K2

Since starting school in September, my classes have been in what the school calls "K-1" (Kitchen-1). K-1 is where all the new-comers are, the "youngest" students in the oldest kitchen. About a week ago, the time came for my class to move up... we had graduated from K-1 to K-2, an upstairs kitchen that has just been remodeled and is EXTREMELY nice (there are at least 30 burners, lots of counter space, lots of equipment, and 3 sinks!) The first day that we had class in K-2, we all had a new excitement for school; we are still living off of the energy that the new kitchen provided.

It's funny to see the new students who started a few days ago. Just 5 weeks ago I was in their exact same position, and though 5 weeks doesn't sound like that many, it makes a world of difference at this school. I can already tell such a difference in my skill and comfort level, it's a really encouraging thing!

Not only have we moved up the ranks in kitchens, we've also started new class series that are SO INTERESTING. Menu planning, recipe making, food as art... lot's of classes that get into the details that have made me feel much more professional and advanced.

In food as art, we learned techniques to design and plate meals, incorporating color, form, texture, and height. In menu planning, we've been learning the components of a menu, including the 5 phases and balancing plates and courses. It's not as easy as I thought, planning courses takes a lot of thought, flexibility, and creativity. We've been able to have a lot of discussion with our classmates and chefs, bouncing ideas off of each other and learning through everyone's experiences and thoughts.