Sauce for thought by Shaun M.

I have a dream and that is to open my restaurant with the concept of serving steaks with a sauce. I will not permit A1 to be served in my restaurant. Have you ever been to a fine dining steak house and the steak was cooked to perfection but it didnt have that wonderful flavor that you so wanted to enjoy? I have and the chef forgot to put salt and pepper on the steak, so why not serve the steak with a mouthwatering sauce, wether it be sweet, sour, or sweet and sour, minty, creamy, as long as it goes with the concept. I have been experimenting with making sauce after sauce at home for my family and this will be my future restaurant concept, steaks and sauces.

Course or Dollar Menu, which one will you choose. Matt K

Where is food or for that matter cuisine headed in the United States, tuff to say but in my opinion there are two sides that continue to vie for Americans hearts. On the one side we see great leaps being taken to help ourselves to eat in what we perceive is better for us in a sense that natural is better. In my personal opinion I stand on this side with other culinary professionals as well as purest that believe food in its natural habit for the most part has brought us this far so why try and tinker and toy with it. But we also must analyze the other side of this issue that gives the people what they perceive, they want. We as Americans want everything and we do not want to wait for it, this is seen everywhere in a culture from losing weight to second by second news feed, many Americans see food as just a source of fuel, that is to be inhaled rather than enjoyed. Many “on the go” people that can afford nice restaurants just do not have the time to eat a course menu, so they opt for the dollar menu instead. Many in the culinary profession may not want to admit this but in my opinion the majority of our clientele is out not to experience and appreciate our food but rather for an unrelated celebration or to try something different. We as Chefs have to compete not only with each other for a place in the culinary world but also with giant corporations which products are getting significantly better with time. In summation I feel that American is a stall mate on one side Chefs such as Grant Achatz and on the other Monsieur Boyardee, only time will tell who will be victorious.

No Special For You by Emily Z.

One of the most important things to me in a dining experience is service. The food may be delicious or it might be miserable, but if the service is good, I will probably come back. If both the food and the service are good, you’d better believe that not only will I be back, but next time I’m bringing some friends.

 

It’s a good feeling to walk around the city and stumble upon (or into) a nice little hole-in-the-wall kind of restaurant. When you can sit and chat with the owner because it’s slow, the food is delicious, and they have cider on tap, that’s a good place to be. It’s even better if it’s not too far from school (for example), so it is close enough to visit somewhat frequently.

 

This restaurant in particular had a really good atmosphere. Any friends or family that came to visit me were brought to this restaurant. Then a few months ago, when I went in for lunch with some family, I found out that they changed the menu. Ok, I thought, there’s actually a chef now so this must be good. As I read the menu of this Irish Pub, I found myself questioning some of the items. Wagyu beef sliders, for example. There was no more spinach artichoke dip or fish and chips. I’m not saying the food was bad because it was still tasty; it just wasn’t a change I would expect. The portions got smaller, the prices went up, and they took cider off tap as an added kicker.

 

The last time I went in was the final straw for me. Aside from still not having real menus after at least a month, when I asked if there were any drink specials, my waitress told me there weren’t. Fair enough, I figured. Not every place has them. But as I looked in the drink menu, they had specials printed for the different days of the week. When my waitress came back, I pointed to it and asked her about it. She told me that because of the large group they had that night, they were not honoring the special. I was blown away. Really? I hardly knew what to do with myself at that point.

 

When my friends got there, I told them we were leaving and that I will not eat there again. I’m not bringing people there anymore, I haven’t been back, and I’ve told people what happened. The disappointment is astonishing. Even my friend who I found the restaurant with was pretty pissed.

 

I understand that change is necessary sometimes, but it became something completely different. They even changed the décor. The feeling was something so uncomfortable that even thinking about it bothers me. Even if they make money off the new crowd they brought in, they’ve lost a lot of money from me and those I know.

James “Jimbeau” Berry on The First Week…

First off, I’ve never really been a big fan of dressing up, but now im getting used to it.  I’ve found that after class when I go out people seem to enjoy seeing it.  I think everyone else is starting to get used to it as well.  I got a chance to change before I went out last night and everyone seemed a little shocked/disappointed, who’d have guessed.  I did a lot of serving last week.  It’s a little nerve-racking at first, but I found that it gets a lot easier once you and the customers relax a little bit.  It really helps when the people you’re serving have been drinking.  I found that when everyone around me loosens up I tend to do the same and start to have a little fun with them.  This week I will not be serving at all, which leaves me a little relieved.

