Happy New Year from Italy!!!!

A 16 hour day and back at it in less than 9 hours.

Love and Miss you all!!!!

Day 7 - Dishpan Hands

Why can’t people understand that there is more than one way to do something? My blood boiled today, literally!!! As I am still on dish pit duty, (which I only begrudge a little, like a pinch of salt little) I have worked out the kinks and come up with what works best for me in this area of the kitchen. Is it the correct way? Right way? Who knows, but it works, and it works well. We had a large party plus a la carte diners today, so we were rather busy. Intern Tyler, jumps into dishville and start getting in my way and then takes over. I of course, you all know how I can get, ‘Why don’t I just get out of your way?” I say with a twing of disgust and annoyance. He responds “ I just want to knock these out” Really Ass Hole, so do I. I did not say that, but he got the point. He insisted that his way was the best way, like I have never been in a dish pit before. F that dude, 20 year olds, jeez (Yes, Moe, I just offended a whole age group, again, shocking)

Ok, enough with the rant. The pork, cabbage roll things were actually pretty good. Or I was really hungry, not sure which. We seared then braised them then ate a few for family meal. I actually got to cook something today, which felt really great: Braised Cabbage with Raisins and Red Onion Marmalade. These were for the NYE event happening tomorrow. My hands are way dry and my cuticles are in a sad state of affairs. 14 hours again today, busier at both lunch and dinner. We have a party in the afternoon tomorrow then a plated special dinner for New Years tomorrow night. My guess is that we will not get out till about 2 am this night. But 2011 will be celebrated in Italy, so that is a great thing.

Language Lesson 2

Fata (fat-ahh) = Make

Cato = Cat (Oh Mi Cato’s)

Carno = Dog

Day 6 - Pork This

Another long, long day. The Umbria Jazz Fest is in full swing, so we were a bit busier today. Most of the day and night was spent prepping for parties and New Years. We made a very interesting item today: Pork loin, stuffed with prunes, gemoltia, and spices. Then Wrapped in cabbage, then in caul fat, then encased in sausage netting to keep it all together. Not sure how these will turn out, but making all 100 of them, by the end, I couldn’t imagine they would be delicious.

While I was prepping some potato flans today, the servers and Chef and Carlo were all speaking Italian. They kept looking at me, and then asked about my Skull & Crossbones tattoo. The gents told me that it is very aggressive this tattoo of mine. Apparently that is a good thing; aggressive. It was pretty funny, you can usually tell when they are talking about you because they will glance in your direction multiple times throughout the discussion. I need to learn Italian, Stat.

I think what I will start doing is adding a little language lesson at the end of each blog entry, this way it will make me learn, retain and share the language. Not just for my benefit, but for all of yours too!!!

Language Lesson 1

When answering the phone, say ‘Pronto’ this translates to Ready.

Pronto = Ready

Buena Sera = Good Evening or Good Afternoon

Bella, Bello = Beautiful

Day 5 - It all goes to the Dogs

Five days in Italy and already I am missing friends and family, but know that this is a great thing. Only Day 2 in the kitchen, also the first week of Umbria Jazz Festival. We were a bit busier today at lunch, pretty much the same at dinner. For you wonderful folks not in the service realm, this will hold no bearing for you, but just keep reading, it will get better. After a later start, 10 am, and two cappuccinos, prep started with lots of veggies being chopped, garlic pealed, and meat grinded. That’s right friends, cafe/coffee is almost like water here, no tea, just coffee. So much to my chagrin, I oblige and take a few sips before gulping water to get the funky taste out of my face, ha!

Dish Pit Day 2!!! We met our sous chef today, Carlo. A very nice older gentleman who will not allow me to pick up heavy items, let alone anything else. So it will be interesting to see how it goes in a few weeks when we change roles. i built 40 a-la-carte tiramisu’s today, after the first 2 they just cranked out pretty easy, mind you, there was more coffee offered at this point. On our afternoon siesta break, all of us, my two intern/roommates and I were all online. So happy I was able to talk to my mom, sister, MOE, and leave messages for a few more. Even just hearing VM voice was a nice take-away for the day.

