Federal Offense Part II: New Blood

    (Play for background music)

2010: The mystery of which college roommate put peanut butter in the refrigerator goes unsolved (see Federal Offense post to read all about it...its probably my greatest post to date just so you know).

2012: A new crime is committed. One far more sadistic and diabolical than the original. And the culprit is still at large.

April 25, 2012: The league of crime stoppers are called back to solve the case....

    A couple of months ago I noticed a side towel missing from my laundry. Whenever you put laundry in the wash someone will inevitably take it and put it in the dryer for you because everyone is vying for the washer spots. A kind gesture, until one of my side towels went missing (they're like gold around here). I assumed it got mixed in with someone's pile of laundry by mistake, which happens from time to time. There was a time when I was folding laundry and found a red laced thong amongst my clothing. Oops? Clothing stuck in the washer or dryer can cling to your laundry everybody knows that, so I didn't think a missing side towel was devious in nature until it happened again...
    Last week I put a load of my chef uniforms in the wash late at night because I had run out and needed a clean uniform for class at 5am the next morning. I put my wash in the dryer and planned to pick it up right before bed. I grabbed my laundry and brought it back to my room to begin laying out my uniform for the next morning. I noticed another side towel missing and thought it simply got mixed with another load of laundry. Then I noticed that more things were missing. The joker also took my ONLY apron and neckerchief. To make matters worse they took my GOOD side towel and left behind the one that was burned with a giant hole in the middle. They were toying with me...

Wait...someone steals...laundry?

    Here it is, past midnight and I had one burned side towel and no apron or neckerchief for class less than six hours away. Fuck this guy. Luckily my roommate was still awake and let me borrow his apron and neckerchief until I could go buy new ones. The following afternoon after class I walked into the bookstore to purchase my stolen goods. The neckerchief was bulky and difficult to tie, and the apron had strings that weren't long enough to tie in the front; forcing me each day to ask someone to tie my apron for me (I can't tie a loop behind my back tight enough). Everyday I am forced to wear my thick neckerchief and untieable apron, and everyday I am forced to remember that some Jabroni stole my shit. "They didn't just take my things...what they took was my piece of mind!"

I wouldn't even steal laundry...

    If anyone has any information on this laundry bandit, or know who it is, I don't want my stuff back. I just want you to punch them in the face for me...and then stub their toe because, I mean WHO DOES THAT? My old college roommates and I were robbed twice in Buffalo while we were home for break and those robbers actually took real things (except for paint supplies and a carpet washer...I still donno what that was about?) They took TVs, a tool set, my boss speakers + subwoorfer , printer, my expensive watch, etc. Although we were all pissed at the time, those were REAL things you steal. You don't steal LAUNDRY! That's just evil...

"But he stole my LAUNDRY!"

Notes From the Editor: "Things Done Changed"

    By now you are all well aware that every few weeks or so I take a prolonged hiatus from this blog. I am sure the rumor mill has been churning amongst my fellow readers; who, out of desperation conjure up elaborate explanations in order to rationalize the mysterious disappearance of their king...

"I herd he couldn't handle the pressures of constantly producing funny, relevant material so he fled to Africa...or was that Dave Chappelle?"

"Well I herd he was in jail for liberating the tigers from the zoo because voices in his head said so..."

"You guys are so STUPID! He's clearly in the wildernesses of Australia on a personal 'walkabout' in order to find himself!" *sucks inhaler*

(Collectively): "Yeah that's probably what he's been doing..." 

    The truth is, I'm not gonna try and force new posts on you everyday just because. Sometimes my life becomes more hectic and busy and my blog is going to reflect that. Sometimes I don't have enough material or much to talk about and don't want to force it. Sometimes I'm tired, and just don't feel like putting in the time it takes for me to create these posts (I spend hours on some of these).

