2012 has been a year, very different to my year last year!
Quick run down:
I worked At the Ivy in Covent Garden for a few months, in the Pastry Kitchen.
Then I worked in an Italian Restaurant called Zucca for a little while ... In between all that working i have been enjoying the spenders of london, traveling to italy and had a brief trip home...
And now its back to Le Cordon Bleu, unfortunately not back into the kitchens, but taking a look into the more complex side of cooking and being successful, because its all very well being able to put a souffle on the table, its all about the management and marketing, and legal and financial side of things, and thats what I'm doing!
Now for the Detail!
The IVY:
I was very excited about getting this job, as it was a job in the pastry kitchen... now i know that i studied patisserie and did much MUCH better than i expected, so i thought, well why not take that and enhance my what i learnt, and carry on my learning experiences.
The Ivy is a restaurant that goes back into the history of london restaurants, so getting this job was quite an achievement (in my books). It was all very nerve racking, I had to go for a Trial, and upon setting foot into the buzzing basement kitchen, was whizzed around on a quick tour, dodging the chefs racing around at break neck speed getting their Mis en Place (preparation) ready for service. I then changed into the XXL sized chef whites that were tossed to me, and told to make 3L of Creme anglais... now, the thing was, I know how to make creme anglais, but 1, had never made 3L of it at once, nor did i actually know the exact quantities... but i put my head down and got cracking... warming my milk and cream, infusing it with vanilla, blanching my yolks and sugar... then cooking it on the stove, standing on my toes so I could reach into the pot and see over the edge so as not to let it curdle. and i JUST made it, as i was pouring it through a sieve (to get rid of any lumps that could be in it) the anglais started curdling. My heart sank. I thought, "well there goes my chance and being a chef or ever working in a restaurant like the IVY" but to my surprise, the chef then asked me to create a desert of my own, using absolutely anything i could find in the fridge and dry store! anyway... at the end of the day, I got the job!
MY time at the IVY was spent mostly doing lunch service. I arrived at 6.45am, set up, checked fruit, prepared for service, cleaned the fridge (twice a day), made ice cream, made anglais and coulis and baked off cookies, did a bit of chocolate piping and got to do plating for service before leaving at about 5.30pm. It was all tremendous fun. All the Chefs in the Kitchen were friendly, much to contrary belief about chefs. It really was a great working experience and I learnt a Huge amount. all things that you can only learn from practical experience, and can never learn in a classroom.
I was offered Opportunity do to an Internship with a Cake decorating Company, so I very half heartedly resigned from my job at the IVY, only to find out a few days later that the internship had fallen through for various reasons... I was left feeling very blue.
SO the job hunt started again...
ZUCCA:
My next job.... I went in for an interview and was offered a 3 day trial, and if they liked me, then i was to come back in 2 weeks and start the job.
So my 3 day trial began... I WAS IN HEAVEN. Zucca is Modern Italian restaurant... but doesn't sell itself as an italian restaurant, as none of the chefs in the kitchen actually came from Italy, but all had a passion for fresh, seasonal, heart-felt food.
Fresh bread and pasta is made every day, all the ingredients are seasonal and the menu changes depending on whats going on in the markets. Delicious home made Ice creams and cakes, and a passion for wine and olive oil and lemon... i had found my heaven.
My first job at Zucca was to chop herbs!!! I spent about 1 hour, maybe less, maybe more, i cant quite remember, chopping: Mint, Tarragon, Basil, parsley and Dill. With every herb, there was the smell that traveled its way up your nose, awaking your senses and brain. I could Imagine the pink lamb to eat with the mint, and making roast baby chickens with tarragon, eating ripe tomato burschetta with basil, chopping fresh parsley into a greamolata for osso bucco and cooking a sea bass fillet with dill... but then all the herbs were mixed together into a bowl, and the smell of all those herbs together, blew me away with excitement to be in this kitchen.
I had 2 weeks to spare before i started my new Job at Zucca.
So I went to Italy!!!!!
