Patting my daughter on the back

Post #321,817 by lincoln 2/21/10 4:21:03 PM Reply	Patting my daughter on the back Yesterday my daughter and 3 other girls, all aspiring chefs-to-be, participated in the "FS Prep/ProStart Invitational" hosted by the Texas Restaurant Association. They had students from schools all over the Houston metropolitan area in a regional competition for high school students who are taking culinary classes. It started off with a skills test in separating a chicken into 8 parts, all parts sized to exact standards, which was followed by knife skills test where they combined speed with uniform end results in chopping vegetables. Part 2 was the cook-off: they had one hour to produce a full meal: appetizer, main course, and dessert. They had to bring all of their own culinary supplies (knives, cutting boards, bowls, meat, ice cream, etc.) and cook on two single propane burners on their table in the commons area. While the food they brought in coolers was stored in the school cafeteria's refrigerators, they weren't allowed to use the school's commercial kitchen facility. They had to make two copies of their meal - one for the judges to taste-test and one for the presentation at the judging table. The 12 judges was a mix of local restaurant chefs and chefs from several culinary schools. Unfortunately they ran over the allotted time by 2 minutes before presenting their meals to the judges, which cost them valuable points. Because of that, they received bronze medals for a third place finish and now advance to the state level competition. After the awards ceremony one of the judges came by her team and said that the points they lost for being late lowered them from second to third, and a few judges would have proclaimed them the winners. Even better is how the competition was a story in today's newspaper, where all four of the girls on my daughter's team are mentioned by name at the beginning of the article. Even at $2 apiece, we have to buy a lot of papers to get the story to all the relatives! Here's their menu: Appetizer: Wild Caught Gulf Shrimp Tapas. Served on a hand-made Ancho Chile Tortilla with Chiffonade of Radicchio, fresh Avocado-Dill Creme, Chorizo & Cotija Cheese crumbles Main Course: pan grilled Chipotle Flat Iron steak; Yukon Gold, Red Potato & Rutabaga Melange; sauteed spinach with citrus vinagrette; Southwest Succotash; chili oil; Garlic-Cilantro pesto Dessert: Honey ice cream, served in a freeform organic Dark Chocolate bowl with Mixed Berry Coulis & White Chocolate drizzle "Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from." -- E.L. Doctorow
Post #321,818 by Another Scott 2/21/10 4:24:00 PM Reply	Excellent! Congrats!
Post #321,824 by boxley 2/21/10 8:02:59 PM Reply	thats a keeper, congrats If we torture the data long enough, it will confess. (Ronald Coase, Nobel Prize for Economic Sciences, 1991)
Post #321,827 by scoenye 2/21/10 8:35:35 PM Reply	Yum! Can I have some?
Post #321,830 by SpiceWare 2/21/10 8:53:40 PM Reply	Congrats See, good things do happen in Texas ;)
Post #321,842 by mhuber 2/22/10 4:07:09 AM Reply	Well Deserved!
Post #321,858 by drook 2/22/10 11:15:58 AM Reply	Color me jealous When I was in school, cooking was home ec, and home ec was for girls. If boys wanted a "practical" class it was auto shop. And those classes were always scheduled opposite the AP (advanced placement) classes, because obviously someone planning on going to college didn't need to know how to work with their hands. -- Drew
Post #321,868 by lincoln 2/22/10 2:52:04 PM Reply	You should see their "classroom" It is a complete commercial kitchen setup, and they have an area out front with 6 tables and 3 booths because they serve breakfast and lunch to the public. It's easily the area's best kept secret because whenever we go there for breakfast I've never seen more than 4 people there; lunches have better attendance because some faculty members stop by. So, not only do you have the students planning the weekly menu, they also cook it, wait on you, bus tables after you, and handle the billing too. That way they're learning restaurant management in addition to culinary skills. "Chicago to my mind was the only place to be. ... I above all liked the city because it was filled with people all a-bustle, and the clatter of hooves and carriages, and with delivery wagons and drays and peddlers and the boom and clank of freight trains. And when those black clouds came sailing in from the west, pouring thunderstorms upon us so that you couldn't hear the cries or curses of humankind, I liked that best of all. Chicago could stand up to the worst God had to offer. I understood why it was built--a place for trade, of course, with railroads and ships and so on, but mostly to give all of us a magnitude of defiance that is not provided by one house on the plains. And the plains is where those storms come from." -- E.L. Doctorow
Post #321,874 by Andrew Grygus 2/22/10 3:31:49 PM Reply	A funny on cooking schools. The top guy at one of the larger cooking schools says things have changed. In the olden days (not long ago) when students neared graduation the question they asked was always, "How do I get to work with a top chef?" Today it's always, "How do I get my own TV show?" Here in Los Angeles we've always had tons of aspiring actors waiting on tables. I guess now we're going to have them in the kitchen too. "Don't quit your day job."
Post #321,883 by static 2/22/10 5:49:32 PM Reply	It was just changing when I was in school. Being in private school probably helped, though. We had one girl who did industrial arts in my year. I still don't know why, but she wasn't bad at it. Meanwhile, one of my best friends was the only boy in home economics. But he had a good reason: his mum was a single mother and a terrible cook. Fortunately, all the teachers were savvy enough to encourage both. Wade. Q:Is it proper to eat cheeseburgers with your fingers? A:No, the fingers should be eaten separately.

Welcome to IWETHEY!