Louvre, that houses the famous Mona Lisa. Then a stop at Cafe Fregate for un cafe and a light lunch. Then off to the Musee d'Orsay down the river, another art museum. They have fantastic life-size statues of several jungle animals (an elephant and a rhinoceros). Then it was on to the Eiffel Tower. I'd forgotten how large it is! We got there too early to see it lit up but it is still impressive. We were so cold that Alta and I took a taxi back to our hotel. We happened to get a driver who spoke quite good English. Turns out he met his American girlfriend in his taxi and learned English from her and from listening to American music (I still am surprised by the number of places that play constant American rock and roll!). He calls himself the karaoke taxi, lol. Dinner that night was at Cafe Renato, an Italian(!) restaurant down the street from our hotel. Turned out to be pretty good! We both had lasagna with Bolognese sauce.
Then it was back to our hotel to pack.

Monday was up early to take a cab to Charles de Gaulle Airport. We both flew out on British Airway. The flight from Paris to Heathrow. At Heathrow, we had to go thru security again. Security appears to be very tight at Heathrow. The flight from London to DC was uneventful. Did you know that on Transatlantic flights they still serve a hot meal to guests? That was new for me! Betty and her husband picked me up at the airport and we drove back to Fredericksburg. Sure is nice to see Betty again! Now for a week of R&R!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

This was our last cooking day. We met Denis and Eric at the market to shop for lunch today. They are very nice guys, very helpful. It is amazing what is at the markets here in Paris. The fruits and vegetables are beautiful as are the fresh meats and seafood. Amazing! Why can't we get produce like this in the States? I don't know!

After that, it was back to the school to separate and each group make their portion of lunch. I was in the group that was making the first course. We had gotten four kinds of mushrooms at the market: Chanterelles, Shitake, Oyster and Portabello mushrooms. We also stopped to get some sherry and creme fraiche. We cleaned and chopped the mushrooms then cooked them separately to remove their water. Then we tossed them together and sauteed them in butter and salt and pepper. We then added the mushrooms, vegetable stock, butter, cream and a little sherry to a stock pot and let it simmer. After about an hour or so, we pureed the soup and let it sit for a while. We mixed up a savory Zabaglione using egg yokes and sherry and cooked it over the stove. We added the Zabaglione to the soup right before serving. To garnish then soup, we made whipped egg white and mushroom quenelles and poached them in water, drained hem and set them aside. We chopped some watercress into a chiffonade. We also made little toasts of a baguette topped with olive oil and baked. When it came time top plate, two ladles of soup, one quenelle, a dollop of creme fraiche, two small mushroom caps, chopped watercress and the toast at the top. It turned out quite well! The main course was two tone pasta with shrimp, scallops and muscles. Also good. Dessert was a fruit tart made with orange pastry cream and a large variety of fresh fruit. Figs were also on the plate next to the tart as well as a raspberry coullis.

We gave gifts to the chefs and we got a booklet of the last week's recipes as well as a Chef Martial apron that had our name embroidered on it. Very nice!

Last night we had our celebratory dinner at Brasserie Flo so thAt people could take Saturday night to pack and get ready to leave on Sunday. Brasserie Flo has been around for about 100 years. Lots of old wood, stained glass, chandeliers, painted plaster, etc. The food was excellent. I had French Onion Soup, as did several other people (how can you be in Paris and not try French onion soup?!). I had Escargot as a second course with bread to sop up the garlic butter that the snails had been cooked in. Yum! The wine both in Italy and France has been wonderful. Great wine at a fraction of the cost in America. This as been a wonderful time, with a few ups and downs. I stay another day in Paris then leave on Monday. Alta is also staying until Monday. We are going to try to see at least one museum and the Eiffel Tower. Going to take it easy though. Bon Soir!