My Unintended Edible Journey #10
Walking Into The World Of Oz - Part 2
In my last post, I told my story of how to reached the decision to enroll in the culinary arts program at Kirkwood Community College. In writing that post, I wrote about how I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, as she opened the door of her monochrome world and stepped into the the stunning technicolor world of Oz. While I might have felt like I had stepped into Oz, I often felt like Dorothy taking her the yellow brick first steps on the yellow brick road.
As a culinary student, my yellow brick road was finding the delicate balance between learning how to safely and efficiently manage and operate a commercial kitchen, and how to cook and present food creatively.
On the practical side, the Kirkwood culinary program was a French cooking inspired program where I took classes in sanitation, restaurant law, cooking and cooking techniques. As students we memorized cooking terms, recipe standardization formulas, and practiced culinary math, l and kitchen organization. While learning these aspects of food service is not the most exciting thing, they are absolutely essential for success in any culinary operation.
In reality, many students were lured into the Kirkwood culinary program to explore and learn practice the creative aspects of cooking. As a person who thrives on creativity, I was also lured by the idea of preparing foods and dishes that fall in the realm of edible art. I can’t speak for anyone else, but nothing feeds my ego better than when I have plated a dish that can be view as a piece of edible art.
And the really cool thing was that I was just one of several students totally enamored with cooking. While I was really interested in trying to find interesting flavor combinations, traditional mother sauces, other students came to class equally driven thrilled to be learning how to decorate cakes or carve ice sculptures. The creativity among all of the culinary students was off the charts. Still other students placed their creativity in cake decorating and pastries.
Before, during, and after class we all talked about out favorite chefs and were inspired by the foods that they were creating. Emeril Lagasse, Wolfgang Puck, Charlie Trotter, Mark Miller, and several other emerging celebrity chefs were constantly talked about.
Someone always was coming to class, having bought a cool new cookbook. Always looking for inspiration, all of us students circulated the current issues of Bon Appetite and Food Arts and Chile Pepper among ourselves. And in my spring semester of 1993, the Food Network made its broadcasting debut. I absolutely relished the creative comaradery that my culinary arts education provided me. It was definitely a very exciting time to to be studying culinary arts.
But in all reality, as much as I loved the exploring the creative side of cooking, I should have paid a bit more attention to the practical side of culinary arts. Looking back, I would have greatly benefited from paying more attention to effective kitchen management, labor issues, and work efficiency. At the time that I was earning my associates degree in culinary arts, I was not required to take any type of account or record keeping classes. If there was one obstacle that hindered me throughout my career, it was the fact that I could not read a profit and loss statement to save my soul (I still can’t). If I could talk to my 20 something self, I would tell him that while the practical skills of a culinary education is isn’t all that creative, imaginative, or glorious, they need to be implemented before any kitchen creativity can happen.
All in all though, I really loved my time as a student of culinary arts. As I have previously stated, when I walked through the doors and into the culinary lab, I honestly felt more excited than going to Disney World. While studying culinary arts probably isn’t as hard as many other types of degrees. I was commited to learning everything about cooking as I possibly could, and applied it to the craft of creating memorable and meaningful dining experiences. At the end of my second year, my hard work paid off and my instructors voted me as the outstanding student in the program. I was also awarded a medal for technical culinary excellence. While it was an honor to accept these awards, I had no room for egotistical attitudes.
Although it feels like yesterday, it has been over 30 years since I was a culinary learned so much,student. I can honestly say that I truly loved my experience as a culinary student. Every day was an opportunity to follow my curiosity down wonderous paths of gastronomic possibilities. With the exception of one person, I have no idea of the whereabouts of any of the other culinary arts graduates of the class of 1993. I have no idea of what became of their careers or whether any of them are still working as chefs.
One thing that I do know is that I am still in the game of getting up every day, putting on my chef uniform, and walking into a kitchen to cook that best food that I possibly can. And while the Kirkwood culinary program taught me so much, it was just the beginning of my culinary education. I am just a curious and excited about my career as a chef as ever. And yes, every day when I walk into a kitchen, whether it be my kitchen at work, or my kitchen at home I feel like I step into technicolor world of Oz.