Halfway

The halfway point of something brings many feelings. The feeling of excitement as whatever it is you're doing is almost over. The feeling of anxiety as you may not know what you'll be doing afterwards. I bring these two up because I'm feeling both right now. We're about halfway through the tri here. I'm excited as it's one more trimester down. However, I'm anxious because of the unknown to come. I still have no clue where I'm interning at yet. I do, however, have a couple of ideas.

Idea one is Disney. A location that I hear works you like a dog, but at the same time pays you justly for the work you put in. I have an interview with their recruiting Chef on Wednesday the 17th. I can't say I have any issues other than the possible temperature down there. I've never been one for hot weather and Florida is probably going to roast me.

Idea two is Delaware North. A company based in WNY that would allow me to be home and hang with friends when I'm not working. Would also probably allow me to come camping this year. Anyone who knows my family knows how precious our camping time is. Though I can't be sure on hours or pay. Also the fact that a lack of vehicle may impede things like it did this past summer may come into play again.

Then the wild card is with a hotel group known as White Lodging. They're mainly based out in the Midwest. That's all I pretty much know at this point in time.

Resume to be looked at on the 10th. Brushing up on everything I can before the career fair on the 18th.

On another note labs are going well. I finished Nutrition and Sensory Analysis with a B. I'm very happy with this as the class is probably one of the hardest ones that freshmen take. Day 9 was mystery basket day, so my group got little-neck clams and mussels. We made paella.

Intro to baking and pastry has started. I'm enjoying myself and there are two other guys from WNY in my class so we have something we can all complain about......football!

No random roommate comment this time. As my roommates have been kind enough to leave the last two weekends and leave me in the room to myself. Hopefully I'll get a little quicker at posting these. In the meantime God bless and thanks for your time.



-Parrow89

Here we are again.

Here we are again the beginning of the year. You never know what is going to be thrown your way. I absolutely enjoy my Professors. One kinda looks like the actor from the Paul Blart Mall Cop or Zookeeper the other is from a military background. Leadership and Menu Planning are my main two classes right now. Next week I have a morning lab before class I'm making up my Nutrition and Sensory Analysis. A class I didn't think I had the chops (pardon the food puns) to do well. I believe that things are better now, so we try again.

Quiz 1 in Leadership I got a 16/15.

Also this weekend one of my friends medically withdrew from her classes. She will be missed by my friends and I.



Random roommate quote of the week: "I hope my groin is healed so I can go the the gym tomorrow."

Little random this post I know. Will try to fix that in the next post.

-Parrow89

Reboot

No I'm not talking about the old cartoon (though I did love that show). It's time I reboot this blog. I'm sorry that I didn't really write after the second or so month of school.  Let me bring you all up to speed... there's too much let me summarize. Finished my first year of culinary school with a 3.43 cumulative gpa. I'm set to move into my new dorm (Harbor View) in under 48 hours! I'm so excited! I've got two brand new roommates. I have no clue what the room layout is like. I know that we should have three beds, closets, and desks. We also get our own private bathrooms! So instead of a communal bathroom shared between 50+ guys. It's just the three of us. Hopefully since Harbor View was a hotel this should me our shower should be a bathtub/shower. Which will be sooooooooo nice.

This trimester will probably be one of my easiest trimesters so far. I have alternating classes everyday Monday through Thursday 1:40-3:35. The second cycle of nine days I have a morning lab from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm. Then later in October I'm making up another lab on sunday.

Winter trimester will be similar to last year. I'll have 5 labs, all my sophomore labs. More details on that closer to winter trimester.

The spring trimester I have to go on internship. I've applied to the Disney culinary program. If all does well I'll be there for my spring trimester all the way to before classes start next year. More news on that after October 18th, when the fall career fair is here and gone. Another option is a hotel management company called White Lodging.

When I get heavily into my culinary courses again I'll try to include a favorite recipe of the week.

Well that's it for now. Back to packing.
-P

Continuing the hard work

Well I've come to the realization that trying to keep time to write this blog is hard! Considering how much time I spend dedicated to my studies. For instance I'm putting the final touches to my Skills of Meatcutting project as I write this entry. I never would've guessed how much fun I have had in this class. People around here always say that it is the hardest freshmen course here. I'm enjoying myself!! Granted when you get to deal with raw meat all day, so I can't get the smell off my hands. That part is a little nauseating to be honest. But you ask me where a particular cut of beef, lamb, or pork. I'm pretty sure I can name where it came from. Chef Vaillancourt is absolutely nuts, in the best way possible. His quirky teaching style makes it really easy to learn the course material. 


