Snap Shot of Grace

I grew up in a family that loved to play Scrabble. We are all pretty good, my father and older brothers are even better. I have only beaten them once in my adult life. The rules of the game state that if you play a word and it is incorrect, you have forfeited your turn. As a child and even into teenage years, I would get stuck, immoblized by fear of losing my turn and getting zero points. Fear of once again failing. Often my brothers would not be helping the situation, picking on me to speed it up and play. So eventually, I would play some word that was incorrect, there by fulfilling my fears and begin to get frustrated at myself. I should have lost my turn. I should have not been allowed to try again. I should have been ridiculed for my lack of aptitude. But instead my dad would lean around to my side and look at my tiles. He would find some combination of letters that would make up a word that would play perfectly in a spot I had somehow missed. Did I ever win the game because of his help? No. But did that even matter? No.

As I grew older, I forgot the lesson of my dad. In Scrabble and in real life, I wanted to follow the rules exactly because that was the "right thing to do." Over the past few years, I have been reminded that we all need someone to lean over our shoulder and help us pick up the pieces and try again.

Last Weekend

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of being a "celebrity chef." How you may ask am I already a celebrity chef when I just graduated from culinary school?  The answer: Go back home.  Or at least what used to be home. Home is loosely defined right now but that is for another blog. I went back to Auburn to cook for a benefit dinner to raise awareness and money for some close friends of mine who are going to Malawi, Africa on a Mission Trip. 

It was the most relaxing trip I had taken back to Auburn since this was the first time I was no longer in school. I had no thoughts of homework due or next quarter anxiety to worry about. My sole purpose was to cook a meal for around a 100 people. I had been practicing for this for the past 5 weeks. My Nashville friends were usually more than willing to be test subjects. 

But here is the crazy thing...cooking for 8-12 people is TOTALLY different than 100 people. I knew this...I logically knew this but for some reason. I lulled myself into stupidity on Friday night and did not do much prep. And I payed for it the next day.

Saturday I was awakened to the sound of severe weather sirens. That is right...tornadoes were spotted in Lee County. Now I have learned over my years of living in said Lee County, that the tornado could go through just a small corner of the country and they have to sound the sirens. So I went back to sleep for a little bit till I told myself to get up and face the day.

I started driving and it was raining hard but not too hard. I had the radio on to listen to the weather should anything important happen. But I was not that worried. This may sound egotistical of me but I thought...I have spent the past 5 weeks planning for this meal and just spent around $500 dollars on food...God taking me home (there is that word again) right now would just be plain wrong.  So I continued to drive even when the rain was coming down in sheets and any sensible person would have pulled over or shown some more brains and not even be out in the weather. By the time I arrived at the church building the rain had mostly stopped. Mom had called to check on me and there were a group of college age guys standing under the carport looking at me like I was stupid. The Auburn Christian Student Center had planned their Guys/Girls retreat that weekend. The guys were going camping but with the weather they were forced to the teen center/church building for the night. 

So I arrived in the kitchen and immediately felt the pressure. I had SO much to do but I plugged in my iphone and started jamming to the music.

Around noon, I began the internal panic. No one could see it. But it was there and was growing. Dinner was at 6:30 and I was way behind. Around that time reinforcements come. My parents came and started helping me and then a little bit later a hero in many ways came into the kitchen. Brandon is a friend of mine. We are closer friends now because he saved me. He is a police detective for the Opelika Police Force...so he protects my parents town and loves to cook. My kind of friend. So we start marking things off the lists little by little. The one thing that was still looming larger watermelon to an ant was the dessert. I still had to make the batter.

Around 5pm the panic was clearly showing. I had lost my cool, calm and collected and was scattered brain....until George came to visit. George is not a person. George and Fred are two names I choose to name something that is scary or unknown. Kinda like in Over the Hedge when they say naming something makes it less scary. They chose Steve...I choose George or Fred.  For example...Fred was an ant that lived in my car that scared Joy Commander. She was perfectly fine once she knew it's name. George is also a white squirrel that lived the arboretum near where I used to live- not scary just unknown......I digress.....George came this particular day in the form of a fire. A small kitchen fire, but enough for me to feel my insides begin to travel up the wrong way and have a desire to show themselves. But I attempted to remain calm while a burner was on fire from a grease fire caused by butter getting too hot. I knew enough from school not to panic extremely...it is just fire...I have seen bigger flames...I have caused bigger flames. So I grabbed a bowl and covered it to contain it till I found some baking soda. Note to self...next time always have some baking soda on hand. Now while I was looking for baking soda...my mom was calmly freaking out. She grabbed the fire extinguisher and was about to blow out this fire. I knew it was not time for that...I also knew that the chemical it put out would contaminate all my food. AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN. So, I firmly told her no and began to look for baking soda...again....Once I realized there was no baking soda to be found....I slowly lifted the bowl and the flame had died down enough to blow it out.  Stress had now reached my shoulders and I felt all the nightmares of my culinary practicals come back to haunt me. 

