HOLY BLOG BATMAN

Well Aloha to you Blog, its been so long...

Where did I leave off... Oh in January, thats right. Oy vay it's been TOO long. Lets see if there's a short version, since January I have...

Completed the first half of my culinary degree which has culminated into an 18 week long externship in Honolulu Hawaii at Azure, a restaurant located in the luxury Royal Hawaiian Hotel. Welcome home to me! I got a job at a local winery while still in California, Rubicon Estate, a Francis Ford Coppola Winery in which I was lucky enough to participate in an event with Mr. Coppola himself! Cooking a birthday dinner, "Francis's Favorite Meals" for his birthday in April. An assortment of all of his childhood favorites, some odd, yet all delicious. Let's just say the man is mega-amazing.. When I return to school, I will be returning to this glorious job, complete with labels, organization, and cleanliness. I popped my passport cherry and traveled abroad to the deep and stunning landscape of Vancouver, British Columbia. I had even had my two very best friends in the world come and stay with me. Let's just say they left with an understanding of what and why i'm doing this, and extremely tight pants. (Sorry girls!) I have completed Skills 3 development, Cuisines of the Americas, Cuisines of Asia, Breakfast Cookery, Lunch Cookery, and Garde Manger; notably breakfast class with Chef Tom Wong, and Garde Manger with Chef Lars Kronmark are my two favorite classes so far. The amount of information these two people have to share is unremarkable, and they are incredible teachers teaching an incredible art.

In more recent times, and as I stated before, I am currently holed up at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel for an 18 week culinary externship beneath Chef Jon Mastubara. Azure is a seafood based restaurant that focuses on local and fresh seafood that is hand selected each morning as the boats come into dock. While here, I will rotate throughout all of the stations in the Restaurant as well as the hotel. My externship is unpaid, but it does provide uniforms, housing, meals, and the experience of a lifetime. Who wouldn't want to come and learn about local cuisine, revisit their birthplace, and eat some of the freshest fish possible? Table for one please. At Azure we typically offer four to five of the fresh catch of the day, depending upon the quality of the fish at market. Options vary day by day but may include: Ahi, Ono, Opakapaka, Hapu'upu'upu, Monchong, Opah, Mahi-Mahi, Kahala, Onaga, and Moi. I got a chance to take a tour of the fish market at pier 38, observing the fresh fish, quality differences, size, and the bidding process.Let me just say oh man, watch out; not only are the fish fierce, but the bidders are too. Oddly enough, its not a loud and obnoxious process; silent and deadly apparently wins the race.

The most unique thing that most people don't realize is that while logistically I am an extern for Azure, the kitchen itself handles the orders for all food outlets within the RH Hotel. this includes the restaurant itself, the Mai Tai Bar, Surf Lanai, Pool, Room service, and banquet work in the main kitchen. I've been here about 5 weeks so far, almost 1/3 of the way done, and I'm loving every day. So far, I've been put on the Pantry/Garde Manger/Cold station which handles all of the appetizers, salads, desserts, pupu's and what not for the outlets. Within the past two weeks I have moved onto the Saute station, which handles all of the vegetable cookery for the restaurant as well as many seafood components like our Sake Steamed clams, or the Kona Coffee Barbecued Ribs with Kiawe Smoke. For the past two days i've been moved onto a day-shift, observing and working the breakfast and lunch shift with our morning sous chef, William Taylor. While the kitchen is extremely unique given it's size, and involvement in the Union, it has been and will continue to be an unbelievable experience for me.

I'm so happy to be home and can't wait for my family to join me! Oh did I forget to mention? My gorgeous mother will be joining me for her grand 60th birthday, accompanied by my lovely sister. Who doesn't love a family reunion? I'm so lucky to have visitors trickling in throughout the summer, and welcome any and all who would like to visit.

While I have forgotten numerous important things i'm sure, it's no one's fault but my own and I sincerely apologize. If only I had some genius excuse to validate my lack of input to this blog! Alas, I do not. BUT, I have pictures. Enjoy:

Stay tuned dear friends for there is more to come.

Xo

Welcome 2010, prepare to be conquered.

Hello and a belated Happy New Year to all!

I'd like to take a moment to sincerely apologize for my lack in updates; the run of the mill excuses apply, plus copious amounts of food-induced laziness, good wine, family, and friends. What's a girl to do?

So in the past 2.5 months since my last post, I have successfully and thoroughly completed TWO, I repeat, TWO, Skills development skills. Hurrah for me, eh? Skills I: stocks, sauces, and soups, and Skills II: introduction to starch, protein, and vegetable cookery, were both extremely successful. Both of those classes focus on individual work, rather then a team effort. Bechamel, Chicken Fricasse, Fish Veloute, Jardiniere Vegetables, or Braised Short Ribs anyone? Just a few of the things that both classes covered, amongst a myriad of other classical french recipes. Upon completion of both of these classes, I returned home to sunny Arizona, arriving to a 75 degree sunny environment and the comfort of family and close friends. Although it was an awesome trip, I was anxious as usual to get back to class and my third Skills Development class.

