I was in the grocery store earlier this week, buying the usual things, and also on the lookout for fall recipe inspiration; I wanted to take some Halloween/fall photos of gourmet caramel apples, and experiment with my new candy thermometer a little bit. Next to the apples I found the most beautiful petite pears - no larger than my thumb. I pictured them drenched in ... Read More

At the end of the last block of classes, after we had finished Basic and Classical Cakes, my group of baking and pastry students took our 2nd Term Practical Exam, of which we had been terrified for many months. This is the test that evaluates the baking and pastry students’ competence at the basics: pate a choux, pastry cream, tempering chocolate, sponge cake, I... Read More

I can’t even remember what we made in class last week - it was that uneventful. And this week, we made appetizers. Strike that. We didn’t make, but rather, rushed through appetizers. What a mess.

What I do remember is that I did not learn anything new between last week and this week, except how to turn on the gas grill, which disappoints me.

... Read More

I can’t believe that it’s almost Halloween.  Just today the neighbors set up about 8 carved pumpkins on the front door step.  The Halloween costume stores are littered about town and Target’s Halloween area is slowly become sparse.  I love Halloween, passing out candy to the kids and dressing u... Read More

I’ve heard restaurant chefs say it a million times during interviews: what works on the job, doesn’t always work at home. They have favorite dishes they create in the restaurant, but because of the equipment available at the restaurant, they can never duplicate the dish the same way at home.

That was true for me this week, when I tried to make pasta... Read More

If you have not heard about this year’s flu season and the rising number of people who have contracted the swine flu (or H1N1), then you might be living under a rock. We all know the importance of sneezing into your elbow, staying home when you are sick, and making sure to religiously wash your hands, regardless of your health. But I think its all too easy to ... Read More

Fingres crossed the stress I’ve experienced over the last few months will count towards “paying my dues” in the industry as I make my way through culinary school and figure out the next phase of my career.

To recap, culinary school is something I’ve always wanted to do. I went to art school instead, worked in marketing as a creative dir... Read More

Today was the first day I did not enjoy class. Everyone, everything was off. Classmates were cranky, four people burned themselves (one severely), and the atmosphere was full of tension.

The menu:
Coq au vin (braising)
Rice pilaf (pilaf technique)
Grilled vegetable stack (grilling)
Caesar salad in parmesan cups (plating ... Read More

The economic recession has affected the way many of us eat. For me, it's meant dining out less often than I used to a year or so ago. But there has been an upside to things. More and more restaurants have cut prices to lure people like me who are on a budget but are still looking to shell out money at restaurants.

Pizzas, burgers, fried chicken and even Vietnam... Read More

Like most people who take food seriously enough to enroll in culinary school, I care about how my food looks. It needs to be interesting to the eye. For a long time before I even considered pursuing a career in the food industry, I was drawn to beautifully designed and photographed cookbooks or food magazines. I would flip through a book like