Cooks tend to have minds that reside permanently in the gutter. As Anthony Bourdain observed in Kitchen Confidential, "As an art form, cook-talk is, like haiku or kabuki, defined by established rules…All comments must, out of historical necessity, concern involuntary rectal penetration, penis size, physical flaws or annoying mannerisms or defects." But even if o... Read More

Convenience of Inconvenience?
My second lab at Johnson and Wales was Introduction to Cake Decorating and Petit Fours. On our very first day, we examined the use of convenience products in the work place. We tested out a chocolate and vanilla cake mix and a chocolate fudge icing.

All of previous experience in the kitchen revolves around ... Read More

Another student blogger posed an interesting question on this site, and it’s one that I've been considering myself for awhile. In Shun Slinger's post, "No, I don't watch Top Chef!" he discusses the food media, voicing concern a... Read More

If you go to culinary school, you'll probably shape cocotte potatoes. If you go to the FCI, you will definitely shape cocotte potatoes. And while you are cutting whole potatoes into 5 cm-long footballs, you will surely wonder why you are shaping cocotte potatoes.

I've been to many restaurants in my life, and have yet to see the cocotte potato - a tradi... Read More

I've discovered the best milkshake on earth, but I'm afraid you'll never have one. I could reveal all of the details - that it's real strawberry and frozen yogurt, made by Freshens - but it wouldn't matter.  You still wouldn't be me, sitting in the cafeteria of George Washington University Hospital, just after your mother came out of brain surgery.

People ofte... Read More

When I was considering a move to Manhattan, both the French Culinary Institute and my girlfriends enticed me with the same promise: variety. The FCI's material stressed the school's prime location in NYC, with its diversity of culinary opportunities. My girlfriends, on the other hand, emphasized the dating opportunities. This assorted scene was certainly different fro... Read More

I want to go on a rant, a rant about the class that frustrated me the most.

My first lab at JWU was Hot and Cold Dessert Preparation. The class was primarily about how to plate desserts but also focused on how to make certain desserts , such as pie... Read More