Well I had not the time to waddle in the fire...but move forward and begin preparing to plate the salad. A de-constructed Caesar Salad. The most simple of the dishes I was preparing...I did this on purpose so I would not stress and mess up early in the meal. By this time I had 2 kitchen helpers who were solely there to help plate and Brandon and my mom were watching the rest of the food and melting chocolate for my dessert. I had already burnt the crunch factor for my dessert so that was my first casualty but I had plating to worry about. 

Salad went out and it was on the next course. Artichoke and Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Roasted Fresh Veggies.  In hind sight, I should have steamed the veggies or had a different starch because my oven capacity was not managed correctly. So while we were plating the entrees...i had only made 24 of the 100 desserts (chocolate Lava Cake) I needed to make. I knew I was in trouble but had no way other than the force my way to the finish line. As my mom put it....Honey, you are cooking for family...it will be ok. True but I did feel like I had something to prove. 

So I had just finished the third batch of 6 desserts when the crowds were getting restless and demanding my presence. So I donned my chef's jacket and went out and talked to the crowd. The entire time I wanted back in the that kitchen to finish what I had started but oh well. So I thanked everyone for supporting this mission effort and answered a few questions about the menu and apologized for the lateness of the dessert. Went back into the kitchen and knocked the rest of the desserts out. 

All in all it was a pretty good first experience with a plated dinner. I still prefer plated over buffet any day of the week because there is more portion control. The fundraising total, which including a silent auction, was around $2000. I must say I was proud of myself for helping raise that much money for my friends.

Next time I will try to remember to get some pics of my food before it goes out.

Back Tracking update 3 - November 24

Hello all...greetings from the Culinary world.

Just wanted to let you all know that I had my first solo job this weekend. I catered a wedding for a friend at church. It was a low key job with only around 200 guests. The couple wanted a burrito bar for the reception. I did not have to worry about the cake just the reception food and drinks. It went pretty smoothly for my first job where I was the sole man in charge and all the blame fell on me if something went wrong. I only got really stressed once, that was when the bride showed up at the building the day of the wedding and walked into the kitchen...I thought to myself...man if she is here then I don't have long to get it all together. 

The event has a few small bumps, and I definitely learned some good lessons. Once of which is people may eat two hamburgers or two hot dogs, but most people don't eat two burritos :-) I had a fair amount of food left over but that is better than the alternative.

School is going well. I really don't like chemistry but am counting down the weeks till I am through with that class (3 weeks and counting). I have my final practical on Dec. 9. I have 3 hours to prepare a meal consisting of Roasted Chicken, polenta (a grain similar to grits), carrots  & zucchini, Caesar salad, and a chocolate mousse, in addition, I have to do some fancy knife cuts. If I don't pass...I don't graduate. I am a little nervous and will be practicing this a lot during the next 2 weeks. 

My graduation is set for Dec. 19. After that I will probably stay with my current job through the new year and try to find work with a local caterer. While I have learned a lot from my internship, I have learned a lesson that the work environment is sometimes just as important than the actual work details.

I hope you are all doing well, and I can't wait to post my final culinary update with a picture of me on graduation day. Thank you for your support and prayers during this. 

Back Tracking Update 2 - September 24, 2008

Hello from the culinary world,

It has been a few months since my last update. Here are some highlights:

SCHOOL: 

School this past quarter has been great. My classes were: Personal Chef, Management and Supervision and A la Carte. The last class entailed working in the school sponsored kitchen. I was everything from server to aqua chef (aka dishwasher). My favorite station was probably salads. The one truth throughout this culinary school journey is that I have learned more about myself than actually how to cook and I have learned a lot about cooking. The journey is truly more important than the destination. The personal chef class was unique. We learned the ins and outs of running your own personal chef business but also dabbled in cooking demos. I prepared Shrimp and Mango Salad with Cellophane Noodles(think clear spaghetti). A very easy dish that is also easy to substitute ingredients if needed. We did the demo twice. The first time was in front of peers for their feedback. The second time it was videotaped. Both times I was nervous but definitely had fun.

On October 6, I begin my last quarter in culinary school. I know...time has flown by. 