    When I started this food blog over a year ago the goal was to capture my ever growing curiosity and love for food. But it has become so much more than that. This blog has become an extension of myself. An extension of who I am. I want people to read these things and if they get nothing out of it other than "Yep. That's him alright", then I'm fine with that. But I'm not just going to force something everyday just to keep it going. Sometimes I just need to take a step back, reflect, gather new material and then bring it again. Always changing. That's how I want to run this blog, because that's how I run my life.
   With that being said, I am back from my sacred Hajj to Mecca, and poised to share with you stories from my travels. Stay tuned! 

Laugh It Up, Jabroni

    Chef Riley is thankfully not as scary as our initial impression made him seem.  Chef Riley has a very calm voice when he gives each team their directions. Even when something goes wrong, he does not scream, yell, or tell you "your a screw up" (censored version) the way other chefs do. This is not to say, however, that he does not thoroughly enjoy messing with us. He has a way of making up elaborate lies and gets us to agree with him unquestionably. When he messes with you his face exhibits that same calm, collected demeanor. That's how he lures you in. You cannot distinguish between his serious face and his "I'll get you to believe whatever I say" face. 

"Go aheed an tri tu reeed my pokair face comrade"

EXAMPLE 1: Chef Riley gathered me and the rest of the protein/sauce team and began explaining how he wanted us to clean mushrooms.

Chef Riley: "Ok so I want you to fill up a sink and add enough flour to the water until it becomes milky, then add the mushrooms and let them sit. The dirt will sink to the bottom and you will pick up the clean mushrooms with a spider strainer. Now, why do we add flour to the water chefs?"
                       (looking straight at us)
Team: "Uhhhhhh..."
Chef Riley: "Well the process is very interesting actually. The CIA has very special sinks with thick bottoms. The flour reacts with the metal in the sink to create a magnetic pull. This process physically pulls the dirt off the mushrooms and when the dirt sinks to the bottom is is magnetically stuck there. Whats even more interesting is that this magnetic force makes the water circle around in a clockwise motion almost like a mini tornado."
Team: "Woahhhh"
Me: "THAT'S INCREDIBLE CHEF!!! Is there a name for this process??"
Chef Riley: "Yeah...its called, your all idiots for believing every word I say. I cant believe the four of you actually believed all that"

    He continued on to explain that the real reason why the flour is used is because it acts as an abrasion which subtly scrubs the dirt off the mushrooms (still kinda cool). Riley told us that the reason why he made up the story was because simply telling us how to do it would only give us one way of looking at things--the correct way. The purpose of the whole thing was to get us to try and look at things from different angles. To see why some things work and why other things do not work. Chef Riley: 1, Team: 0

"I can't believe you fell for that"

EXAMPLE 2: So I am searing off giant boneless pork loins (which we fabricated) in an even larger machine called a "tilt skillet" (a massive flattop that tilts to drain off all the oil and such) just as chef directed when he walks over to me.
Chef Riley: "WHY ARE YOU SEARING THE PORK FAT SIDE DOWN FIRST!?!?!"
Me: "Because that's how your supposed to do it chef?"
CR: "What would make you think that??"
Me: "I donno, I guess I was misinformed chef...I won't happen again" (its best not to give excuses to your chef, just admit you made a mistake and move on)
CR: "No, explain it to me. I want to know why you chose to do something like this!"
Me: (clearly wetting my pants now) Well you always sear the fat side down first chef. You want to render the fat first so when you flip it over you get all that flavor and rendered fat to help sear better...right?"
CR: "Your sure that's what your supposed to do?"
Me: "I thought that's how you do it chef. I thought that's how they taught us. I am wrong. I'll fix it next time chef."
CR: "No you were right, but by prodding you a little bit I was able to get you to change your answer, even though you were correct. Be confident in your explanations."
 Chef Riley: 2, Me: 0

    Although I was right the first time chef decided to mess with me. I gave a good explanation but his relentless poker face made me change my mind and make me think I was wrong. Riley doesn't just mess with you for the sake of messing with you. He messes with you so you understand why you do things. Every story he makes up, everything he does to try and throw you off your groove is so that you learn something in the process. He is not just doing these things for "shits and giggles". I really value that about him. Still, between the mushroom fiasco and the proper meat searing he made us look like a bunch of jabronies...

