Diets and Culinary School must be Enemies...

I feel like it has been so long since my last blog. I have missed it... so much has happened since the last post. Thanksgiving has come and gone again. I would love to explain my Thanksgiving day in detail, but only one picture will suffice:

Oh yes. This is my dad, armed with his water-proof yellow hat, smoking 4 turkeys, 2 racks of pork ribs, and a 30 lb ham all by himself. Not only is he a pro at the smoker, but he is incredibly dedicated to his food- so dedicated in fact, that the woke up at 3 am and faced the freezing cold to turn the ham. Obviously, our Thanksgiving meal tasted amazing this year.

As for school, we began our tour through various culinary nationalities. It began with France as we cooked our way through all of the fatty, butter-filled foods that define the renown French cuisine. Each region has their fat of choice, ranging from duck fat, pork fat, butter, etc- Light eaters beware! Duck fat was a particular favorite as most recipes incorporated duck fat by the quarts. We made Duck Confit which is basically duck legs that are simmered for 2 hours in duck fat and are then re-submerged in the fat. The fat acts as a preservation technique that allows the duck to be saved for up to 2 years. Besides the few legs that were used for "educational" tastings, the majority of the duck legs were put away to be saved for our graduation buffet so we can see how much flavor the legs develop while in the fat (sounds delicious right?). One dish that was particularly exciting for me to make was Julia Child's infamous Beef Bourguignon. After being inspired by the movie "Julie and Julia", making her well-known classic was very thrilling. I felt a part of the "club" having taken my first step into the culinary industry. Overall, France was great, but I was ready to leave the fat behind us...

This week, we have moved to Italy! (studying these countries REALLY makes me want to go see them- anyone interested??) So far, I have loved studying Italian techniques because, unlike the French who cover up their foods with fatty complications, the Italians put their efforts into finding the freshest products and highlighting that freshness with the simplest of recipes. This was a refreshing change. Today, I got to the fulfill my dream of making homemade pasta! We started by kneading the dry, stiff dough until it got to the necessary consistency. Using a pasta maker, we then rolled out the disks of pasta into long, thin sheets of soon-to-be-deliciousness. With these sheets, we made butternut squash ravioli and traditional trenette pasta (basic angelhair noodles).  We also made my favorite pasta- gnocchi! The recipe we used called for riced potatoes, flour, eggs, nutmeg, and salt. We kneaded, rolled, cut, and boiled those marvelous pockets of pasta into a divine pasta experience. I definitely have eaten my fill of carbs today.

Another cool part of this week was a seminar I just attended this evening about how to meet human needs with a culinary profession. At the seminar, there was a panel of individuals who are currently in jobs that fight against hunger, strive to increase the nutrition of meals served in schools, and bring awareness to the economical importance of local farmers. It was really encouraging to know that there are so many untapped opportunities to use this crazy industry to meet the real needs of people. I, for one, am determined to work towards something that brings beneficial change directly to people. I am not sure exactly what that will be, but I'm sure the Lord will tell me in due time...

Sorry for the lack of pictures this week. I AM bringing my camera to school tomorrow so I will make up for it :) For the rest of the week, we are continuing our journey throughout Italy as we knead, boil, and sauce our way through the classic pastas we all know and love.

Happy Eating!

Pumpkin up! Thanksgiving is Days Away...

Thanksgiving is every food lover's dream come true- a day that is completely and entirely centered around food. I am personally thrilled about this upcoming holiday not only because I will be cooking delicious food at my ranch with my family, but because for the past TWO years on Thanksgiving Day, I have been too sick to even taste my cherished meal. This year, the holiday is going to be a slam dunk.

In preparation of the holiday, I signed up for a pumpkin recreational class. We had a wonderful time making very festive things. We cooked the classics like pumpkin bread and roasted sliced pumpkin, but we also made very unique dishes such as pumpkin gnocchi pasta with gorgonzola cream sauce. We also made pumpkin chili, roasted mini pumpkins filled with apple stuffing, and pumpkin creme brulee. All of it was so unique and quite easy if you are willing to put in the time and effort. Here are some pictures of the things we made:

*Pumpkin bread (with fennel... interesting touch)

*Roasted Pumpkins with Apple Stuffing

*The finished set up with all of our Pumpkin-y goodness!!!

