Behind the Scenes: A Vegetarian on a Mission

And just like that, my experience working with world-renowned chefs was over. With 4 full days under my belt working in someone else's kitchen --Anthony Ross' kitchen to be exact (executive chef of the Southbank Langham Hotel)-- using skills I've learnt both in school and at my current job I feel like I new person on a mission. This hotel kitchen (kitchen-s, actually) is larger than any other kitchen I've set foot in; it can really only work efficiently by working under the brigade system. Most of the chefs were approachable and will answer my questions, while others instill a sense of fear in my bones just by mere eye contact. However, being the little cook-in-training from the hospitality college with no name that I am, I couldn't muster up the courage to actually go an speak to any of the celebrities, if you will.

I have more positive than negative things to say about my experience during these past four days. I had rather high expectations, perhaps delusional illusions of grandeur to be exact, about what preparing fore this master class even would entail. A few of my college mates weren't as lucky as they was an spent more time than I care to mention in the cold larder kitchen where, apparently much magic happens, but all I witness was magic pertaining to sandwich preparation. I could have cared less if the sandwiches were going to be served to the Queen of England, really. I didn't agree to only half a paycheck this week to make sandwiches.

I noticed that at the end of the my 4 days that the students from other more well-known training institutions (Holmesglen Institute of TAFE and Fifteen, to be exact) were preferred over myself and my classmate to do the more exciting preparations. While I did learn how to properly peel an onion and how to pick herbs, I really don't see why the trainees from Jaime Oliver's Fifteen restaurant or the students from Holmesglen were any more capable at blanching spinach or sweating onions and celery for the soup base of a ribolita soup. In general, the trainees from Fifteen, Jaime Oliver's restaurant, were delegated the best tasks while preparing for London's River Café event. They got to saute the potatoes, they got to carve the meat for the final plate up...even though they had quickly gained a reputation for "unreliable".

The most positive thing I gained from my time at the Langham is a clearer idea of where I want to see myself next year after I finish my course. I making the cross over and will be actively searching for employment in fine dinning early next year. I had originally planned on working exclusively vegetarian establishments, but being that Melbourne is unfortunately devoid of a wide choice of them, I'd actually be doing a disservice to myself and vegetarian foodies across Australia. Watching the Fifteen trainees dash about the kitchen with their well-developed knowledge of Italian food made me feel a bit juvenile for not only working in a vegetarian restaurant (trendy or not) but for also thinking that I was learning going to learn something about cuisine in general at my current place of employment. I'm actually learning heaps at my current job, but nothing in the way of...erm...fine dinning.

I go the library every few weeks and take home every vegetarian cookery book I can find, including a few non-vegetarian ones. After 1 day at the Langham I went to the library, paid my over-due fees and grabbed every book I could find on prominent Australian chefs and food writers -- I've vowed to learn more about the Australian food scene. I'm hungry and thirsty for knowledge or all sorts and my mission won't only stop at the books, but will continue in my classes by being more assertive (do I really care if anyone in my class thinks I'm bossy?) and will be carried on at my place of employment by asking for more responsibility.

In the end, I was chosen to participate in the master class for a reason -- because someone believes I have potential. Before I start getting too sentimental and have to reach for a martini, I'll end on this note.

The New Gossip: The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival

When I found out that the Food & Wine Festival was coming to Melbourne I got really excited, I almost felt a chill shake its way down my spine. I then had a look around the website and concluded, "Yeah. Right. Like I can afford to drop $150 on a meal, just for myself". That was weeks ago. Then this happened.

I was at my college last week on my way back from the kitchen getting my usual cup of tea in the morning and I noticed a new set of papers along the wall. I picked up one up and it happened to be a notice inviting 12 students from the college to participate for 4 days in the master class being held at the Langham Hotel for the Food and Wine Festival. When I read it I somehow felt that I deserved to be one of those 12 students; these sorts of demanding feelings never really happen to me. I clutched the notice in one hand and my cup of green tea in another and took the stairs (two at a time) to go drag some information out of my chef-instructor. "Do you know anything about this?" I practically demanded. One thing led to another and yesterday I found out that I was one of 12 students out of the entire college chosen to participate in the event.

Today was my first day and, boy, was it exhilarating. I will spend the next 4 days helping prepare for the master class, which will showcase the hottest chefs from all over the world. who will be giving lectures and demonstrations on their own cuisine. I was having a chat to the chef and apparently the chef from Spain speaks zero English and I was told that I'd be paired with this chef to help prepare for the master class. Andoni Luis Aduriz is one of the hottest Spanish chefs in Europe, closely following Ferran Adriá in his molecular gastronomy footsteps. Adriá is basically one of my chef idols. Both of their creations are like edible works of abstract art on plates. Art + Edible + Food = the best idea ever

These guys inspire me to push vegetarian cookery to it's limits, although I find I have little time to actually pursue such inspirations these days. With each passing day I spend frying away entrees at my restaurant, I become increasingly vocal about what I think vegetarian food should be and taste like.

Sweet Temptations: Smacks & Sugar

Going clockwise starting at 12 o' clock: Coffee Scrolls x 4, Eclairs & Paris-Brests

My eating habits have turned to complete crap since I started my pastry making unit at the college. Today we made classic puff pastry (to be used next Monday for a few product of which I'm not sure of), coffee scrolls, and choux pastries -- eclairs, profiteroles (puffs) and Paris-Brests. The last three products are simply variations of each other as far as shape is concerned as they are all topped or filled with a custard filling. I particularly liked making the coffee scrolls because they were simply the best to eat! I had to redo my choux pastry dough after the lunch break because I removed them from the oven too soon and they collapsed. That put me way behind everyone else as I was the last one to finish. Nevertheless we got out an hour early.