 Jabroni: (noun) Made famous by the wrestler/actor Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson

1.  One who is not good at his chosen profession or current task.
2. a wrestler with no shtick, no costume, and a lame name like "john evans", going up against a real wrestler lkie "hulk hogan" or "the rock". a jabroni may get in a couple good moves, may even get into a 'near-pin' situation, but will ultimately lose. why? he's a fuckin' jabroni!
3. a poser, one without an identity.
4. fodder for the ring. see 'dead meat'
                             (Thanks to www.UrbanDictionary.com for the official definition)

    During service Chef overheard Eric and I talking about hooping it up after class and he inquired if we would like to challenge him to a friendly game of basketball. We happily accepted. "Alright, I put you in my planner for Wednesday 3 O'clock. You guys better show up now", Riley boasted before going to mess with someone else.
     The way I see it, how he would perceive us in class from here on out heavily weighs on how well we handle ourselves on the court. If we show some swagger on the court he will know we are coordinated in the kitchen and in turn view us as better cooks. If we loose, well we're just a bunch of Jabronies after all..."Friendly game" my ass. There is just too much at stake here! We'll see who gets the last laugh Chef Riley... 

   

"Chef, your so screwed"

Tighten Up!

    This week I started a new class: Modern Banquets. Our class has gotten to the point in the curriculum now where they don't fool around. It has been six weeks since I have been able to actually cook anything (3 weeks of meat and fish fabrication each) and I can't tell you how good it feels to be back in a full kitchen again. The primary reason why things become serious now is because our class is now cooking for the school. No not the part of the school where old women get all dressed up and take a tour bus to our campus to dine in any of the 4 critically acclaimed restaurants plus the cafe--Apple Pie. I won't be cooking in those restaurants until the end of my time here at the CIA. No, what my class and I are doing right now is preparing buffet-style lunch for the students and facility.
The last time our class was actually cooking together was Skills I aka Culinary Fundamentals with Chef Speckamp!!! Love that guy! So old school, so German. He always has a witty come back no matter what you say. For example, I was chosen to serve the Yankee Pot Roast out of one of the chaffing dishes during service on Monday and Speckamp rolls through. He walks over to our current chef (I'll get to him in a minute), and they converse to each other in German, laughing in tongues I could not understand. I just assume they were singing our praises (but probably not). Chef gets to my section, the last on the line and I whisper to him in a joking manner, "hey chef I gave you a few extra pieces...but don't tell any of the other chefs or they'll all want extras" he smiles and quickly replies "Yes Peter, this will be our little secret" and winks before vanishing out of the kitchen. BOSS.
     As I was saying, the last time we cooked together as a class we were just preparing dishes for Chef Speckamp to taste and grade. Now students are using their meal swipes to eat my food. Its a big step. In skills, you could have a sub-par dish and only one person would taste it--Chef Speckamp; who would simply give you a lower grade. In banquets, however, if you make a sub-par dish you have to serve that to hundreds of hungry culinarians. This is there lunch!
    Each week the class is divided into 4 stations: soups/apps, veg/starch I, veg/starch II, and protein/sauce. My team was chosen for protein/sauce this week (easily the hardest station in the kitchen because of all the things you have to get done before service). At the CIA you always hear rumors about your next chef, and all the horror stories that go along with the next class. Every chef tries to intimidate the students the first day, and Chef Riley did so to perfection. We're all waiting outside of the kitchen when Chef Riley shows up. We all say "good morning, chef!" in our enthusiastic culinary student voices but Riley says nothing. He just walks past everyone, unlocks the door to the kitchen and slams it behind him. Everyone went dead silent and I thought to myself "Oh f_ _k!, hommie don't play..."

    If first impressions are everything, then the first impression my class had of Chef Riley is that he is going to eat us ALIVE! Its the first time our class would be cooking together in six weeks. Naturally we're all going to be a bit rusty when it comes to cooking. Couple that with the fact that our class has had some bumps in the road in terms of getting along, and you got yourself one recipe for disaster soup...Time to "tighten up!" The phrase tighten up has been universally adopted by almost everyone in our class to basically say to people, "get your shit together". If everyone is laughing and chatting loudly in the hallway before class and our lookout sees our chef approaching, typically "HEY, TIGHTEN UP!" will be uttered amongst the ranks.