Overall, I think my favorite part of Thanksgiving day is the moment when all of dishes are finally finished laid out in a beautiful display symbolizing hardwork, gratefulness, and time being spent with those you love. I feel so blessed for my wonderfully big family and how much they have supported me in my pursuit of a career in the culinary industry. I cannot wait to be back in Texas to spend this significant holiday with the people I care most about. I also can't wait to bust out these dishes plus countless others I have been researching over the past few weeks (I'm not obsessed I promise...)

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Eating!!!

The Reign of Chef Chris

So the reign of Chef Chris has come and gone as the completion of Module 2 occurred today with our practical. Our test was a sauteed strip steak with a red wine pan sauce along with pommes persillade and haricots verts. Chef Chris was very specific about how he wanted the coloring of the food, the temperature of the plate, and the direction and organization of the overall presentation. I was nervous for today, but as I sat my plated hard work in front of this highly esteemed chef, his one-word feedback to my plate was "perfect." I was thrilled! On to Mod 3 tomorrow...


Over the past week and a half, we have finished learning basic cooking techniques. We made breakfast items, sandwiches, salads, and dishes that reviewed the techniques we have learned all throughout Mod 2. My favorite section was breakfast. The item we made that I know I will be making again for the people in my family (my dad) is a traditional eggs benedict. It's the classically brillant combination of flavors and textures that makes this dish so renown. I am so excited to know how to make the traditional dish so I can add unique twists and surprises to the basic recipe. My new favorite item made this week, one that I have always enjoyed eating, is crepes. Last year when I so ignorantly attempted to make crepes, they were a ripped up messed of half-cooked batter that almost made me sick. Now I know how to mix perfect batter, how much batter to ladle into the correct-sized pan, and when to flip. It is so much fun to make because there is an endless amount of combinations to fill it with! In class, we made an apple flambe filling and an herbed goat cheese filling- both were equally divine. The weirdest dish I made this week was a saddle of rabbit stuffed with mushroom duxelle and wrapped in caul fat. We seared the outside, finished it in the oven, and made a veal reduction sauce to pair with it. After spending four hours creating this uniquely complex dish, I shamefully admit that couldn't bring myself to even taste it (rabbits are too cute... it's an attachment I need to overcome). 

*Stuffed Saddle of Rabbit with a Veal Reduction

*Classic Eggs Benedict

*Parson's Garden Salad


As for what it was like with Chef Chris... Let's just say it was night and day in comparison to Chef Sobrina. He walked into our class the first day with the purposeful intention to scare us. He spouted out his accomplishments and list of restaurants he has worked at (just restaurants like Per Se and French Laundry- no big deal) and loudly demanded a very specific equipment and station set up before we could even touch food. However, once I learned he had four daughters, I was set to find his soft spot. He ended up loving my table of all girls... He snuck us cookies and extra desserts from the catering kitchens, he allowed us to tweak all of our recipes however we desired, and he taught us his specialties like onion rings and chocolate bread pudding (best I have ever had!). However, even though he gave us freedom in our recipes, Chef Chris still demanded absolute perfection. His two sayings that were permanently drilled into my mind were "It MUST be perfect!" and "ALWAYS be clean!". Overall, Chef Chris was a wonderful instructor who challenged us and pushed us to be better. His passion for the kitchen really shines through in his teaching and is very contagious to his students. Oh, and I think Chef successfully scared every male in our class- the girls were quite happy with it :)


Well tomorrow is the first day of Mod 3. All I know about it is that the recipes double in ingredients and complication and the new chef instructor remains unknown. It will be an interesting ride!!!


Only 8 more days till Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!

How do you slow down time??

So I skipped a week blogging- aka I have a lot of food to talk about. I can't believe it, but we are almost HALF WAY done with our culinary program! In this second module, everyday we're up and moving the entire class time making the weeks go by way too quickly. The past two weeks were strictly focused on moist-heat cooking and advanced vegetable preparations. 

