November 7, 2010

Only 6 wks left till my culinary adventure ends. I have been studying under the World Pastry Champion En-Ming Hsu. She taught us plated desserts like Souffles, roasted pineapple dessert and Chiboust. Last week we tested out on our plated desserts and I think I did well. Tomorrow we begin chocolate candy and will have demonstrations. It has been a long journey being down here in Chicago, yet I know the experience and the knowledge I walk away with will be life altering. I have sent out resumes all over Minnesota on Friday of last week. It is to hoping that one of them will want to become the next culinary begining for me. I long anticipate to be home with my family again. I will see them for Thanksgiving. Well I better be going I have to make bread so I can eat. Till next time.

Well I got a good wake up call today, at about 4:30am I thought that I could smell some thing burning. So I checked my apt. out and didn't find anything wrong looked out in the hall and nothing. so I laid back down. dozed off and all of a sudden there was this banging at my door as if some one was hitting it with a hammer, I was wrong though it was an axe. The fire fighters were checking to see if anyone was cooking in there apt. to see if that's were the smoke was coming from. But no one came bask to tell me that the place was burning to the ground. So I guess we are all safe. So that the news for the day. God Bless.

This is the School that I am going to. It is right next to the Willis Tower, across the steet to the east. Today is an easy day it is Saterday and I dont have to go anywere, time to catch up on my sleep. The Job hunt is still on, though I really hate looking for work in Chicago, its hard when all the places to work are 3 - 11 or 12. On top of that I would have about a hour and a half to two hour ride. So I can't wait to get out of here and back to the normal living. Well until next time God bless.

September 17

Hello every one its been a long time since I wrote on here last. Time seems to be slipping away down here there are only 13 weeks left to the school year. I can't wait to be back with the family. Well the only other thing that I'm doing down here is looking for work again. Take the Cake E-mailed me a said that they are over staffed and they don't have the hours for me any more, but that's probibly a good thing. I was only work two to three hours a day and only two to three days a week.

At school we a learning about wedding cakes. I think that right know thats what I want to try doing when I get out school. They tell me that I should make cakes if I want to do Sugar works. So I am going to give it a wirl and see what happens. I found that gum paste is one of my string points. We got to make roses, carnations, daiseys, lillies, and orcids. I love doing gum paste and wedding cakes.

Day 18

Today was a good day at school. We made allot of products today that were really good. I made Danishes that had a almond cream, and apricot center. Also Kogelhopf, which I have never heard of before but is very good. I made Pains Au Chocolate ( Chocolate Croissants ). They were awesome right out of the oven, oh ya. Also got to make Baguettes this is the first time I really got them to turn out really nice. Who would have ever have thought that a guy from Atwater MN, would be down in Chicago IL. Attending this school, and have all these opportunities laid out in front of me. The longer that I'm down here at this school I realize that I can do all this. I look at the recipes that I am making now and I would never have thought that I could pull them off before. Now I can stand back and look a a recipe and see all the small details in it, and it doesn't seem so overwhelming any more. Living down here has given me allot of time to think about what I want to do with my life and who I want to spend it with. What will the future bring, who knows. But that is in Gods hands, and that is right were it belongs. What ever is placed in front of me I know that with Gods help all things are possible.
" Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight."
Proverbs 3: 3-6

Day 17

Today was a good day at school. We made farmers bread, danish, Croissant dough to make almond and chocolate croissants. It will be hard tomorrow when we get to take home croissant and danishes ( its hard, I feel like I'm wasting away without anything good to eat. Ha ha). This will be the second time we make croissants at school and I think that I am really getting in a rhythm on how to make them. I found that I really love making all the different kinds of breads, I was a little worried. On the first day they were like " You may think that you like some thing now, but when you start doing it you may not like it any more." But the more I make breads down here the more I love it.

Got another job interview on thursday a 1:45. But I looked up online how long it would take to get there from school it will take a hour and a half. So the soonest I'd be able to get there would be around 2:15. So I have to call them and rearange the time. Hope they don't get to mad. But thats all the news from Chicago. Have a great night, everyone.