ITALY
Now, i went to italy 3 times this summer, LUCKY LUCKY me! So i am going to combine them all into 1 and focus mainly on the deliciousness of Italy (the food deliciousness that is)!
Domenico, lives in Ischia. Which is an island just of the coast of Naples.
A very beautiful Island. Surrounded by the Mediterranean which is swarming with fresh fish, mussels, octopus, squid, clams..... Its soils are rich, which allows for the deepest red, sweetest most succulent tomatoes you could dare to imagine. The herbs are so fragrant that the evening air is filled with their aroma after a long hot day of the golden sun beating down on them.
The wonderful thing about italy that everyone loves food. Everybody has pots of basil and parsley growing in terra cotta pots outside their houses, where you can hear laughter and happiness echoing through the windows. There must be some correlation between the Love of fresh, simple food, home made wine and the golden glow of the sun that gives Italians the beam of life that radiates throughout the country.
I could go on for chapters and volumes on my experiences with Italian food and the warm generous Italian way of life and Hospitality and open arms, but I wont. I will Just mention a few Highlights... Staying With Domenico's family gave me such a deep insight into the way of life and the importance of a meal to the italian household. My First meal In italy was rich, meaty musseles and clams cooked in a sauce of sweet tomatoes just roughly cut up, some basil torn into it and garlic all swimming in green olive oil. The Sauce left over from cooking the muscles with was then used to enrobe spaghetti.... I have decided to add a few pics of some of the most delicious things i ate in Ischia, just to add to the experience.
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View from the ferry |
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Spaghetti Vongole Cooked By Doms Dad- Fresh tomatoes and lots of garlic.... DELICIOUS!!! |
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Bruschetta - need i say more? |
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Aglio Olio This is made with lots of spring onions and garlic and parsley, this particular one also had celery in it which gives an added lightness and freshness to the flavour. a perfect kick of chilli and seasoned to perfection. |
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Pizza with Parma ham and Rocket The Neapolitans really do make the best pizzas in the world
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Exploring Italy, in the true italian style - on the back of a vespa scooter! Domenico and Me |
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Roast Chicken Wood fired rotisserie, with chickens stuffed with garlic and rosemary and those little aluminum trays filled with potatoes are cooking from the flavourfull chicken fats dripping off into them. I can honestly say i don't think ive ever eaten such delicious chicken in my life. |
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Chef Luigi mussel Bruschetta |
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Succlent Rabbit with tomato (grown from the garden) and absolutely juicy!!!
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Chef Luigi Boccatini (wholattini) in the juices that the rabbit was cooked in |
One Thing i learnt from the Italian way of cooking is that nothing goes to waist. Every possible ingredients gets used to its full potential. There is respect for family, and warmth towards guests, every day seems to be an occasion as well as every meal.
Getting back to Zucca, after experiencing my little taste of italy, gave me passion and enthusiasm for putting my head down and my full heart into working and cooking fresh, seasonal, succulent ingredients.
July Came, as did the olympics, and summer and home was calling!!!! So I said good bye to Zucca after again learning so much, about respect for food and meeting such wonderful people in the kitchen. and I had spent some lovely quality family and friend time, which is always appreciated!!
As summer drew to an end i had one last fleeting visit to Italy for Doms Sisters wedding, Pigged out on more absolutely mouth watering food, to fatten up to brace myself for the cold of what London's winter has in Stall for me!
Im now, neck deep in focusing on marketing and managing and all those funny things that right now don't have any relation to food, but i know one day they will be the key to the success of wherever i hope to take my passion.
I keep up going to London's newest and funnest restaurants, and reading up on whats hip, hop and happening and expanding my ideas, memories and knowledge for one day when I will Have a name for my own ideas in the industry, and some graduate from cooking school will be blogging about being nervous about having a trial with me!!!
The world goes around, as does the Industry, and all we need to do is have Respect for the Love of food and remember that the ingredients need to be treated with the utmost of care.
Until Next time
xxx