The moist-heat styles we learned included braising, stewing, steaming, poaching, and simmering. It is so interesting how minimal variations in a stock amount or in the pot used can be the determining factor between two techniques. My personal favorite from the list is braising, exactly like stewing, but the liquid only covers the protein half way up. Everything we braised from lamb shanks to beef cheeks came out flavorful and tender, and we were able to use the extra liquid to make perfectly matched sauces for each braised item. The dish I enjoyed eating the most was the braised chicken thighs with mushrooms and balsamic vinegar. It called for everything delicious: 5 different kinds of mushrooms, butter, vegetables, and cream. It came out beautifully, as did most of the dishes.

The other techniques we learned were advanced vegetable preparations. In this section we made simplistic dishes such as mashed potatoes and rice pilaf, to absurd things that only a show-off French chef would create, such as carrot flan and broccoli souffle. I naturally volunteered to make the carrot flan (they call it a "timbale") because I was so intrigued at its preparation method. Once out of the oven, it literally tasted like flan with carrots. The strange combination of the eggy texture with the punch of carrot was so weird that I probably won't ever make it again with carrots (or any type of vegetable probably). One of my favorite things that we made was risotto. My dad and I love making this together and experiment with all different flavors. The one we made it class was a simple recipe using onion, white wine, arborio rice, and parmesan cheese. It was creamy, delicate, and a wonderful staple that can be paired with anything!

 *Whole Fish braised with Olives and Capers

 *Osso Buco

*Steamed Chinese Strip Bass with Vegetables and Sticky Rice

For other interesting news:

1) An episode of Celebrity Apprentice was filmed in my school yesterday. Yes, that means was Donald Trump was 6 floors above me....

2) I passed my Serv Safe exam so I basically know everything about food safetly and sanitation (at least for the next week or so before I forget)

3) I get a new chef instructor on Monday named Chef Chris. He is a large, intimating man who loves to make his own salami. The rumor is that he is like a drill sargent in comparison to Chef Sobrina. This should be interesting.

4) I met the deputy editor from Everyday Cooking with Martha Stewart magazine this past Monday! She was awesome and I made sure I personally introduced myself to her. 

That's all I have for the week! I am definitely going to be preparing myself for this coming week. Stay tuned to see if my class and I survive the salami lover...

Happy Eating!!!

To Fry or not to Fry?

This week in school, we finished up dry-heat cooking techniques which included deep-frying, grilling, and roasting. The deep-fry day felt so natural for this Southern girl as we coated what was a healthy piece of cod or chicken in a thick, floured batter and threw it in the hot oil where it fried into golden brown perfection. We made fish in chips, Southern fried chicken (everyone assumed this was my specialty), and fried oysters. I have never enjoyed fried food so much as eating french fries hot out of the oil, except maybe at Shake Shack. At our grilling lessons, we learned how to make perfect quadrillage or "cross marks" from the grill grates. I love learning how to make food look pretty because it does not come naturally, so I got a kick out of learning this simple presentation technique. We grilled strip steak, flank steak, every kind of vegetable, pork chops, and salmon. 

On our first roasting day, we had a substitute named Chef Lorrie, meaning that the start of class was a blur of confusion, chaos, and an unwanted change to the class structure that we have familiarized ourselves with under Chef Sobrina's instruction (we are NOT excited for the day we get a permanent new chef instructor). I personally found this day entertaining as Chef Lorrie used my group's prep work as the model and basically did all of the cooking for us "in the name of demonstation." It was pretty great as my group got to hang out, eat our deliciously roasted items, and be the first team done with our clean up. 


One dish that was so fabulous that I must share it is the Roast Rack of Lamb Persillade. It starts with a rack of lamb that has been frenched and seared in canola oil to get a nice browning on the outside. After that, it is then coated with Dijon mustard and fresh garlic that has been roasted and mashed. It then coated again in breadcrumbs seasoned with thyme and parsly. After letting the breading set in the frige, the lamb is roasted in the oven until the inside reaches an internal temperature of 130 F. Ultimately, the result is a tender and juicy lamb rack that looks elegant and tastes amazing! The roasted garlic gives it a perfect kick, so to all my fellow garlic lovers, this recipe will not disappoint. 