Sunday 25th of July

This week has been good. At school we made french bread, whole wheat bread, croissants, and a variety of other products. The hunt is still on for

on for work, I have a job on Wednesday but I don't know if it permanent yet. I got an e-mail from a bakery that's named Take the Cake, all they asked was if I could come in to work on Wednesday after school. So I'm realy looking foreword to that. They make a veritity of products from cakes, cookies, and truffels. So this is going realy fun, I hope it all works out.

I'm slowly getting used to living in the big city some days are better than others, but that's to be expected really. The part that really sucks is that now I have to buy my own bus pass till the 24 of August because the one I got from the school ran out on Saturday. The pass for a month is $85. And with not having a job yet it is a real pain to come up with. But all in all its going good, I am learning so much information down here how pastry works with the chemical reaction that its almost like a chemistry class and baking all rolled into one. But until next time, I'll talk to you all later.

Day 9

Well things are going good at school. On weds. I was asked to help out a hotel, for the tenth annual Chefs BBQ in the park. The event took place at a park in the north side of Chicago. There was a very large number of the top Hotels and restaurants there. Every thing that was made had to local grown. If some one were to tell me that I would cooking and serving at a $100 a head BBQ a year ago, I would have told them that they were crazy. We made a dessert that was a honey cake, Carmel cream, and grilled apricots. The desert was really good. I got to walk around and talk to the chefs and try allot of amazing food that I have never had before. I got out at 8:30 and had no idea how I was going to make it home do to the fact that I was not able to go home after school and look up a bus rout home. Finally after talking with a bus driver and a lot of worrying I finally found a bus that would take me were I needed to go. After a hour and a half bus ride I finally got home with out any real problems. On Thursday at school we made Pate a Choux's, and pastry cream. On Friday we made almond cream, and French and Italian Meringue. The Italian meringue we mixed with Butter to make Butter Cream, that every one but Chef Jonathan, and myself thought tasted to much like butter, we thought that it was to sweet maybe that's the french coming out in me. But until we meet again have a good day.

Day 6

Sorry for not writing for the last couple day its been pretty hectic down here. Whats new? Well on Monday the 12 th we had a event at school that will be in a magazine( but unfortunately I cant remember the name) that will be published into 5 different languages, and circulated in 20 countries. Got to meet allot of the big name Chefs in Chicago, and work one on one with Chef Plano from the Peninsula Hotel, witch was awesome. I also got to meet the Mayor of Chicago, and got pictures with him. Today in school we had kitchen tours and covered the basic equipment that we will be using everyday in the kitchen. Tomorrow will be better we are starting to make the base recipes that we will use for allot of other recipes. It is really starting to pick up at school, now that we are starting to get in the real swing of things. We also are to take part in what they call stages ( that's when you contact different restaurants and see if you can intern with them for a night or several to get to know how every thing works, and to get your name out into the steam of Chefs) I have contacted several places to see about employment but have not herd back from any as of yet. But have a great night every one out there, and I will be filling you in some more on how its going in this new neck of the woods.

Day 1

To day is my first day at the F.P.S.. Was not all that bad of a day although Pretty boring though. I know that it will pick up, but its hard to sit through 7 1/2 hours of rules and stuff. although we got to go through almost all the kitchens. they are really nice, and very different from what we had up in Hibbing . The hardest part about this is the fact that I still have 6 months away from Christina, Autumn, Chloe.

One week left.

There is only one week left until the big move. I'm looking foreword to the adventure, but the fact is that I will be leaving my best freind in Minnesota. That is going to be the hardest part of this whole thing. But got to run, time is running out that I have with my family. Thank you all for your support.

Culinary Adventure

I am finishing my first year of culinary training at HCC. I will be moving on to attend the French Pastry School in Chicago IL. I am looking forward to this next adventure and will post more as it begins.