INTERNSHIP:

As part of my final quarter in school I have intern with a chef here in the Nashville area. When I first moved to Nashville, I was made aware of TomKats Catering who is a parent company of 3 restaurants and 2 large event catering. I started yesterday working with one of those restaurants. Sobro Grill and Catering is locating inside the Country Music Hall of Fame. And no...I don't get to see any celebrities, remember I am in the kitchen. It was an exciting first day, I helped prepare and plate food for 130 people. It was a great time and I am about to get ready to go prepare breakfast. I have to be at work at 4 am. (Reminds me of the commercial...It's time to make the donuts). I was so nervous about oversleeping on my second day at work that I have not sleep much...hence this email. I give all the glory to God in this internship. He worked through many prayers.

CHURCH/SOCIAL:

I am still in the process of meeting and getting to know people. I had forgotten how much work is involved in making friends. It is in this respect that I miss Auburn the most. While I enjoy working with and being a part of the singles program, I miss the interaction with people who are not within my peers. I have been asked to be a Class host for our Sunday Morning class. I have enjoyed it so far.

Well I need to get some breakfast before I head into work.

Blessings and Peace on all of you.

Back-tracking Update 1

Grettings from the Culinary World!

 

I hope this finds you doing well and enjoying the journey. Things here in Nashville have slowed up a bit since my last final was this past Tuesday.But here is an update on some aspects of life:

 

 

HOME SWEET HOME: I have moved all of my stuff but am in a holding pattern to unpack everything, In August I will be switching rooms in the house because someone is moving out and he has a bigger room. I am continually reminded that community is better for me. While I have to deal with sharing a bathroom with 2 other guys, I am thankful that I have someone to come home to even if they are rarely at home. I did not realize how lonely I was living by myself.

 

SCHOOL: All but one grade is in and I am pretty sure I will have All As...maybe even a 4.0 (they have A- which will lower your GPA). School this quarter has been different than most because I 100% enjoyed my cooking classes and the lecture classes were so so. For my final in Asian, we just cooked up some food, Mu Sho Pork, Vegetable Somosa, Spring rolls, and some other stuff. I loved that class. I now can order Chinese food and know what all I am getting. As some of you may have read, it was in this course that I ate a fisheye ball, well I also ate some lotus blossums, mung bean sprouts, and some really spicy foods.

I had a 3 part final for Pastry,

1. Chocolate Mousse, Italian Merigune, and fresh fruit Tartlets:We had the list of ingredients but had to know the method of prep by heart. My Italian Merignue was slightly overwhipped but it was still tasty. I brought my kitchenade Mixer from home so I would not have to share the 6 mixers for 20 people. I made a 98 on this part. That included 3 extra points for cleanliness..a first for me.

2. Part 2 was the one I was most concerned about. Piping...for those who know me well..I have horrible penmanship. But I squeeked out a 93. We had to pipe 3 different types of filagrees 25 times for a total of 75. Happy Birthday and Congratulations and then pipe a sheel border and a rosettes border respectively. AS well as make a Marizpan rose.

3. A 300 written test. Mutliple choice, matching, T/F. fill in the blank, and essay. Still waiting the score on this.

Update from Culinary World

Greetings from the culinary world.

I hope this finds you well and enjoying the beginnings of spring. This past week was finals for me and I probably did the best with the least amount of stress since I started school again. I still bombed one of the practicals, neither my raspberry terrine nor my chicken liver pate gelled to the right consistency, but I am pretty sure I passed so you just move on and learn.

Work has been interesting as I have started to invest a little more into the lives of some of the people I encounter. I have changed the name just because I thought it would be cool to make up some names.

Rose is a recovering alcoholic who works with me. She is spry and tells it like it is. Her hair shows her age which is around 50, and her face shows her troubles. She does not like being still and has recently started watching how much she swears in front of me, though I have not asked her to. I have offered to take her grocery shopping because she has to rely on her daughter to take her, and her daughter travels a lot. Of all the people I have met in Nashville, I have given her the most hugs. I am so excited when she is working because she makes me laugh and also strokes my ego a little. She is having some test run because she is not feeling well. I find that I pray for her more than normal.

Gerald is a dirty old man who is a frequent customer to the store. He was born in South America but moved to southern Florida when he was a kid. He has worked in construction most of his life with a brief stint in the military. Recently he has had some money problems. He also seems to want to borrow money from me and I give him $5 and the next day he pays me back. He has yet not to pay me back. The other day he bought me lunch. I asked him why, he said because you are so nice to me. This is something I have found fastly different in a bigger city. People are surprised that you are nice to them. In the Bible it talks about about lending money with out expectation of return. It is interesting, that in my life, I expect money to be returned to me more from friends who borrow money than from strangers. I must work on that for I have seen the effects of it through another co-worker, Cindy. Cindy is a tried and true Baptist girl. Grew up with a big family, goes to church every Sunday, works with the church when they feed the homeless, yet is extremely bitter when she does stuff for people and does not get it returned. While I have lent money to some of the same people she has, I have seen how bitter she has become that she did not get her money back. Parables in person are a great learning tool.