*Our family style platter of roasted chicken, beets, sweet potatoes with orange and sage, fingerling potatoes, and of course, the rack of lamb 


Overall, it was a great week of cooking, but the negative part was the new knife cut we learned: the tourne. It is usually done with a potato with the shape being basically a 7-sided football. It is sooooo hard to make look good! The first time we tried it, my left thumb got in the way, making for my second finger cut thus far. Once the cut gets easier, I will take a picture. For now, just picture a jagged rectangular-like shape and that is what my tourne cut looks like. 


Happy eating everyone!

Now We're Cookin!

First and foremost-


Happy Pickle Day!!! 


Today is indeed national pickle day, so I hope everyone honored this most sacred of all holidays by eating pickles ALL day long!


This past week in school, we finally made the transition into module two, meaning that the real cooking begins. The goal of this second module is to perfect the art of basic cooking techniques and to begin weaning us off following recipes. As a girl who started her love affair with cooking in the world of baking, recipe-following is what I do best. However, the thought of making the leap from following a piece of paper versus relying on my own knowledge of cookery would make me feel so much more professional :)


This week's techniques were the simplistic, but pivotal, arts of sauteeing and pan-frying, where we sauteed and pan-fried practically every available protein which were then paired with some form of sauce. Our first item on the menu was a simple chicken breast with a white wine pan sauce. After successfully cooking my first dish, there was a feeling of satisfaction that emerged when I presented the chef with my chicken that was golden on the outside and tender on the inside. 

Other dishes that we made included crab cakes with an avocado sauce, sauteed strip steaks with aguardiente, brined pork tenderloin, and fillets of sole with a lemon butter sauce. The most interesting one to make was the Paillasson de Pommes de Terre, which was basically a giant potato pancake made from grated potato strips, pressed together to form a pancake, and cooked in 100% butterfat- it was amazing! My favorite tasting dish of the week was the sea scallops a la plancha estilo tipitapa (see the horribly long names that I have to pain-stankingly learn??). The scallops were sauteed and paired with a delectably creamy caramelized onion sauce. The sauce definitely made this dish, as most good sauces do. 

Now that we are actually cooking real meals in class, there will be SO much more to talk about. Tomorrow we start deep-frying so stay tuned! Once again:


Happy Pickle Day!

Mom and Dad in the Big Apple!

So, my parents came in town this weekend and there are three words that adequately describe our time together: SO MUCH FOOD. I think I'm still full from all of the places we went. We had an incredible time!


It began on Friday night when they arrived and we dined at the Old Homestead Steakhouse, a longtime favorite of my dad (you know it has to be good if he likes it). However, our meal could not officially begin until we tasted the Kobe beef sliders being sold on the street AND after sneaking next door to taste Pop Burgers, deliciously prepared mini hamburger-sliders presented on brioche mini buns, an excellent start to our appetizing weekend. Unfortunately, I think we all would have been content with more sliders because the Old Homestead did not live up to our high expectations. One of the biggest things I have learned in school is how to make a restaurant unique and stand out among the other thousands of competitors. Homestead must have missed this lecture. Although the food was lovely in appearance and tasty in consumption, there was nothing that wowed us Texas foodies. Better luck next time Homestead...


The next day, we walked all around the Flatiron area, as my dad's knowledge and perspective of New York was significantly amplified. This tour obviously included a lunch at Shake Shack and for the first time in my Shake Shack history, there was hardly a line when we hungrily walked into Madison Square Park- unbelievable! My parents must have the magic touch, and they must have been thinking that same thought about this hamburger joint that left all of us in a Shackburger coma of pure divinity (aka- they liked it).

The rest of the day was spent walking around, tasting bits here and there but salvaging our appetites as much as we could for the delicious Italian meal in store for dinner at Trattoria Dell'arte. It was heaven. We ordered a margarita pizza that was as big as the table while maintaing a thin, crisp, and delicate texture. Mmmmm. We also ordered a fantastic veal parmesan and a crabsteak. What's a crabsteak, you ask? It's only lump crab that is cooked together and nestled upon a toasted brioche baguette. Let's just say that we were much more content with this meal than the one from the previous evening.