Food Trends By, Roz M.

The food trends in America seem to be going in two varying directions. One is that the higher up restaurants are caring more about giving back to the local community and shopping from farmers markets and swearing off Sysco and other such companies. The other, however, is that of factory made efficient food “stuff”.

A lot of food companies are homogenizing and creating ways to make things cheaper and faster. Ever wonder why you can get a $0.50 burger at McDonalds and they still make tons of profit? It is hard because in a capitalist country you have to be able to cut your cost so that you do stand out and beat out the other guys and the people that care about food and try to keep it as healthy and nutritious as possible may not be that possible on a tight budget. The effect: the best food out there is expensive. Duh. Middle class people can only eat fancy once and a while and the lower class not at all. The poorer folks are eating cheep processed food that causes the mass weight gain that our country is seeing.

There is good news though, many people are coming to understand the importance of healthy food and keeping it fresh and organic. As a result we see many restaurants making note that they serve organic food. Even the cheep places such as Chipotle have big posters on their organic chicken. So the word is getting out that Americans want to have good food so thankfully this trend to the fresh and organic is here.

The bad news of course is that companies that want bigger and better and of course profits are still out there as well.

I do not think that Americans will ever be void of the processed, HGH, MSG and other such additives that we love so much. However I do believe that over time it will be scorned, as seen in New York they have already outlawed Trans Fats products to be used in certain areas. I think that Americans will get back to healthier food.

Some other interesting developments are that of scientifically developed food, many people lump brocoflower in with the HGH and the Molecular Gastronomy in with the school science project. However many new developments have been seen in this department so I believe that it will be fun to see the new and interesting food that will be created, as long as it does not poison us I think that the genetically modified food is a good thing towards preservation and solving some food shortages. Also, although I would not want to eat a dinner made of foam and gel every day I think it is good that people still want to be fresh and create. I like that molecular gastronomy is around even if it is just old men playing with food, it shows that we are not out of ideas when it comes to food.  

Where is our food headed to ?? Anthony B.

it is hard to say exactly where our food is headed to today especially since we are currently in a molecular gastronomical era.  I believe that food can go either way back to its roots, meaning organic food, or it can go even farther than molecular gastronomy like having an entire meal inside a food capsule and all you need to do is pop it in your mouth and enjoy.  Hopefully that it never comes to that other wise that would eliminate a need for chefs thus making our entire industry obsolete, but none the less where ever food is headed towards I think that we should be open minded about it and allow ourselves to adjust to it.

C.H.I.C. by Yesenia T.

Wow!  This was one heck of a school year for me.  It was my first year of college right after I have only graduated from high school three weeks before I began school in The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago.  And I made it…well not quite yet because I still need to do my externship.  However, even though I am almost graduating, it was hard work getting where I am now (but then again, you do need to bust your ass to get what you want in life)! 

 

The classes were fun (especially because I had an awesome cohort and Chefs) but it was hard work.  I had no idea that the culinary industry was so much work and how much you had to bust your ass.  I always thought it was (in a way) calm, smiles, and friendliness going on, like it is portrayed on the Food Network.  I was so dead wrong!  It is a fast paced industry that can swallow you up and spit you out if you’re not on top of your game!  I really did learn a lot, but maybe because I absolutely didn’t know anything about this industry.  I learned cuts, stock making, and everything.  But there was one class that was the hardest class that I had taken, The Front of the House!

 

Don’t get me wrong, I did learn a lot in that class with Chef Tim.  I learned to serve from the right, start with the ladies, and most importantly…SILVERWARE!  However, it was a hard class for me.  The easy part of that class was setting up the dinning room, well, sometimes because we did take a while setting up.  But the challenging part was service!  The reason service was the most challenging part for me was because I am really shy.  I have a hard time talking to people I don’t know.  I get nervous, tongue tide, and turn red!  That is why I loved being the bartender, but of course, I did have to be a waitress in that class someday.  The first day I was a waitress, I was terrible but I served nice forgiving ladies that helped me in my mistakes.  Thank you!  After the first day I was a waitress, I became less nervous.  I did make mistakes but I recognize them and gave myself a hard time, but the customers always said it was fine and gave me a smile.

