Culinary School

 
One Night, Twelve Kitchens
April 29, 6-9 pm
Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State College 

Top regional chefs showcase the eleven state-of-the-art kitchens at Midwest Culinary Institute to benefit the Cincinnati State College Foundation culinary scholarships.

I have participated in this event for the last few years and was very happy to work it again this year. I was assigned to Chef Neace, representing the Summit Room, the restaurant at Cincinnati State. The event was very well attended — I would estimate more than 400 guests.

We prepared a smoked duck breast salad with cherry caponate quinoia, microgreen salad with peach vinagrette, and a drizzle of poppyseed yogurt dressing alongside. We sliced the duck breast thin and put it in a ring mold (okay, PVC pipes), pressed in a bit of the quinoia, then topped with the dressed microgreens. It was a very nice looking dish and our guests enjoyed it very much. We ’sold out’ fairly early, so I was able to get cleaned up and walk around to see what was going on at the other tables.

This evening, Wendy and I attended the first-ever Junior American Culinary Federation Dinner at Cincinnati State. A group of students in the Federation prepared a very nice meal — Roasted Butternut Squash Soup; Marinated Pear and Gorgonzola Salad with Caramelized Walnuts and Balsamic Vinaigrette; Turkey Roulade with Sausage Stuffing; Green Beans Amandine; Duchess Potatoes; Cranberry Chutney; and an English Trifle for dessert.

We attended this event with Chef Lilly, her husband Eric, and Angel and we had a blast, chatting long after the rest of the guests cleared out. Thanks for inviting us, Lilly!

This evening, I went directly down to Cincinnati State after my workday to assist Chef Grace Yek with a Team Building Cooking Class for 18 people. Chef Yek, Shannon, and I put all the mise en place together for four menu items: Edamame and Corn Salad with Ginger Dressing; Red Potatoes with Chorizo; Chicken with Apple & Fennel Chutney; and Baklava. The three of us did most of the chopping, slicing, dicing, and par-cooking to make it painless for our guests. This allowed our guests to come right in and get cooking, and it allowed us (the staff) to manage the amount of mess that was made. Professionals simply work cleaner than non-pros.

The evening was a great success and the guests certainly had a good time. Chef Treome, who instructed me in my Basic 1 & 2 classes, was teaching an evening class and brought down a selection of appetizers (Swedish Meatballs, Beef Carpaccio, and more) and desserts (jelly roll, napoleon, and more) for us to share.

On Sunday, November 12, 2006, a few days of involvement on my part (and many, many additional days involvement on the part of Chef Neace and other employees of Cincinnati State) came to fruition with the serving of a recreation of the last dinner served to first class passengers on the Titanic.

I participated with preparations on Friday, Saturday morning, and Sunday through service of this complex meal. 100 guests, all decked out in tuxedos and fine dresses, enjoyed the event. Our menu was slightly modified from the original, and is below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »

A last-minute call from Chef Lilly at Cincinnati State modified my early-evening plans a bit. They were hosting a culinary event and needed an extra pair of hands from 5:00 until 7:00, so I agreed to swing by the college before heading home. Shruging into my borrowed chef’s clothes, my main task was to help with cleanup after the event. There was a lot of stuff, but it wasn’t too bad and we finished by 7:00 when I headed home.

Dinner was roasted corn and a steak-and-chicken burrito made by the guests at the school.

Tonight, I worked at Cincinnati State helping with another non-credit culinary class, this time a team-building event for guests of a local company.

Chef Ritter, Patrick (a first year student), and I got everything together for the class to be able to make Gazpacho, Caesar Salad, Steak Diane, Asparagus with Hollandaise, and to enjoy a Caramel Flan that Chef had made earlier. We prepared the stations with all the ingredients and tools, collected bowls and containers, unmolded and plated the flans, and rolled silverware in preparation for their arrival.

The students — about 20 of them — were enthusiastic and willing to learn & work. Everything went well, but they used nearly every dish in the whole kitchen (it seemed). We were washing dishes endlessly when the event was over! Still, it was fun, and they did a pretty good job — items were well prepared (if a bit underseasoned), so dinner was tasty.

Speaking of Hollandaise, click (more…) for a BigOven recipe for a very easy, tasty Hollandaise from Mark Bittman.

Read the rest of this entry »