Note from the Editor:

• I want to continue to talk about my new class, but I figured if I dragged this post out any longer that my readers would loose interest so I will cut this post off here and continue on in the next few posts. Consider this post the refresher course for what is to come. 

• I have chosen not to make this class a multi-part "series" the way I did with meat fabrication (and failed to do for fish) because I did not want to force myself to write something about the class for every single day; but mainly because I could not come up with a clever title for a series involving banquets...

"No You Ahh!" EMP Edition, Part II

Due to length I have decided to break up my St. Patty's Day themed recollection of my EMP stage into two parts. Read Part I if you have not already.

    After chef Kent gave me a schooling on how to steep garlic to loosen it from its papery shell, they had me watch service from a corner to see how plates were assembled before going out. I was also placed in the Garde Manger station to taste hors d'oeuvres and ask questions. I was able to taste a few things my friends and I were given when we came to eat at EMP in January. It was fascinating to see some of the things we ate being plated and understanding how they came together. After a while Chef James Kent motioned me over to speak with him. It was the first time I saw him since my whole garlic debacle. I was toast. He explained to me that every stage has to cook for the chefs (this was the moment I had prepared for, I knew it was coming). He told me I had a half hour to cook a perfect French Omelet for him and could stuff it with whatever I felt like. I thought I would be cooking the French Omelet for him first thing in the afternoon as sort of a "Hi, nice to meet you, this is the kitchen now go make me a French Omelet" kind of thing. No, I was making the omelet at 10:30 at night, in the middle of service.
    When he said "GO" I spent the first 5-10 minutes pacing back and forth in the walk-in thinking of what to put in it...but mostly freaking the hell out. I decided to keep it simple. Nothing crazy to try an wow Chef Kent, just simple. I wanted to focus on the omelet without getting too caught up in adding crazy ingredients. Making the omelet perfectly would wow him just enough I thought. I grabbed some fresh spinach from the 1st walk-in before heading into the 3rd to grab goat cheese. I asked one of the Sous Chefs if I could borrow 2 burners to saute my spinach and cook my omelet for Chef Kent. He told me I definitely could but had to move fast since the second dinner rush was coming in. This only added to the pressure.
     I got two skillets hot and beat my eggs. Sous chefs on the line were watching me and it made me sweat big time. I had my mis en place set up and ready to go. When I dropped some butter into my omelet pan it immediately turned brown. Crap. Start over. My second go around I sauted the spinach and started making my omelet just like the Pepin video. I was visualizing every step in my head as I went along. Chef Kent came over, arms folded and watched me attempt the omelet. When Sous Chefs saw Chef Kent approach me a few of them started watching as well. "This has to be a record. I've never seen this many chefs watch a stage make an omelet before" Chef Kent said, clearly trying to throw me off my game (and doing a good job of it I might add). I could here James Kent faintly whisper to one of his Sous Chefs that it was clear I had been watching the Pepin video. I couldn't help but smile to myself that I at least did one thing right. My first actual attempt at the omelet went down in flames. The egg stuck to the bottom of the pan so I couldn't fold the sides over. It looked like dog food, and Chef Kent was watching the whole time. He told me what I had done wrong and I paid close attention so I would not repeat the same mistake. The Sous Chef on the line was subtly helping me with small details mainly because I think he wanted me off his line so he could get ready for the inevitable second dinner rush. Regardless, his assistance was integral even if he was trying to intimidate me as well.
    My next attempt I got the omelet where I wanted it before I folded in the sides to make it look oval-shaped. I put in my sauted spinach and goat cheese and folded in the ends on the lip of the pan (the rounded part). To my dismay the second fold had a small section that had browned. In a classic French Omelet there should be 100% NO BROWNING what so ever. By now I was a few minutes over my 30 minute limit and was ready to quickly bang out my last attempt but the Sous Chef told me he needed the burners for service. I had to plate it regardless. I inverted the omelet onto the plate and was told to put it on the pass with the rest of the dinner plates for Chef Kent to evaluate. Here I am, putting a sub-par French Omelet on the pass right next to flawlessly executed EMP dishes. I was mortified. 
     I knew the whole time the French Omelet was coming. I mean, I read, reviewed my notes and watched the Pepin video 30 times. I couldn't be more prepared!! There's a sharp contrast, however, between practicing it and actually making it in the EMP kitchen in front of Chef Kent. 