The next day, I was forced to do a act proved demoralizing for all New York City residents- ride the double decker tour bus. However embarrassing it might have been, it was really fun! We rode it to Battery Park where my mom put her bartering skills to the test in attempt to buy fake brand name purses at the cheapest price (I think she needs to work on that skill). After that, we spent the afternoon walking through Chinatown and Little Italy. My dad discovered Rice to Riches, an eatery entirely dedicated to rice pudding- there were about 30 various flavors to choose from. Crazily, their target niche is the younger crowd, a generation who is foreign to the concept of rice pudding. However, from what we saw and tasted, Rice to Riches is doing pretty good.


For dinner that evening, we dined at the Union Square Cafe, Danny Meyer's original restaurant. Danny Meyer is the most successful restaurateur in New York City, so we had to eat at this legend of a restaurant to see where the Meyer empire began. All of the acculades were rightly rewarded as the restaurant offered wonderful appetizers, delicious entrees, and a free course of the most incredible pasta we had ever tasted. Unfortunately, the ricotta gnocchi I ordered tasted like airy lumps of bland cheese, but everything else was spot-on fantastic. 


The final day was, again, spent on the tour bus as we ventured to the Uptown loop of the city. However, this was after we ate brunch at Normas and my mom ordered the BEST blueberry pancakes I had ever tasted. Later, we toured around as my parents took in their final moments of Times Square. 


As my parents prepared to head home on Tuesday morning, we spent our last meal hopping in a cab to get breakfast at Donut Plant. This is a gourmet donut shop that has taken an ordinary donut, added some originality and flair, and has become a successful landmark in the donut world. Our favorites are the coconut cream and the PB&J, the two square, cream-filled donuts offered. 

All in all, we had a wonderful time together and I was sad to see my mom and dad go. I am so thankful to have such selfless parents who have whole-heartedly supported me on this crazy, culinary adventure of mine. I love them so much.


Have a wonderful week! 

Soups, Sauces, and Guacamole!

This has been an incredible week filled with food, tours, and famous chefs!


It all began on Monday, when my culinary management class when on a field trip to Daniel, Daniel Boulud's infamous restaurant. Chef Boulud is a world-renown chef owning restaurants all across world, but Daniel, is his crowned jewel of them all. Before the tour, we were told that Chef Boulud would be in China, therefore we would not be meeting him on our tour. When we arrive, a handsome French man shows us the amazing decor and of the dining area. As we are admiring the incredible 10,000 square foot restaurant with an unbelievable basement prep-kitchen, a man comes down to the main kitchen to greet us. I naturally assume he is one of the general managers and drown him out with my own daydreams of opening a restaurant myself one day. As we head back to school after the completion of the tour, my classmates are gushing over getting to see Chef Boulud. As it turns out, the "general manager" that greeted us in the kitchen was, indeed, Chef Daniel Boulud!!! I was so upset by my lost picture opportunity, but I am still so excited that I can say I have met such a powerhouse chef in our culinary industry.


In culinary class, the week was spent finishing our lessons on sauces as we made chutneys, salsas, and infused-oil sauces. One day we had a sub, Chef Alan, who found out I am from Texas and accused us, Texans, of sitting around eating mayonnaise sandwiches and shopping at Neiman Marcus. What?! I stood up for my state's culinary taste because who over five really eats mayonnaise sandwiches? Ironically, we made mayonnaise from scratch the next day as we transitioned into emulsion sauces. This also included Hollandaise and Bearnaise sauces which I cannot wait to whip up the next time my dad grills up a steak at the ranch. 


After our sauce days were complete, we started our soup lessons that included Cream of Broccoli, Puree of Carrot, French Onion, and Lobster Bisque. It was so much fun to see what it takes to give soups bursting flavor and perfect consistency. One of the things I am thankful for about my school is that they always tell us how to fix our mistakes and still make a dish taste great by adding this or that (since we all know there are many mistakes to be made). There are many times a soup will need to be thinner or thicker, which can be done by adding flour, more stock, or whatever else is needed to achieve the main goal of the dish. One of my personal highlights of the week was being able to kill another lobster for lobster bisque- is it weird that I find that to be so much fun? Here are some pictures of the week:

 Salsas, Chutneys, and oil sauces

 French Onion Soup

Lobster Bisque

On Thursday, we took another class field trip to Rosa Mexicana, a chain restaurant that specializes in authentic Mexican cuisine. They intentionally try to stay away from Tex-Mex, much to my queso-longing dismay. It was a really wonderful tour as we learned about how to operate a restaurant that is both casual but achieves a fine-dining feel to it. The best part was the massive bowl of guacamole they served us at the end of the tour:

We totally finished it.