The highlight of the night - a couple came into the restaurant with their dog, yes, that’s right, with their dog! (Chef Kennedy, don’t freak out, they were the table next to the door, but still) This couple, ordered the most expensive dish on the menu, the steak, for their dog!!! So funny! It was the laugh of the night for the entire staff, chef even wrote the dogs name on a tray to serve the meal on. Ridiculous!!! Pretty sure the dang dog ate better and more than I did today.

A little afterwork buddy time with my roomies, and egg in a hole, and scotch: Jealous?

Make sure to treat your dogs right this week!!!

Peace & Love,

Nikita

Day 4 - Work!- Finally!!!

So after being numbed by staring at the four walls of my apartment, we got tow go to work today!!! I know this may seem silly that I am so excited about this, but I needed to get back in the kitchen, in any sort of capacity. Me and my other 2 roommates, Tyler & Franchesco, from J&W and the CIA respectively were the only ones assisting the chef today. He has a sous, Carlo, but he was ill today. So it is pretty interesting that it is such a light crew, even though service was not a problem.

After a little electrical issue this morning, the circuit for the lights was not working, we eventually started the day. Chef Lorenzo and I went to the SuperMarket to shop for items we needed for prep. I love the Market, as many will tell you, so when we were buying flats of cheese, milk, flour, sugar, and veggies, you know I was in hog heaven. The two carts were so full I could hardly navigate through all the Blue Hairs. Then it was off to prep city. Then dinner service at 7. No worries friends, I was right in my element, Chef put me on f**ing dish duty!!! Moe, Danielle, and I were self-appointed dish nazi’s in school, so I guess it only right that that is how I start off my Internship too. However, as I scope the kitchen and such, I am finding some semblance of comfort in my surroundings and knowing that a Kitchen, with all of it’s moving parts, puts me at ease. After 14 hours with hardly any break, I am now ready to sleep, hopefully though the night!!!

Hope you are enjoying the posts. I will include some photos of the restaurant on the next one.

Peace & Luv,

Nikki

Day 3 - Italian Interlude

Sunday, the day after Christmas. After a restless night of sleep, it was time to take the Finnicular (gondola) up to Orvieto Scala to explore and find our way around the beautiful place. We headed up around 11 am or so and took the bus to the Duromo, the largest church. It was stunning. I will explore more and go inside next time, but it was great to see the architecture up close.

From here, we found our way to the restaurant and then realized there was a much quicker way to access it, so it was fun to get lost for a bit. My main goal was to find Internet! Since our apartment does not have it, I have been out of touch for a few days, and not liking the lack of information and communication from friends and family. We found an internet cafe for 5 Euros I had access to fast internet and it actually was very helpful to my sanity to talk with my Mom and email my friends and post blogs, of course. The ristorante has wireless so I think I will try and get on it Monday there in order to pay some bills and organize emails and such.

We met our other roommate today. he had a week off, so he went to Bristol, England to spend the holidays with friends and family. Tyler is from Johnson & Wales, the RI contingent, and is turning 20 tomorrow. He has been here since November 28th, so it should be good to have someone with some knowledge of hours & kitchen ettiquette and such. Tomorrow is the big day, 9:30 am start time. It looks like it is going to be super heavy prep because we are preparing for the Umbria Jazz Festival that starts on Wednesday, this will lead right into New Years Eve, where we will be doing plated meals for $95 Euros a person. This week looks like it will be very busy, so I am looking forward to activity and pressure.

It was nice to see the sun today, no rain!!! Catch you all up tomorrow on the happenings.

Ciao, Ciao,

Nikki

The Images are from the Duromo and the Communal Gardens in Orvieto.

Merry Christmas!!!!

Sleep, sleep, sleep. Tea, tea, tea. Walk, walk, walk. Cold, cold, cold. Warm, warm, warm. Sleep, sleep, sleep. Read, read, read. Sleep, Sleep, Sleep.