This is how I felt about the Omelet going into it (swagger)

And this is how I felt about the Omelet after I had finished it...(swagger deflated)

    I couldn't bare to look as Chef Kent approached me with my plate. He told me that minus the slight browning in the corner I actually did a good job. "This is good. It's nice." Chef Kent stated, before eating a sliver. One of the Sous Chefs tasted a bite and told me they've seen much worse (which was slightly reassuring). I tried a bite myself before cleaning my area and preparing for my one-on-one talk with James Kent in his office.

For the sake of keeping with the Boston/Irish St. Patty's theme...The Town

    To be clear here, it was not an interrogation, but when you in a tiny office, face to face with Chef James Kent, arguably one of the best chefs in America right now (Chef Daniel Humm was out of town for the weekend for those who were wondering where he was this whole time) you cannot help but feel intimidated. We spoke for awhile, and I told him I was looking for an externship. When he asked me where else I had staged, I was hesitant to tell him this was my first one. He said something along the lines that I had balls for choosing EMP for my very first stage. In his office I froze up again. I couldn't speak, or be myself (something I struggled with the entirety of the day). I had planned to tell him how eating there changed my life. How even a dish a simple as the veloute (a basic soup made from chicken stock) intrigued me for months. I was going to go into immense detail about that night the six of use dined at EMP but I just couldn't. I was a brick wall. I gave short answers without elaboration, and looked noticeably tense. When our talk was over I stuck around until 1am or so cleaning, and helping chefs breakdown their stations.

Imagine the last word saying "cook" rather than "cop" and that's how I felt when I left...

   I thanked James Kent for the opportunity and told him we would speak again soon before making the rounds, thanking all the Sous Chefs who had helped me along the way; mainly Tim the Chef on the fish line who I worked with most of the day.
    I left EMP at 1:30am feeling slightly defeated. I planned the entire week prior my stage and still got my ass kicked. Right from the start I was knocked off kilter and struggled the entire evening to regain my footing. My French Omelet was not as good as the first one I made way back in Skills and I looked like a fool in the kitchen. I just got rocked. I don't know how else to describe it.

    At this point I should probably point out that these two posts were not intended to shit on the EMP staff in any way or whine about a bad day I had. I am merely recalling the events of my very first stage as I remember them. I know full well that most of the time chefs were trying to intimidate me while also reminding me that the restaurant has a level of perfection they must maintain. Obviously this post makes it seem all bad, but in actuality there were a few things I did manage to do well. I got rocked but I still come away with tons of valuable experience, and knowledge. I know that as a first stage, especially at a restaurant of EMP's caliber I am going to face these trials and tribulations. I got to see one of the finest kitchens in America, if not the world, in action, and I got to work alongside some of the finest chefs. I am forever grateful to the Eleven Madison Park staff for taking me under their giant wing and allowing me to stage with them. Learning from my mistakes and working to become faster and better are things I came away with after my stage. These are things I can carry with me for the duration of my culinary career. So it was not all bad, in fact I enjoyed it. Its strange you know? You have to be a certain type of person to enjoy this stuff. It takes a certain type of bread to actually enjoy getting knocked down like that. A good ass-kickin will tell you more about yourself than a narrow victory ever will in my opinion...

"No You Ahh!" EMP Edition, Part I

One of the best-worst horror movies ever: "leprechaun"

   

    Today is St. Patty's Day and instead of enjoying the nice weather and "celebrating" my very small fraction of Irish heritage with friends I am confined to my room due to illness. A few days ago I came down with some sort of bug--hot/cold chills, sweating, headache, lack of appetite, etc. There were times where I would be freezing so I would burrow under my blanket then I would start burning up so I would have to kick the blanket off in the middle of the night.