 

I still have a hard time talking to people, but I guess I’m starting to get over it which is a good thing because you need people to hear you in this industry.  I learn a lot in C.H.I.C. and I am grateful for having the chance in coming to this institute for an education…but most importantly, I am grateful for all the new friends I have made!  I love you all and I wish you all the best of luck!  And just because we don’t go to school together anymore, you guys better call me so we can hang out!!!  I hope we always keep in touch and I’ll never forget all of you…and the Chefs!  Now we all have to apply all our knowledge in this industry to become the Chefs we are!

Cafe Class by Monique B.

At C.H.I.C (Cooking Hospitality Institute of Chicago) there are a lot of classes to go through before you can graduate. The class and also the last one that a student has to enter is cafe. The first day i started cafe i was so nervous about everything. It’s not only a class where you can go there and think you can get over, you have to take it seriously and be on top of the game and pass! When my class started we were in the back of the house first. Chef Fuente was our instructor, which is an awesome person by the way. We had a different menu every week or at least something on the menu changed every week. My classmates were split into two people for each dish or stations that we had to work. Everyday we came in we had to set up our stations and get to work as far as prepping food for two hours. We started at ten o’clock, so at twelve of course was service time. At the end of the service we would shut sown our stations by labeling thins and wrapping items up that was good to use. Also anything that was bas or not good to use we throw out! Then people wash the dishes and we shut down the kitchen and have family meals.

In the front of the house was a difference. Everyday  we (classmates) would come in and set up the dining room. By setting up the dining room tables had to have folded napkins on them, the right silverware and enough polished, water glasses polished, and chairs aligned right by each other. Also for the bar and bartenders coffee spoons had ti be polished, cups, coffee filters had to dumped and cleaned, fresh tea and coffee brewed, and we had to have cream and milk for the espresso machine. Also the bar had to be sanitized and wiped down. Then when service started we would be set to go. A manager would be assigned, a food runner, ans the servers.

Service at the restaurant by Monique B.

Tim took my co hart to  a Japanese restaurant. It was a really nice place on the outside as well as within. When me and my classmates were inside, the restaurant had a green theme to it as far as in decorations. Also when we entered we had to wait at the door to be seated. Since there were a lot of  students (classmates) we split up to different tables. There was a male who waited my table. He did not give us his name, instead he asked up what we were having to drink. he got the drinks and then gave us some time to order. He came back then got the orders and put the orders in. Some minutes later the food arrived. At the table we ate with chopsticks, for those who couldn’t use them they could eat with a fork and knife. At my table everybody got platters with different items included. The price was really inexpensive and for a good cause. The waiter checked on us for drinks, but other than that it was for nothing else. Service was good, but it’s not what I’m use to at regular service with the servers checking on you to see if everything is going good.

Front of the House by Josh M.

Would I rather be in the back of the house hacking away at a whole pig with a set of sharp knives next to me, yes.  But I believe that the Front of the House, for my first time, was a good experience and has given me another skill to help me be successful in this industry.  Coming into this class I knew and had seen what were some of the proper ways to handle service but did not know all the details.  From setting the table properly, serving from the right and clearing from the left, setting proper silverware at the right times, feeling out your table, possible doing things for your table before they even ask, position numbers keeping water glasses full at all times, even picking up little straw wrappers and definetly no farting in front of the guest! 

Its benefiting to involve yourself into every part of the restaurant, to better understand how it all comes together to create a successful restaurant.  Washing dishes, inventory, front of the house, back of the house, taking out the garbage, working the bar.  I feel if your not stubborn and want to bust ass by involving yourself in everything in the restaurant, not just cooking, you will be more humble and successful in this industry. 

Congrats everybody and good luck to you!  This year went by really fast, probably because this industry/culture is so badass and there is so much interesting knowledge.  Maybe the green door had a little something to do with the passage of time, haha.  By the way Luke and I dominated in beer pong last night.