[chrislangley4253]

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if you were considering culinary school, that probably means you have time AND money to burn.  in this case, I'd highly recommend calling up restaurants that interest you and offer to intern for them.  while they prefer culinary students typically, if you have a few years as a short order cook, they will understand that you can handle the industry and know what you're getting into.  sure, it will be unpaid, but at least you wont have to front anything out of pocket like you would with school. 
 
they will have you prep cooking at first, unless you're VERY lucky.  still, even if they don't eventually have an opening, the fine dining world is surprisingly small (even in NYC) - all the higher ups will have worked at several kitchens and will know a ton of people, and will be able to find you a place to work once youve proven yourself. 
 

 
I don't have time or money to burn, really. I mean.. I'm 20, so I do have time.. but, not time to just go to school and do nothing else. I definitely don't have money . My plan was to go to culinary school, while working.
 
I'm gonna go apply at a new restaurant opening up in my area soon. They are looking for all positions, so they might be able to stick me somewhere. We shall see, I don't really know how to transition into the world of professional cooking... it seems like you almost just have to catch a lucky break or know someone to get in and then not screw up
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by 5aces /img/forum/go_quote.gif


Some healthy meal preps from the summer:
Thai Shrimp & Fish

White Asparagus Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette

Heirloom Tomato Caper Salad

All of that looked really good. Especially the shrimp.

 

[El_Doug]

Luck doesn't factor into it - I got the opportunity to work at 2 Michelin-starred restaurants because I leveraged an internship.  I got the internship by simply calling up a restaurant in a famous fine dining restaurant group and asking to work for free for 3 months. 
 
Quote:

 
I don't have time or money to burn, really. I mean.. I'm 20, so I do have time.. but, not time to just go to school and do nothing else. I definitely don't have money . My plan was to go to culinary school, while working.
 
I'm gonna go apply at a new restaurant opening up in my area soon. They are looking for all positions, so they might be able to stick me somewhere. We shall see, I don't really know how to transition into the world of professional cooking... it seems like you almost just have to catch a lucky break or know someone to get in and then not screw up

 

[Clayton SF]

A friend of mine became the GM of Balthazar Restaurant in New York with no prior restaurant experience. He worked there for 4 years. Prior to that he worked for a nonprofit organization and then in 2003 he left San Francisco to study film at the University of Amsterdam. After Amsterdam he moved to NYC and met friends in the restaurant business. In 2010 he moved to San Francisco and became the GM at The Wayfare Tavern owned by Tyler Florence. He is currently out of the restaurant business. His room mate is the executive chef at the Firefly Restaurant in San Francisco.
 
Ah, connections.
 
Of course working the front of the house may be much different than working the back of the house.

 

[Clayton SF]

How do you plate a duck breast prepared sous vide for two guests who happened to drop on by my apartment, announced? One of them wanted it sliced; the other wanted the whole/half breast as is/was--huh? Well, here it is. My Hawaii macaroni salad side-dish was not photographed. A reluctant side order.

 

 

[jc9394]

Clayton, do you use a sous vide machine?  recommend any?

 

[Clayton SF]

Quote:

Clayton, do you use a sous vide machine?  recommend any?

No machine. DYI. I followed this guy's recipe. I've made it 3 times and it comes out perfectly every time. What I did the last time was that after the duck was done, I removed the Ziploc bag from the pot and placed the sealed bag (do not open it) in a bowl of cold water to cool down the duck. I then threw it in the freezer. I think it will keep for a couple of months in the freezer. When friends arrived I just thawed the duck by putting it in a bowl of room-temp water for about 1 hour until it thawed out and then removed the duck breasts from the Ziploc bag and crisped the skin as in the video.
 
http://allrecipes.com/video/748/duck-sous-vide/detail.aspx

 

[El_Doug]

There still seems to be quite a bit of fat on that duck - have you considered rendering it out before poaching? 

 

[Clayton SF]

Quote:

There still seems to be quite a bit of fat on that duck - have you considered rendering it out before poaching? 

 
Yes, I know. No I didn't think of rendering it out before poaching. I followed the video. How long do you suggest I do that without overcooking the duck? I do love crispy duck skin--like how the skin is on a Peking Duck. I wish I could make one of those. Yum!

 

[Clayton SF]

I am listening to the vinyl remaster of the Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band while baking a Margherita pizza With a Little Help from My Friends. I have to admit It's Getting Better all the time! Better, better, better....

 

[grokit]

Pizza night for moi deux!
 

 
No basil in the house but I found some goat cheese.
 
 
PS, the French also do a very nice version of Crispy Duck...

 

[Clayton SF]

Quote:

Pizza night for moi deux!
 
No basil in the house but I found some goat cheese.

OMG OMG OMG. I can just taste those olives. WANT WANT WANT WANT!

 

[Clayton SF]

Mixed platter of:
Starting with the greens and working clockwise--
Mixed greens with creamy mustard dressing;
Sliced Yukon Gold potatoes topped with roasted carrots topped with caramelized green onion (burnt in duck fat);
Sliced boneless pork chops topped with sliced green onions (sous vide);
Shiitake mushrooms in chicken stock and tomato paste and Szechuan pepper corns; and
Thinly sliced radishes topped with Dutch pickled herring.
 

 

[grokit]

^ That's a beautiful plate!

 

[Argyris]

Indeed it is. I almost hate to upset a nice presentation like that, but on the other hand, food is meant to be eaten.
 
Except for those rubber hamburgers and other foodstuffs you sometimes see at fast food joints and in food courts to give an impression what the food looks like. Those shouldn't be eaten, even if there is a very high probability that they will taste better than the actual items they're modelling.

 

[Clayton SF]

Where is everybody?
 
Two different dishes from the same salmon. One for me and one for my neighbor.
 
Salmon sous vide with a little too much crème fraiche and a snip of dill. Over the top but absolutely tolerable:
 

 
 
Salmon with gnocchi fried in achiote oil: