Wahoo!

I have myself an extern! It's so good to have help in the kitchen. It was only her first day so far but she's eager and bright eyed and enthusiastic so I'm excited. I'm thankful for the extra hands. Maybe now I can let go of the cranky monster that has been taking over me during the past couple of months at work. I remember how I was right out of culinary school. I was naive. The kitchen was so new and cool to me that it overshadowed the reality of the hard work it takes to be in the kitchen. I have to say the past several months have beaten me down. I see myself lacking motivation and heart in what I do and that makes me sad. I have to put my heart into the pastries I'm making or else they come out looking like shit.

During school I did my extern at a restaurant that I truly believe in and love. Daniel was the first "fancy" french restaurant that I ate at. The experience blew me away. When it came time to choose a place to stage I hoped Daniel would take me. On my interview I was really nervous. I thought the chef was going to be this fat old mean french guy who would blurt obscenities to me in French. The chef turned out to be this young, tall, skinny guy who was funny and nice. He was an awesome teacher and really set the tone for my cooking career. I think the first chef you work under always keeps a place in your heart. Chef Dominique was a great teacher to me. He didn't just make me peel boxes of apples in the corner. He took the time out to teach and guide me and let me get my hands in everything. I was given a lot of responsibility and was shown all aspects of the kitchen from production to service and recipe development. I have a lot of respect for the crew at Daniel. They work hard and they have fun at the same time. Since I have such fond memories of my stage I want to do the same for my stagiaire. It's weird to have someone working under me and following my orders. I still feel very wet behind the ears. I'm going to try to teach her everything all the great chefs I worked under have taught me.