Hello readers!
Seems like everyone I know has been asking me how I'm liking things at my internship and I've been meaning to set up this blog for those of you actually interested in my progress (hi to all my food science friends and faculty!) but the truth is my first week was SO CRAZY I haven't had a second to breathe! So here it is, my first blog...big thanks to my friend Ben for helping me come up with a name! I'm not the most gifted writer so I'm going to try to include lots of pictures so you aren't completely bored. This first post is probably going to be really really long so bare with me, I promise to blog more frequently so you aren't reading a novel each time.
My first week was hectic but I had a GREAT time. This week was the second annual food, wine and spirits festival in Myrtle Beach aka Coastal Uncorked. Everybody was really excited about it because somebody, somehow, managed to convince THE Paula Deen to grace us with her presence as well as the Lee Brothers, you know, the James Beard Award-winning ones?
My first shift ever was at 4am on Tuesday morning...I looked at the schedule and thought, "you must be kidding..." but no no, they were completely serious. I came in and worked with our pastry chef, Marcey, and one of the other interns, Shelsie, who goes to the CIA in California. The majority of the day was spent watching and learning, but I did get to make some key lime pies and help assemble banana cream pies. Not the most exciting shift but I wasn't completely devastated; I'm not exactly an avid baker.
The next day, I got to work in the kitchen. I pretty much spent the entire time chopping up vegetables and doing everyone else's mise en place for the day but it was better than baking. Most of you reading know I LOVE garlic but after this day and chopping two quarts worth, I decided it was best that we ended our relationship. After practicing my knife skills for what seemed like hours, they put me on the line! It was a scary place. The line cooks showed me how to make our salads and a few soups but I'm still too afraid to venture to the hot side. When we had slowed down a bit and I was looking for something to do, Chef asked me if I had ever made cheese. I got really excited because I HAD made cheese before (thanks, Dr. McGregor and dairy processing lab!) and the cheese I made was a big success. It was a really simple cheese made from milk, buttermilk, lemon juice and salt.
The next day was basically the same thing, mostly mise en place but we were getting things ready for our big event at the restaurant that night, the Schug Wine dinner. Chef had me make pasta dough for his veal raviolis and again, I was really excited because I actually knew how to make pasta dough thanks to my culinary practical. Plus, I was really used to making dough for my pita chips in the product development class so I used a Farmer Chad signature technique and "beat the hell out of" the dough. My most important job was roasting the baby carrots which would be served with the last course and once again I was able to incorporate some Farmer Chad knowhow into the kitchen...I mean I must've helped roast at least 50 pounds of vegetables throughout the course of new product development. And guess what? It paid off because everybody loved them! And Chef Brad personally complimented me :) The best part of the meal (well besides the wine of course...TOTALLY put Arbor Mist to shame) was the last course. It was filet mignon that was marinated in olive oil and garlic that sat on a bed of MY roasted carrots, broccolini, and pearl onions. There was also this amazing Worcestershire sauce on the side and a horseradish foam on top. DELICIOUS! My own camera was broken so I couldn't photograph anything on my own, but I am attaching the URL to Coastal Uncorked's photo album so you can take a look. The wine dinner was a huge success and I had so much fun working it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/coastaluncorked/sets/72157626708605976/
The big question people have been asking me is DID I MEET PAULA?! And the answer to that question would be YES. YES I MET HER. She did a cooking demonstration and my boss, Chef Brad, was her assistant. I did the prep work for the event, measuring out things like sugar and butter (yeah, I measured butter for Paula Deen. I can die happy now.) It was only for a second, but I was holding a bowl of spinach as she was walking on stage and she goes, "Hiiii sweeeeethearrrt, how're yoooooouu?" For anyone wondering, she is exactly how she appears on TV, and that accent isn't phony. She was much shorter than I was expecting, though.
The next morning, my restaurant Croissants did a brunch event with the Lee Brothers. Again, it was really hectic but it was a great time. Chef Brad introduced me to Mike and Ted and they were awesome. So nice and so friendly! I feel veryfortunate to be able to have had these experiences, it's not every day you get to schmooze with celebrity chefs!
Okay, I think you're probably asleep by now. I promise my next post won't be this long! I hope you enjoyed...
Bon appetit!
JoAnna