In other news things here are going well. Still being the nerd occasionally. Just got thorough the longest week ever. The tuesday through friday week was horrible... threw off everything. Sleep schedule mostly.... the most important thing here. 




Time to hit the sack! 

Something old, something new

Alright I live though I know I haven't updated the blog in a little over a month.

Here's a brief look into what's happened in the last month.

Started and finished Fundamentals with a B. Started Storeroom.... we're currently on day 8 on monday when we get back (1/9/11) Then I start Meatcutting.

Was on break the last two weeks now I'm getting ready to drive back to my grandma's house to deliver her car back to her thankfully she allowed me to borrow it to drive myself to see my other family 4 hours away. After delivering said car back to her I have to wait until 11:45 that evening to catch a bus back to Providence. Arrive back by like 10:30 then catch a bus from there back to campus.... and thus to fold laundry and iron and make everything all nice and clean for class on monday. Oh and doing some sanitation work and study produce...... yes that's right produce. My practical exam is being able to identify 30-50 items of produce by sight alone. We'll see how I do. I'll probably make flashcards or something on saturday after getting everything else done.

Start of Culinary Labs!!!!!!!!!

Hello readers. I've finally started culinary labs!!!!!!! I cannot believe how fast information gets thrown at you here. Sure we're in class for 6 hours but let me break down a normal lab day for y'all.

7:00- Inspection and attendance
7:05- Announcements
7:10- Quiz (if we have one that day)
7:30- Lecture start
9:30- Lecture ends/ Prep begins
11:15- Those eating in the dinning room leave
11:30- All food needs to be ready
12:00- Clean up starts
12:30- Dismissed for the day


That's a typical lab section. Now one would think two hours would be plenty of time to get things done. I've found that most of the time that isn't the case. It gets really close considering the recipes we have are fairly involved. So far out of all the days we've produced we've only been ready on time one day.

http://recipes.jwu.edu/JWUPoultSauteedChickenBreastMshrmSage.pdf

That's a link to the recipe that we produced on time in two hours and had the food hit the steam table by 11:25.

Enough school talk. We're now T-minus 22 days until Christmas. I'm hoping that I'll be able to work someway home. Trying to get out of Providence is a pain, especially with no car. If I had one things would be so much easier, but then I'd have to pay for the insurance and stuff..... which would require a job and we've established the fact that I can't work a job and go to school at the same time. Things could be worse though... I could have no way back home for Christmas. "But why can't you just stay in the dorm like you did for Thanksgiving?" Reason I can't do that is because the resident halls are closed for this break even though it's only two weeks. We get out on the 22 after class, and have to be out by noon on the 23.

I'm really looking forward to seeing family and getting to spend sometime with them. It'll be a nice break from the normal grind here. Though I'm not looking forward to the packing up of my stuff practically at both houses when I visit. So right now my home is my dorm room. Well that and my mom's house if I really need it. I should start looking for summer job opportunities soon. Especially because I'll have a ton of certifications from school that says I know how to do things.

Sorry if I seem a little random today. It's been a long week.
-Parrow89

Finals week, Thanksgiving week, and beyond

My apologies for my lack of posts recently in the last couple of weeks. Week 11 was finals week and I spent all my time when my brain was firing on all cylinders studying. This proved useful cause the official grades are out and my gpa is a 3.5 which puts me on Dean's List!

This week was Thanksgiving week as well. I'm still on campus away from family. I had a job recently which required me to be here for black friday. However the couple of weeks I had work and school I noticed I couldn't focus as much in school as I was doing earlier which lead to a substandard performance in some of my classes. So I quit the job. I need to be able to focus all of my energies here in class. Work will provide later, for now though this is my job. My job is to go out into my classes and do well and soak up all the knowledge that my Chefs will be teaching me. Do I regret not giving the customary two weeks notice? Yea a little, but with this run at college being my second time round I cannot afford a chance to make the same mistake twice.

So in 4 days starts the new trimester and my cold lab rotation. Starting with Fundamentals of Food Service Production with Chef Adel. I'm soooooooooooooooooo looking forward to cooking finally! More importantly there is 4 days until I get my knife kit!!!!! YAY!

-Parrow89