Skills III, is a class that builds upon the past two classes, in that it takes the fundamental cooking techniques and recipes and utilizes them for larger production. Instead of cooking for two, you cook for twenty. Also, this class is totally team based; team prep, production, effort, and team grade. I've been fortunate enough to work with skilled classmates, learning and growing from each experience; this class is running as smooth as buttah.

Externship Update: Many of you may know, I have been extremely interested and dedicated to pursuing an externship abroad in Italy to study with Chef Salvatore Denaro, of Il Bacco Felice (the chef I worked with during Worlds of Flavor 2008). Unfortunately, contacting my food and wine loving lazy italians is extremely difficult, so I've been looking into alternatives. How does Honolulu, Hawaii sound? Or lovely Vancouver, Canada? Just two locations i'm interested in.

In other news, another conference is taking place at school this week: World of Healthy Flavors Conference... No cooking has even occurred, and I'm in heaven already. Oh how the healthy meals soothe my soul.

Some pictures to calm the mind;

Much Love to all,
Izzy

Are you ready?

Just some stuff I've been up to lately. So happy to be home for Thanksgiving..yet can't wait to get back to the madness.

xo

Where in the world is...

Forgive me father, for I have sinned. It has been some time since my last confession... Over a month! Woah baby. Hello to all on this bright and cheery wednesday morning; November 4, 2009. Obviously I have been swamped beyond belief with classes, activities, sleeping, eating, life, eating, WOF, eating... What's a girl to do?

Quick re-cap: During the gorgeous month of October I got to finish my product ID and ServSafe class (passed) and begin my first set of Kitchen classes: Skills1 Development. I also went to an amazing music festival in San Francisco, treasure island music festival, with a good friend Laura, and listened to music all day and night.. Absolutely unreal! I got the opportunity to go visit my VERY best friend Madison (Thank you Momma Molnar) and spend a weekend touring reno and visitng UNR, a suprisingly beautiful campus. While in Reno, I did what all tourists do... Went downtown and had the AWFULAWFUL burger, and oh man was it good. I played the role of an escaped convict from alcatraz for Halloween and along with my partner in crime Laura, stole the show! Back to reality and back to a crazy schedule, I've been so swamped for time that i've neglected to even update pictures, so I've decided that the next post will just be a collage of all my going-ons.... Keep checking back for updates..

Important Notice! Next Week, the moment i've been waiting for....
World of Flavors 2009: STREET FOODS.

And I thought I was crazed now? Can't wait to see all the decadent eating that is in store.

Incredibly busy and loving every minute of it,
xo
Izzy

Four days to go

Well hello to all,

It's been a little while since my last post and might I say A LOT has occured! I'm sitting here on this Sunday, September 26, 2009, recounting the events of the past two weeks and can't believe how fast time has flown by.

I wont divulge into every detail but over the past two weeks there have been many fun outings.. I went to a Glendi in Santa Rosa, full of festive greek food, complete with dancing! I also GOT A JOB! Hurray for me. A friend from CIA hooked me up with a catering company: Graham's catering service . He does a lot of work for many local specialty grocery stores and personal chefing, as well as catering. I normally work 2 days a week, but that is just perfect for me. We recently got to cater a wedding as well!

Tons of school stuff as well: projects, homework, delicious tastings, etc.. One of our projects though is pretty cool and it gave me the opportunity to do a little traveling. We were instructed to interview a farmer at a farmers market and find out various information about their business and their relationship with the restaurant industry. Anyways, after my interview I really got to enjoy the whole aspect of the market; coming from Arizona left me in the dark about the whole farmers market boom and boy was I missing out! The particular market I went to was in Napa and I am in love! It's filled with local growers, homemade bakery items, jewelery, fresh honey and olive oil, and much more... It could become addictive. So while at the market I stopped at a particular booth with some AMAZINGLY gorgeous flowers and got to talking to the woman running it. She gave us some information on where they harvest from and we ended up taking a detour out to their farm.. the Aztec Dahlia Farm in Petaluma, CA, just about 15 minutes from Napa! Boy oh boy was it worth it; these flowers are just jaw-dropping. They are so large and so have such vibrant color I couldn't even believe it.. Here's a few teaser pictures:



Speaking of addictions... Two of my friends here and I have really taken to foraging and harvesting our own fruits and vegetables. I mean how could you not when you live in the Napa Valley?! Fresh fruit and veggies ALL around! Plus, about two weeks ago I joined the garden club at school, so that just re-affirmed my love for foraging. So basically, all we ever do is forage. And I really mean, all we do is forage. Fresh figs, tomatoes, lettuce, basil, squash, zucchini, tomatillos, apples, walnuts; you name it, we'll harvest it. There have been talks of group shirts.



