Writing in ProStart

Good Morning everyone,

I hope you are recovering from all of the rain and wind Sandy has dropped on us!  Today I would like to begin a new project within our ProStart class curriculum.  As all of you know, there has been an added element of academics to my program over the past year.  What some of you may not realize is that I am doing this for your benefit! 

As I've said over and over in class, “being a Chef isn't just about being a good cook…”.  We have all discussed this and I hope you understand the reasons for this statement.  I would like for you to comment on this blog about why you think we are writing in our class. 

Give me at least one reason you think writing is so important and explain your statement.  You will be graded on this assignment, so please take it seriously and try to be creative.

Look at those beautiful apples...

Back to the Grindstone

So, I'm back from my vacation to Datona Beach and I feel that I must be the luckiest sucker in the entire world.  From what I understand, the weather here in town was miserable with temperatures rising above 100 degrees.  The whole week we were there the weather was glorious!  75-80 degrees most days with little to no rain until the day we were packing the car to leave.  A tropical storm systm came up from the Gulf of Mexico and mowed through central Florida following us up the coast the whole way home!  Now we're back in town and the weather here has been grand!  I'll never complain about the weather again!

Now that I'm back in town I've started getting back to work.  I'm taking what I learned in the class I attended while at Daytona and applying it to my "course guides" which I've been writing since the end of the school year.  Each course guide will encompas a unit of study for the ProStart class I teach and hopefully make my teaching more fufilling.  The problem is, each course guide I've written so far has taken me approximatley 30+ hours of work.  I'm only on the 3rd one and I'm burning myself out already this summer. (who says techers don't work over the summer?)

Anyway, I've got a lot of exciting new prospects going into next year's teaching and I look forward to giving them a try with the help of my students!

I found out when I got back from Daytona that I was awarded a grant that I applied for before school let out!  I am going to purchase some software that should make the classroom portion of my class more streamlined and enjoyable!  I look forward to seeing how the students enjoy this new addition to our class.

Well, I've spent enough time rambling on, so I'm gonna get back to "Kitchen Safety" and see how far I can get today!

 Me when I wake up in the morning!  Yay!

Talk to you soon!

To all of you out there who are reading and paying attention, I've been in Daytona Beach "Working" for the past few days on refreshing some teaching ideas.  


Aside from fun times on the beach, eating out in some fun restaurants, and relaxing poolside, I am actually attending a conference and enjoying it.  


I'm not much of a sports fan but today, the class I am attending is taking a "field trip" to Daytona Speedway.  I know it sounds a little hokey but visiting a facility that feeds over 70,000 people a day when there are races going on is pretty impressive!  


I'll keep you posted and let you know.

Safe Foods Lesson

Well,
I've been spending some of my days during my summer "break" working on updating some of my teaching resources and I stumbled upon this ServSafe-Souljaboy video that is pretty nifty (that's right! I said nifty. What of it?!)

I'm thinking of showing it during class but have no idea how my students will react to it.  3 years ago, they would have loved it but I have no idea how much the current students will appreciate a Souljaboy reference!
I'm too old to make these kinds of decisions...

Any thoughts?  Any suggestions on what I should use?  Please leave links in the comments if you have any ideas!

Thanks a bunch, and as always "Eat Well"

P.s. - is this shirt school appropriate?
           Comments-

Summer Reading

I Just downloaded my Kindle edition for "A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook"

Very, very cool!  I'm not just saying that as a big George R.R. Martin fan but as a chef and connoisseur of yummy food!

I can't wait to dive in "fork first" and try some of these awesome imagined foods from George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" and developed, tested and tasted by the wonderful ladies at The Inn at the Crossroads

I strongly recommend you check out their blog, like their facebook page, follow them on twitter and show them support so they continue to have the courage to do what I've been threatening to do for years; cook my way through Westeros!

I'll keep you posted, share pictures, and tell you how yummy everything is!

I believe an Adult Evening Class is in the works at James Rumsey Technical Institute!  If you'd be interested, let me know and I'll keep you updated at James Rumsey Technical Institute - ProStart Page

I strongly recommend my students read the post found at www.italktofood.com about students who are interested in attending culinary school!  Check it out!

So you think you should be in the business?

I remember when I realized that this was the industry I wanted to spend the rest of my life working in! It is a very exciting, demanding and fulfilling environment to spend your professional life but it does have it's drawbacks. The industry will chew you up and spit you out if you don't have the guts for it! I spent 12 years working 70 and sometimes 80 hours per week in the under the grind of working as a professional chef. the last 8 years of that time I did not have a vacation (and by vacation I mean more than 2 days off back to back). We work when everyone else plays. Holidays, weekends, evenings, birthdays...This is when there is money to be had!

This sounds God awful but the thing you have to remember is that we chosen few who decided to make this industry ours are passionate, unbending and a little crazy. I loved my time in the industry and I would never trade a day of it for ANYTHING. There are two reasons I am now teaching culinary arts instead of working as a professional chef.
1. I'm a 32 year old 350 lb man with arthritis in my ankles and nerve damage in my lower back from the long hours on my feet for so many years.
2. I got married and my wife (who is also a restaurant personality) decided she wanted to have a social life.

I have to say though that I LOVE teaching! I love instilling the passion for the industry and food that I have into others.

As far as culinary school goes. I've been out for over 10 years now and I'm still paying off my student loans. That being said, I would not go back and make any changes to my experiences. Is culinary school necessary? No, I don't think so. But you have to be willing to work hard, make personal sacrifices and "live the life". I did have the time of my life and met some of the best people I've ever had the fortune of knowing...other restaurant folk!

If you are truly interested in the industry I very strongly recommend reading Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. I love this books so much that I bought the audio book and must have listened to it a dozen times! it never gets old, especially since Chef Bourdain is the one reading it on the audio tracks.

Either way you decide to go, you will only survive the industry if it is in your soul!

I hope this helps and if you have any questions please feel free to ask!

Welcome to our strange world Friend!

Chef B