Sixth Week At Pathways

I passed the Food Handler's test with 82% and got certified to work in the food industry. I'm so happy to take this class and learn so much about food I have never known before.

This week, we learned how to calibrate thermometers and use them correctly, how to sharpen knives using a variety of sharpening tools. We also learned a lot of new vocabulary words for different cooking utensils as well as identifying different kinds of vegetables and understanding the best ways to prepare them. I received a thermometer so that I could take the temperature of the food I cook. In order to calibrate the thermometer, the first step is to stick the thermometer in a cup of ice water for 15-30 seconds and turn the knob reading to 32 degrees. Once that happens, I have successfully calibrated the thermometer.

I learned many tips on how to sharpen a knife correctly. When cutting or slicing food, it's helpful to use a wooden board and essential to separate the vegetables and red meat on different cutting boards. The best kind of wooden cutting board to use would be a bamboo cutting board. When using a stone to sharpen a knife, you always would have to wipe it with a towel after. Also, when sharpening on a stone block, if you sharpen up to five times on one side, then you have to be consistent on all sides. You should start on one side and end on the other side. If you don't sharpen correctly, the knife will not cut properly.

Fifth Week At Pathways

September 18, 2013 -
I learned front of the house service tips. The basics were how to set up a table including where the silverware and plate are supposed to be. The salad fork and regular fork always belong on the left, wine glass or cup always go above the plate in the right-hand corner, plate in middle, napkin on the left, knife closest to plate on the right and the spoon to the right of the knife. When serving, you always approach the guest from the left and when cleaning up, you always approach from the right. If the guest wants dessert, you would place the fork or spoon above the plate and have both of the utensils facing different ways. Besides learning how to set up a table, there was a banquet for all of the staff for Homeward Bound of Marin and yesterday we prepped some Puerto Rican food with Chef Luis and Chef Jacques. One of the main dishes consists of plantains and there were many more dishes such as Mofongo and Arroz con Condules. After we finished with the cooking, I got to taste Tembleque; it's a coconut dessert pudding from Puerto Rico. In Tembleque, you can use spices such as cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg. In our recipe, we used Orange Blossom and cinnamon, along with coconut to sprinkle on the top. It was my first time trying plantains and I thought they were really good. I was inspired to want to cook some plantains served with rice or anything else that goes well with it.

Fourth Week At Pathways

September 18, 2013 -
There was a chef event featuring David Lawrence of 1300 Fillmore on September 12 and I was excited that day to meet him in person. So, hours before the event started, we had done early preparation according to his recipes. The menu for the event was Fried Green Tomato Salad, Arugula, Goat Cheese Croquette along with Honey Buttermilk Dressing. Also, there was Black Skillet Roasted Catfish, Andouille Sausage and Shrimp Jambalaya, and Cornbread Panzanella Salad. The dessert was Peach Cobbler with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. About 2-3 hours before the event started, Chef David Lawrence came in the kitchen and helped us prepare his amazing meal for the night. He introduced himself and told us how he became an Executive Chef. He told us he had started culinary training from Le Gavroche, a London restaurant founded by Albert and Michael Roux. Along with meeting David Lawrence, we all got to chose where to work that night. It was either the front of the house, which was catering or the back of the house, which means to create dishes and decorate them for the guests. I chose to work in the back of the house. I felt I wasn't ready to work in the front just yet. Along with helping prep food, I learned how to plate it so it looked beautiful. I also got to taste the food and it felt as if my mouth had fireworks! It was amazing and delicious! That night was just fantastic!

Third Week At Pathways

September 4, 2013 -
I just started Fresh Starts Culinary Academy yesterday, along with another friend from San Andreas and I am happy to be a part of the program. There are a total of ten of us in the program. We will get lots of individual attention due to the fact that there are five chefs who will be teaching us. Last night I was given some homework to do and the assignment was to read the entire Food Handler Guide and write an essay answering some questions that Chef Carol gave us. We are currently learning the basics of food safety. Yesterday we received our chef coat and pants. There are a lot of new concepts that I have already learned including temperature control safety, storing food, preventing cross-contamination, food allergens, cleaning and sanitizing, safe food preparation and how to calibrate a thermometer. On Friday, I will be taking the ServSafe California Test in order to get my food handler license. I need this to continue with the culinary program and be able to work in the kitchen.