Indeed...

     I am feeling  better minus the no appetite so I hope this is my last day of recoperation. Last weekend I did a culinary "stage" or trail/shadow at Eleven Madison Park and in the spirit of St. Patty's I will recount the events using pictures and GIF's from The Departed and other heavily Irish-influenced movies...
     Two weeks ago I tossed up a hail marry pass to Eleven Madison Park (EMP from here on out) hoping to get a chance to do a stage (pronounced "staj") with them; and maybe land an externship. Well long story short they caught my resume & cover letter in the endzone to win the game. I would be doing a stage the following weekend....
    The whole week leading up to EMP I was numb to the world. I shut everything off. I did fine in fish class, and played basketball most nights to keep my wondering mind occupied. One night while ballin' my friend Brad had mentioned he knew someone who had externed at EMP a few weekends back. "That's it!?!" I said. "You can't leave me hangin' like that! Did she say anything about it??" Brad's face switched from a laughing demeanor to one of the "your so screwed" type. He leans in almost in a whisper and says, "they made her cook for the chefs..." My heart sunk to the floor and bounced around like the basketball I was holding.
"What do you mean they made her cook for the chefs?" "Well they had her cook a French Omelette with a filling, and gave her a half hour to do it" Brad explained. "Whats crazy though" he continued, keeping me on edge every second of the way. "Whats crazy is that they didn't let her use a nonstick pan...she had to use a regular metal skillet" Immediately I thought to myself "OH F_ _K!" As if my anxiety couldn't get any greater, Brad drops a bomb on me. I'm glad he told me, though, because otherwise I would have been totally unaware I would have to do the same thing.
    That night, a Thursday if my memory serves me correctly (and it usually does), I raced back to my room after the gym and started reading up on the French Omelette we had to make in our very first Skills class with Chef Speckamp. I read over my notes, recalled any mistakes I made that day (we got to use nonstick pans though!!), and read over the egg chapter in our comprehensive Pro Chef monster-sized textbook. I recalled watching a Jacques Pepin video on YouTube where he demonstrated the proper technique for making a French Omelette back when we were in skills so I brought up YouTube, found the video and watched it over and over and over again. Video seen below if your curious (Chef Pepin does two in this video, the first is the American-style omlette and the second is the French omlette)

    "If I had to judge how good technically a chef is, I probably would ask him to do an omlette" Those are the first words Chef Pepin says in this video. I had no idea if I would have to do the same dish or not so along with researching French Omlettes, I also bruched up on Hollandaise and Bearnaise sauces and other classic French techniques to be safe. Out of sheer nervousness I watched this video probably close to 30 times before I left for the city.
    Friday afternoon I packed an entire dufflebag with everything I might need for just that one day in the kitchen. I wasn't leaving anything to chance. If I was going to fail I would at least be well equipped...I watched dozens of EMP videos and noticed they were doing a lot of plating with tweezers in the videos so I ran to the bookstore before it closed and bought a pair. On my way out of town I grabbed a bunch of produce to practice knife cuts with at my grandma's apartment. I thought of everything, and I was losing my mind.
    Finally Saturday rolled around and it was time to commute into the city. I arrived at the restaurant an hour and a half yearly, scanned the directions one of the Sous Chefs gave me and walked to the back entrace to have it down pat. While I waited, I sat in the park adjacent to the restaurant and reviewed my notes on French omlettes. I even watched the Pepin video a few more times from my phone. "This is it, no turning back" I remembered McCulley Culkin say in Home Alone before fending off the robbers. That day, for whatever reason, I was not nervous, but rather incredibly calm. Then I entered the kitchen....