And last but not least, did I happen to mention that I officially hate school? It's become like a sort of a chore. Its the absolute worst when something you once took great interest in suddenly becomes a chore, like sex in some relationships, for example. If it were up to me I'd be threatening to fail those brats left and right and when they failed to perform, I'd just fail them. I actually yelled at a few people today, but it didn't make me feel better. Clean up duties ate up a half hour of our lunch break because some people (ahem, theIndianbratsinclass) can't wash their own dishes and crockery after using them and follow one of the golden rules of cookery: clean as you go. Instead of things being a competition to see who can make things better, it's who can make things faster. And of course, everything looks like crap.

You can't force someone to love you and you can't force anyone to love cookery.

Swiss Pastry Chefs and Bee stings

Today was my first day back at school after a month off for the Christmas holidays. It was a nice slap in the face, actually. We have seemingly amazing Swiss pastry chef as our instructor for the next 5 weeks while we do our patisserie practicals. The slap in the face came when I was expecting to feel rejuvenated as soon as I stepped on the school property, but as I was about to step out of the lift I saw a few of the Indian guys in my class and it call came rushing back: the incessant talking in foreign languages while the instructor is speaking, the talking on mobiles in class, my barely containable desire to swear at everyone and thrash about the kitchen in a fit of rage.

On the plus side, I had the pleasure of tasting Bienenstich (Bee sting) cake for the first time -- the yummiest Swiss dessert ever to come into contact with my taste buds. I had at least 3 portions. I'm not a big fan of nuts in my desserts, but the almond brittle on top of the cake was complete bliss. We had a demo today, so we only watched the instructor make things: Bienenstich, Quiche Lorraine and Gugelhopf. Like I said, the Bee sting cake was the best.

Writing a letter to my mother and watching a few recaps of America's Top Chef series has reminded me why I chose this career path to begin with. It's funny how easily one can forget one's dreams when...life gets in the way.

The Price of an Education

I received an email this morning that turned my world upside down. It motivated me to get through my Salada duties at work as quickly as I could, so that I could tend to the issue announced in the email. Will and I have basically come to the conclusion that I'm going to transfer schools because of it. Come mid-2007 I will most likely be a new student at Victoria University in Sunbury. They just happen to have a TAFE division at the university that has a partnership with the Federal Student Aid Scheme in America, which suddenly makes cookery school more affordable. Apparently it was formally known as the Sunbury Lunatic Asylum. It rather looks like an asylum, but it's perched atop a hill. It sounds lovely -- I'm going to going to a proper school again!

Now if only I could find a solution to this pesky job problem. I worked 22 hours last week and when I opened my check it was quite sad. My check will be even smaller this week seeing that I will only have worked for 4.45 hours. New job, please!

Cookery Schools: What?

I read a rather interesting research paper online last night where the thesis question was, "Has the Role of the Cookery Educator Been Devalued Over Time?". I arrived at this particular paper by a series of searches for information regarding my recent employment and what exactly I would be missing out by not taking the traditional apprenticeship route that Australians do.

The paper shed light on some really interesting questions I'd love to discuss with my instructors, but I get the feeling they're too busy with administrative duties and teaching too many classes. I've been wondering how and whey they stepped out of the kitchen and into the classroom.

One of the most interesting things from the paper was the idea that many cookery instructors apparently feel that students who are completing the Certificate III in Hospitality (commercial cookery) are doing so with inferior cooking skill compared to the past because their time has to be directed to other tasks. They feel that they don't have enough autonomy to teach their classes in a way that ensures the best outcomes for the students.

It's a bit difficult for me to understand whether they were referring to apprentices or students who under took the certificate program full-time. Apparently in Australia the TAFEs seeing a more diverse student body in these courses and most of them don't aspire to create culinary master pieces in 3 hat restaurants. However, since the chef-instructors teaching these course specialise in making fine foods, that is what they are teaching in these courses. That's fine by me..not interested in how to properly make 'fish and chips' or focaccia sandwiches.

This article has also encouraged me to give some thought to some of the units I have to complete for my course:

1. Promote products and services to customers
2. Coach others in job skills
3. Communicate on the phone
4. Deal with conflict situations

I see no purpose in including these subjects in the course if one's intention is to be working IN the kitchen AWAY from customers.

A Day in the Kitchen, and Then Some

This is what we cooked during our practicals, listed from left to right: Crêpes with a pear compote, roasted root vegetables, basic bread rolls and a green bean, potato and tomatos concasse salad.

Culinary school is everything I imagined. Being in the kitchen and actually getting the chance to make the recipes we were shown in our demo was great. What wasn't so great was that I felt like everyone else was holding me back, which is not such a great thing in itself. I know how difficult it is to learn a new language and be in a new country where you don't quite understand what is being said around you, however, if you're going to even attempt to go to school in a foreign country try and learn the language first! The instructor spent so much un-needed time re-explaining things that he explained and re-explained during our demo, it really annoyed me towards the end--especially how the people who understand the least are the first to rush to the scale to measure out ingredients they have no idea what to do with.

Many of the students from India and male, cookery is not something they deal with on a daily basis due to the fact they many (not all) of them come from "well to do" families with households full of servants. Notice the use of the word servants rather than housekeepers. They have servants, so the very idea that they are attempting to gain permanent residency through cookery is infuriating and uproariously funny at the same time.

So much for having heated discussions over French cheeses and Greek olive oils! Tomorrow is my first day working in a commerical kitchen for a function at the Melbourne Convention Centre. I somehow signed up to work for a temp agency for the hospitality industry and I have to start at the very bottom -- plating dishes in a kitchen.