All in all, it has been a wonderful week, but it is the weekend that I have been looking forward to the most because my parents are here! So many good restaurants, so little time!


Happy eating!

ICE Week 5

My first four weeks of class consisted of long lectures, thorough demonstrations by my chef-instructor, Chef Sobrina, of the skills to be learned that day, and repetitious practice of chopping to drill these new skills into our young and vulnerable culinary minds. Now, everything has changed as we near the end of Module 1.

As we entered into Week 5 this past week, the organization of my class transformed from slow, technical training, to multiple recipe assignments that sent my classmates and I into a fast-paced cooking frenzy. The focus of the week was sauces, sauces, and more sauces. This afternoon, my partner, Kate, and I completed 7 intricate, technical, and incredibly delicious sauces. There were homemade tomato sauces, creamy sauces, and brown sauces used as meat glazes. 

With this new class set up, we begin each class with the various recipes of the day previously studied and written out so we will be able to anticipate cooking times, ingredients, and the skills needed to excellently complete our tasks on time. We are beginning to understand the amount of urgency that is necessary to succeed in a professional kitchen. After Chef Sobrina gives a quick run over of the recipes, we are sent off to perform what is required to receive our daily grade. Today, what was required of us was to have 7 various forms of sauces warm and ready in 3 hours. It took quite a bit of organization and teamwork from Kate and me. At one point we didn't have enough cream-based stock to complete the classic French cheese sauce called Sauce Morray, so we just threw in a heaping amount of freshly grated Gruyere and Parmesan cheese to compensate (about twice as much as asked for in the recipe). It turned out to be a thick, stringy mess! It might not have been the best Sauce Morray in the class, but it was a wonderful practice to think like a chef when something isn't going properly in the kitchen, and it made for a good laugh in the nerves of the preparation. 

Next week is our final week of Module 1 before we take our Mod 1 practical exam (ahhhhh) to move on to Module 2. That means we are already 1/5 of the way to graduating as chefs! I am nervous about the practical, but I cannot wait to be in Mod 2 which is primarily focused on various ways to prepare meat (my dad will be proud). 

I hope everyone has a wonderful October weekend! Happy eating!!!

Madison Square Market

One of my favorite things about New York are the various markets that spontaneously appear around the city all the time. Madison Square Market is an example of one of those lovely surprises. It occurs on the border of Madison Square Park where white tents are set up and filled with local treasures both that are both delicious and fashionable. 

One part of the market is the shopping where local business owners sell beautiful scarves, leather bags, jewelry, and countless other products that continually tempt every New Yorker's shopping instinct. Shopping at an outdoor market in a park totally beats shopping in a store...

The other part is the food section where a multitude of local restaurants gather and sell their most popular menu items. From cannoli shops to fried chicken, this market provides a wide variety of flavors and textures that is so much fun for both those who are tasting everything or those who are just marveling. Also being sold is a selection of thin-crust pizzas, gourmet gruyere pretzels, and freshly brewed Kenyan coffee drinks that does not fall short of the high New York quality that I am continually getting spoiled with. My personal favorite was the homemade apple cider cake donuts that are mildly flavored but full of fresh apple taste that's all wrapped into a moist and crumbly cake donut. 

This market is so much fun to have near my school and apartment. I think I have managed to stroll around the market everyday since its opening- good thing it will be around until late October!


Happy eating!!!

