Food and Music..... My Everything!

Working the night shift means that I have to miss the new episodes of my favorite shows that air on Tuesday's. So tonight after work I watched the new season premiere of Hell's Kitchen and the new episode "Funk" from Glee.

Food: Since I've been able to eat my first bite, I've loved it! Wish I really knew what my first piece of food was, that would be crazy awesome wouldn't it? Anyways now me being in my 3rd year of college and being a classically trained chef I'm more in love with food. Naturally being a hard worker, I don't mind the crazy hours (hence why this post is at 3a.m.) especially if I'm around what I love which is food), making money doing it (like walking in the park) and also being around those who share the same passion as myself. Watching Hell's kitchen tonight was amazing! Seeing that Chef Gordon Ramsay delcared that they would complete the first dinner service (which has never been done in Hell's Kitchen history) shows true passion and determination from a chef. I can't wait to see what this season has in store and if you believe this is just another reality television show then you are wrong. How can you tell? The easiest way if you haven't noticed, is there a season reunion at the end? Most of today's reality television shows have them which leads to the more suspicion from viewers (former viewer myself) and others if they are genuine or just trying to get attention? No matter how much I type on my computer about this, all of it will sum up to three simple words..... I Love Food!

Music: Ahhhh, there is an enormous amount of description to say here. through an emotion I have been through, I know when at a time that it seems like no one understands me, I always have the faith in knowing that by pressing the play button on my iPOD, run my thumb across the wheel, find a certain artist or genre of music and press the middle button that through my headphones, it feels like I have somebody next to me who understands. As I watched the new Glee episode "Funk", I was completely blown away by it! Showing that funk music is powerful in its own way and that anybody no matter you're ethnicity has some funk in them (hence Quinn singing This is A Man's World...... a must see). Currently I am listening to the Finale Sneak Peak preview of Glee "Faithfully". I am a Gleek and I'm proud to say it! There is so much to say about this show it is unbelievable. By the season DVD, the soundtracks from iTunes or anywhere! Even watch it here on the Fox website.

Food and Music...... My everything and nothing less!

Days 2-4 of the Co-Op!

I can not explain how busy and so beneficial my past couple of days have been! Since the first day I knew that everything I do here is only to make me better as a future chef. Starting in the prep station, I'm learning about new ingredients, new prep preparations and also how no matter what goes on outside of the kitchen, being inside of it makes it non-existent for the time being. Being in the kitchen at Rioja requires hard work, consistency, skill and keeping a outgoing atmosphere all at the same time! On Friday (My 2nd day) it was the end of restaurant week and although I was only scheduled for the AM shift, I wanted to experience and learn more about how everything works. So what did I decide to do, stay until close meaning from 7am-12:45am I was in the kitchen and observing the line for dinner service. It was amazing to me how the line worked in harmonny together! Not to say t was complete silence because of course pots, pans and communication for the orders from the line cooks, the pantry, the pastry and the expiditer were all in full force. Although my body may have been a little tired does not mean that I was tired. Some people were shocked that I stayed pretty much from open to close, but hey I have a passion that I love and for that I believe I've gained some respect from all of the staff that is at the restaurant.

Before I go any further, I want to say that the entire staff is so great to work with! Everyone is respectful, jokeful and serious which makes me feel even more amazed and grateful to have my co-op at this restaurant.

Overall only 4 days into this co-op and I've learned so much already and know what I need to continue doing to get the best out of it and become better as a chef. Continue to work hard, always be willing to learn from everybody and also have fun doing what I love to do! Oh and now its time for me to start studying my Spanish speaking skills!

Right now I have the next two days off which I will use to study more of my cookbooks, the restaurants menus and think to myself how can I better my production in the kitchen better then the previous day!

I think I will finish this night off by trying to read the updated blogs that I am following because I've been so busy that I haven't been on my computer in days! If not I will probably read what I miss tomorrow morning!

- Kenon Thompson

Possibilites Are Endless!

Today I finally got the schedule for my co-op at Rioja restaurant. Six weeks of AM shifts and six weeks of PM shifts with two days off! Before I even had my schedule, if I could not stay at my co-op site all day, then I wanted to be in another kitchen and/or somewhere around food to learn more. I mean, I've paid to be in classes all day and the culinary labs are only six hours long; if I am going to have a trimester with just working (and a food writing class which I am so happy about having), I want to be in a kitchen all day too! So I've been pushing for another place to go to since the beginning of the co-op process and today it seems to have paid off.

I went to the guy who handles our whole co-op/internship stuff at my school. At first I was told it's impossible to have two co-op sites and/or it would be too much work to handle. Unfortunately I feel that my work ethic for food can not be compared to any other students at this school (no offense to anyone.) So I went and talked to the school guy and informed me that there are ways that if I really want to be in a kitchen all day what I need to do is network with my co-op chef (which is well known in Denver.) I was advised to ask the chef if there are any other places she may know of that I can stash at to keep me in the kitchen and/or around anything culinary. Maybe another Italian/Mediterranean restaurant, or another cuisine restaurant such as Mexican, French, etc, or even go to a fish monger (and with me wanting to learn more about fish is off the scale beneficial to my career) which will only help start and build my career as my journey to chefdom better.

So now that's the plan, to find a way to be somewhere around a kitchen and/or food at least six days a week, I was also advised to at least take one day off for myself which was to read my cook books all day pretty much. I can not wait until the day my co-op starts because I finally get to be in the environment that I want to be in all the time (besides the one day off.)

Oh and yesterday I was able to spend some more of my extra college money on another book! The book choice this time was Charlie Trotter's Seafood book and I can not wait to read that one soon! I was going to get Charlie Trotter's Meat and Game book also but I decided to wait on that one! Knowing myself though, it was hard just leaving with one book this week getting Thomas Keller's Bouchon and Charlie Trotter's Seafood on separate days, I usually end up leaving any bookstore with about three or four books average anyways!

- Kenon Thompson