I work in a world full of haves and have nots. I have been reminded time and time again that though they are different in many ways, they are all God's people. God does not separate with money or if they have a roof over their head. I find it a constant struggle to keep that as my focus because it is so easy to veer towards one group or the other. I understand the negatives of the homeless. They smell, they steal and some are dangerous. But they are more real than some of the people who live in luxury condos. At work more customers are calling me by name but yet I barely know them. I know what groceries they typically buy, whether they like Bud Light or a foreign import beer. But I don't know them and to me that is new.

In other news, my apartment complex has decided not to renew my lease, so this spring break i will begin my search for another apartment. I have already started packing because I will have to move during school. I hope I can find one closer to church and friends as well as cheaper. My wish is that I can save enough money to put a deposit down for a place in May so i can gradually move in during the month. God will provide as he always does.

The Grades are In!

Greetings from the world of Culinary!

On a bleak and raining morning, I have just picked up my grades and next quarter's schedule. I am quite surprised with myself that I pulled out 3 A's and 1 B for a GPA of 3.9 which I think places me on the "Dean's Honor Roll" whatever that means.

I apologize for the lack of updates the past few months, I could never get into a recapping mode to do this justice so I opted for the "no news is good news" theory.

The end of last quarter was a blur. I turned in projects and paper on onions and cheese. My presentation of cheese did include a video that truely showed my humor as well as my age. I was purusing the internet and found a video by Monty Python that went through about 25-30 various types of cheese. It made perfect sense to me that I could list of the types but why not do it with humor. If you would like to view the video it can be located here. The one problem was that I am 31 yo and the closest aged person to me is the teacher so as the video was rolling and I and the teacher are laughing...the rest of the class just stared with a look of slight confusion. But then again, who better to please than the teacher eh?

As for the actual exams, I did fairly well. The two tests I was really stressed about was the Safety and Sanitation class since that is a federal test that everyone takes and my practical final in Culinary Skills (aka in the kitchen class). I made a 93 on the final in safety and sanitation class when I guess helped my B at midterm become an A. As for the practical exam, I am very proud to say that I finished the exam this time. Though I did end up with green beurre blanc which in french means "White Butter", when asked how it turned green, I simply replied, I have no idea. This time during the test, I used a tactic, I have seen by my good friend and physician, Dr. Jon. If you are a patient of his, you will know that going from room to room he is singing to himself. So I sang "Majesty" during the test. Why that song you ask? Good question, the only answer I can come up with is that most of my brain was on the cooking and so it dug deep in the recesses of memory to the first "contemporary" song I remember learning as a teenager. It did help the nerves, though I still made a C on the test. But I ended up with the B for the final grade so I am not that upset. In fact I was more excited that I finished the test than I was concerned about the grade.

After finals, I discovered that procrastination is no fun when there is nothing to procrastinate about. Eventually I was able to get in my toaster on wheels and head to Alabama. The main purpose of the trip was a cute girl in Dothan so please forgive me if any of you Auburnites did not get a chance to see me. I spent around 24 hours in Auburn, a good deal with family. For those who are just know catching on...yes I have a girlfriend. Her name is Dia Baugh and teaches 9th grade math at a school outside of Dothan. We met through her brother who attends AU. The rest of the weekend from Thursday afternoon till Sunday was spent with her and her family. To protect the "gag me with spoon" reflexes I will just say we had a great weekend. One note is that I was finally able to watch "Pride and Prejudice" (not the A&E version). I enjoyed it and now am thankful that my mom did not try to marry me off like the mother in the movie.

I have returned to Nashville to cooler weather and the days getting darker a little bit sooner, fall is approaching. Work underwent some changes while I was gone. I now have a new store manager and another assistant manager to work with.

I can tell I am still missing my friends and family because I have to take second glance every once and awhile at people who remind me of them. A great example is 2 nights ago at the store, I was stocking the beer case (yes part of the assistant manager's job) and this cute little girl with a full head of hair pulled back in a ponytail was down the aisle. I thought...Maggie Hardin?...I knew in reality it was not but boy was there a resemblance. Then as she approached, I realized that this was a family who are regulars. So we started talking and this little girl stuck out her tongue at me (kinda like Maggie again). They have 4 daughters ages 12 to 7 months I think. A few weeks ago when I first met this family, the little girl has a small stuffed moose with her. I asked her if it had a name, she replied with her sisters' names. When I asked her again, she said...it is just a moose not a sister. Oh well.

I want to thank you all for your prayers and concern over my bell's palsy. It is improving and I have noticed my smile is getting better but it is still slow process. I was really hoping to be done with this before the next quarter started but oh well. Life goes on.

Take care and feel free to update me with your lives as well.