Everyday I still can't believe i'm here.. There are so many opportunities
to explore and so much to do, there just isn't enough time! I need to transform into some sort of sponge so I can just absorb as much culture as possible....

Upcoming events:
-Laura Higgins 23rd Birthday: Pizzeria Travigne!
-Octoberfest
-Rock Music Festival
-The start of Block 3 : Meat and Seafood Fabrication. Woo hoo!
**FORAGING.


Gotta go get some homework done though..The joys of school :)

xoxo

Block One: Complete!

Well well well, Sunday, September 13, 2009 has arrived rather too quickly for my liking, but what can you do? It's a cool 63 degrees here today, and a perfect cloudy day that simply reaffirms my choice to lay in bed all day and watch movies. I feel so productive and efficient..

Time for a recap of events! This past Friday, the 11th, was the end of my FIRST block of Culinary classes! Hurrah! A happy and sad day it was; I'm happy to be done with Culinary math, not because it was difficult, but just because it's Culinary Math. Truly am bummed that Gastronomy is over though- It really is such an interesting class and I luckily still have my textbooks to read, thank god. What a nerd right? Anyways, I had such an amazing opportunity this past week to participate in the Flavor Quality and American Menu's conference held at CIA. The conference revolves around farmers and chefs working together to create relationships to ensure a joint future together. They go to classes, and tastings, and even do their own little iron chef thing. ANYWAYS, I got to work with some amazing chefs and meet even more. Chefs from all over California attended this year and were assigned to teams. Each team worked with certain sponsor products like peanuts, Barilla Pasta, Watermelon, Olive oil, pistachios, cranberries, etc. etc. The team I was assigned to worked with Chef Alexander Ong, of Betelnut --> all I can say is he is a friggen genius.

I even got to meet a recent James Beard Award winner; Craig Stoll of Delfina, and Chef Duskie of Zazu, a farm-to-table restaurant in San Francisco!

Here are some of the pictures of the displays from the featured products:

Pretty cool!

Next up: Product Knowledge with the ACCLAIMED Chef Tom Wong and a Servsafe class so I don't kill anyone.

More to come soon!
xoxo

Happy Almost Labor Day :)

Hello all, and happy Sunday to you! Today is September 6, 2009 and I am the definition of lazy bones today. Had to take FULL advantage of my three day weekend. My feet deserved it after two weeks of closed toed shoes and the CIA! Movies, food, and a little bit of homework time thrown in and i'm set. (The homework makes the whole day justifiable). Luckily I had the opportunity to walk into town last night with some girls, and got to see the whole sha-bang. Most of the stores were closed, but I could definitely do some serious damage at the Chocolate Store.

In town there are 3 grocery stores; Sunshine Foods Market, A natural food store, and safeway. Sunshine Foods is AWESOME! It's like a mini whole foods, but combined with a Trader Joe's type feel. Definitely lovin' it, but my debit card does not :( I gotta learn to stick with Safeway...

Since my last post, I had an awesome opportunity to go to a lecture given by Charlie Bamforth, Ph.D. Charlie Bamforth is a professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences at the University of California, Davis. All I can say is this guy has got some serious style; he knows how to work a crowd! Aside from his amazing oratory skills, he knows his beer. He gave a bried desrciption on the origins and composition of most beers.
Fun Fact: The biggest use of rice in the country is used to make Bud and Bud Light. The rice takes away the harsh flavor in the beer, and gives it a lighter color. Good to know, eh? Anyways, he walked us through the brewing and fermenting process which I really enjoyed. People drink beer as if they were drinking water; justify your drinking with a little bit of knowledge and history next time!
Fun Fact: The hopps that are in beer are derived only from FEMALE plants. Hopps help to stabilize foam, provide aroma and bitterness, and are full of anti-microbials. Also, Romans used hopps as an addition in green salads. --> I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS.
Fun Fact: The closest relative to hopps is marijuana.


Alright enough of that. After a brief history, we QUICKLY moved on to tasting. We tried four beers:

1. Gordon Biersch Hefeweissen
2. Lagunitas IPA (India Pale Ale)
3. Lindemans Cuvee Rene
4. Lindemans Kriek

Overall, such an interesting day! Learned so much about beer that I didn't know before. Gotta love being able to go to school and keep the learning diversified, right?


Can't chat much long today, I've got some serious R&R to get to, but I just would like to mention that I have officially moved in to my brand new pad :) Everything I could've wanted in a college dorm and more! The whole building is "green" complete with water saving toilets and sinks! No queen bed unfortunately, but the twinsie will just have to do the trick. Unfortunately, the kitchen isn't open yet, but the 2 viking refrigerators and 2 viking range-tops have been installed.

UPCOMING EVENTS: Flavor Quality and American Menu's conference: September 8,9, and 12
Final week of Block 1! Only four days left of Gastronomy and Math....whatever will I do.

Hope everyone's labor day festivities are a blast; I'll check back in soon and try and post some pictures.


xoxo