THE Shake Shack

Cheeseburgers. One of the most iconic foods of our American culinary history. When one thinks of this classic dish, countless memories come to mind, such as those of childhood, laid back college weekends, or good times with family. Everyone has some connection to the delicious combination of meat, bread, and cheese- except me. Every cheeseburger I had ever ordered up until my arrival in New York had always been bland, unmemorable, and frankly not worth the calories. I could never wrap my head around what all the hype was about cheeseburgers. My mindset was that of disappointment and confusion until I discovered...

SHAKE SHACK.

I pass this remarkable dining establishment everyday on my way to school. Before trying it, I was shocked by the consistently long lines that this seemingly plain burger joint managed to attain day after day. It was enough to make my roommate and me force ourselves to stand in the long line one Tuesday afternoon. While in line, my cynical mindset was increasing with every minute as my thoughts were- this is surely going to be like every other over-rated burger. The menu was short and concise offering hamburgers, cheeseburgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs. They had various flavors of custard and milkshakes, fries and cheese fries, and selections of beer and wine. When I finally reached the front, I ordered the Shackburger (duh) and continued to wait for my buzzer to go off as I took my seat at the shakey, overused table and chairs set up. When my burger was finally ready, my cynical thoughts immediately vanished. With one bite, I was instantly in love. The patty was thick, juicy, and straight off the grill. The freshly cut vegetables mixed perfectly with the American cheese and secret Shack sauce. It all was nestled comfortably between a lightly toasted potato bun. It could all be wrapped into one word- delicious. Every stereotype I had previously held about cheeseburgers was viciously refuted by this masterpiece of a burger. It transformed my entire view of iconic American foods and even made me feel more American myself. That's a powerful hamburger.

Now, Shake Shack has become a dear friend of mind, taking the form of intoxicating cravings that I receive on a daily basis. It is addictive and holds true to every positive review it has ever received. I hope to take everyone that comes and visits me to experience the wonder of a Shackburger.

*My roommate, Cristine, standing in line on our first epic trip to Shake Shack

Happy eating everyone!!!

Howdy!

So, what brought a young, Texas born-and-raised girl to the crazy, non-stop city of New York? FOOD. New York City is the restaurant capital of America, and no other place will give as delicious a culinary education as living in this environment. I feel thrilled, blessed, and just a little terrified to be living here. 


I am currently enrolled in ICE, Institute of Culinary Education, to get a dual degree in Culinary Arts and Culinary Management. Basically, I get to talk, listen, and learn about food ALL DAY. It's heaven. Out of 110 lessons, I am only 14 lessons in and I already feel like my entire view of cooking has been transformed and enhanced into the mindset of the professional culinary world. I have learned how to correctly hold a very sharp knife (a deep-rooted fear that I was forced to overcome), how to properly butcher every kind of raw protein imaginable, how to cut up squid, and how to successfully kill a live lobster. It has been an astounding few weeks and I cannot wait to see what's in store for the next 96 lessons!


As a foodie, living in New York is one appetizing adventure after the another. Every possible kind of restaurant concept is practiced and achieved in this magical city. From macaroni and cheese diners to dessert bars, it creates a biting sense of urgency within me to experience all of them. However, seeing that there are about 30,000 restaurants in the city, that hope is entirely unrealistic. But I am still determined to reach as many as I can and I hope to document them all in this blog :)


The first culinary adventure I will share occurred yesterday as friends and I ventured our way to Chinatown to attend the 2nd annual Dumpling Festival. 

Being a dumpling fanatic, I could not wait to be at the festival surrounded by all of the little pockets of goodness (goodness being deliciously seasoned pork wrapped in fluffy dough and then pan fried).  The festival was packed with fellow dumpling lovers as we all spent the hot Saturday afternoon standing in long lines for warm, delicious dumplings. My personal highlight of the day was spotting the infamous chef, Mario Batali from the Food Network's Iron Chef. Seeing such a well-respected chef chowing down on cheap dumplings at a crowded festival made me so proud to be embarking in an industry that embodies such a wide variety of cultures, flavors, and experiences. After we had eaten our final bits of dumpling, we waved farewell to the beloved festival and made our way back onto the busy streets of the city.


That was the first of many new food experiences. Join me as I blog all of my culinary adventures- from cooking things I would have never imagined possible to eating places that are impossibly good. It's going to be an unforgettable year!