Pleased to "Meat" You, Part X: Last Day

Originally this was supposed to be a 14-part series but due to budget cuts, a recent staff strike, pressures from upper management and declining viewer ratings I had to cut this segment short and end with part X...That's all made up of course, but since I had no pictures or much to talk about for the previous 4 days I decided to do one final post for this segment, give the highlights and be done with it before I move on to a new segment for my fish fabrication class. That's right, you now have a new series called Somethings Fishy (working title) to look forward to, so be prepared to laugh, cry, and be amazed by all the things I post in the coming weeks. Now, without further adieu, my final meat fabrication post....

The band is back together

    I keep posting these pictures and somehow sneaky Van Damme manages to photo-bomb almost every single one...Anyway, I've set up shop here on my bed because The Rundown with The Rock is on TV and when you have The Rock AND Christopher Walken in one movie you don't not watch it, ammirite? I'm definitely right. Ok, so my last week of meat fabrication was coming down to the wire. We had to fabricate lamb, chicken, have our fabrication practical (how practical), take a butcher's yield test final (basically shows you how much to pay for meat post fabrication and whatnot), and have our product ID final with written exam, all in 4 days or 12 hours of class time. I got a 100 on my yield test and my fabrication went extremely well the last few days. For our fabrication practical we were given a boneless pork loin which we had to split with our group partner before tying into a roast and slicing cutlets. "This is an individual assignment" Chef Elia explained before we started. "You won't have a partner to count on this time, so this is where you can show what you are made of. Now begin." Personally I thought the practical was well...practical. All we had to do was trim the fat, remove the silver skin, tie a roast, show chef, then remove the string, slice 3oz cutlets and bring everything up to chef one more time. He also wanted to see the silver skin we removed (to evaluate if we cut into the meat), along with our usable and unusable trim. We had to do those minor things, and we had an hour and twenty minutes to do it. It was sooo much time. Since it was so little to do in so much time I had to expect he was going to grade HARD so it was important to do everything perfectly.
    From the pork loin you have the loin end and the rib end. I got the rib end which has very little fat or silver skin to trim; making my job even easier. I took the time to tie my roast uniform and tight as hell (that's a good thing), and used my ruler to measure the spacing between each tie to ensure uniform spacing before showing chef. The roast was tied so tight you might as well call me the "Hyde Park strangler"...When I brought my roast up to show chef he just smiled and nodded his head in approval. At one point I thought he was gonna start laughing he liked it so much. There were no words, just an unspoken understanding that I did a great job. Phase one, DOMINATED!

For the sake of sticking with the whole The Rock theme I found the  perfect Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson GIF that accurately sums up Chef Elia's reaction to my roast tying abilities...

    

    My next task was to cut off the kitchen string and carefully slice cutlets into 3oz portions. This part is harder than it looks and chef was going to be a stickler on the weight. I sliced my cutlets (only 1 or 2 were off and not by much), assembled my tray for grading and took a deep breath because I absolutely bombed my cutlets the last time he saw them. This was my redemption baby! When I brought up my tray chef asked me why I had so little silver skin before picking through my unusable trim to see if I was hiding anything. I explained to him that I received the rib end of the boneless loin and there wasn't much fat or silver skin to trim. "That's ok, that happens", he said while feeling my cutlets with his hands. He weighed one or two and felt the rest. "This looks good, great job". *Channels inner Shooter McGavin* *fires finger guns into the air*

Secret of the pros...

    Practical was done and in the books. Now it was time to watch chef break down chickens before duplicating it for a grade. I took two chickens back to my work station and starting removing the legs, wings, and breasts. My swagger from the practical was carrying over into my chicken production because I was killing it (that's a good thing for all your older folk out there). Once I was done I arranged everything he was looking for neatly in rows and wiped down my station so everything looked SHARP. Chef Elia came over and was very pleased. "This is some of the best work I've seen in the class all day, Peter". It was music to my ears especially since I stumbled out of the gate when the class started 3 weeks ago. 

    As I said a few posts ago, one of the most important things many students here neglect to think about is momentum. You have to hit you stride at the right moment when your team is entering the playoffs. These last few days of class were some of the best days I have had here at the CIA from a production standpoint. This post was not meant for me to boast or be cocky but rather to share with you my excitement for having a few kick ass days in class.