Bueno Natalie from Italy!!!

Italy - Day 1!!!!

Left Michigan at 3:35 on Thursday, December 23rd, with WAY TOO MUCH STUFF, and of course, as I am walking through the airport, I realized I had forgotten my own pillow, not good! After a quick flight to Charlotte for the shortest connection of all time (exaggeration) I was on my 8 hour flight to Rome. I paid the extra $11 dollars for a window, and thank goodness, because the plane was completely full. The young gentleman next to me was from Texas Tech, Guns Up Baby! He was going to visit his parents who are living in Libya, wild.

My flying companion and I decided to indulge in an in-flight cocktail, thank you ginger ale and Canadian Club for easing me into the flight. The meal served was actually not to shabby. Mind you the last meal I had in the states was a National Coney Island with Fries and a Chocolate Milk, so it was going to be a hard meal to beat. However, the pasta with pesto, once topped with a little salt, was warm and tasty for being an airplane meal. Served with a roll, salad, and an interesting looking/tasting brownie, it hit the spot at the moment.

After arriving an hour late into Rome, with a numb butt, I was ready to step foot onto Italian soil. It was 10:20 am on Friday, December 24th, Christmas Eve Day. It was a busy day at the Rome Airport, however, after grabbing a chair at a cafe, I spotted Chef Lorenzo, whom with which I am interning with. We were waiting for one more intern to arrive from the CIA in New York. Franchesco came out of customs just a bit later, don’t worry, he’s 100% Italian and knows the language fairly well. I am already behind, but thanks to all my cd’s and books, plan to rectify this.

Mom, if you think driving in the States is scary, try being a passanger here. Although they do drive on the same side as the US, there is no use of turn signals, good karma, or speed control. It was a bit harry, however after a 2 hour drive, we arrived to our little apartment in lower Orvieto; 2 bedrooms, small kitchen and living area, bathroom, washer, and the coolest key ever. After this brief stop, it was off to Ristorante Zepellini in Orvieto Scala, where I will be working. A long, narrow space, with a large prep kitchen and an additional service kitchen, it will be interesting to navigate it starting Monday. Hopefully I will get to explore the narrow streets of Orvieto more this weekend.

From here it was off to the supermarket, Franchesco’s luggage did not arrive, so he needed essentials. Lorenzo decided to purchase our food at this time as well, he’s my kind of shopper, tossing items into the kart 2 or 3 at a time; cheeses, breads, sausages, tasty treats, it was silly. Then no time to stop at home, off to Lorenzo’s home in Baschi for the family holiday celebration. So Much Food! There was about 13 of us and all kinds of food; pizzas, cheeses, soup, apple tart, pastries, a traditional and tasty tuna dish. But the best dish was the Truffle Risotto. Made with a wooden spoon and some champagne, this dish not only had 4 large truffles, julienned, into the risotto, but 6 medium sized fresh ones shaved on top. Oh My was it divine. Best risotto ever, but I will be on the hunt now that I am in the homeland of risotto. After dinner, the family started signing songs in English and Italian, it was great fun. By the time we got back to our flat, it was 10:30 pm. A very, very, very long day. Now grocery’s are away, all of my stuff that I brought has a home in my little room, and I showered. Ready for bed, don’t worry, I am sticking to my routine, it is now 2 am. Goodnight Everyone!!!

Michigan Bound

After graduation and the party, it was time to pack and head off to Michigan for some family and friend time. The first day, our stop was Davenport, IA. This just happened to be a 12 hour drive, but my mom was a trooper and we just kept crusin’, No bad weather, no icy roads, it was a flat haul through Nebraska, then in Iowa, it was my turn to drive again. I wanted to pick up some time, so I may have been going a tad bit over the speed limit. And it was bound to happen, I was pulled over just outside Iowa City. No one on the road, but me, flying. Maybe it was the way the full moon hit my eyes or that I called the officer honey, but no ticket, just a warning. Thank goodness! We made it to our dear friends Kim & Adam’s at 12:30 am after a long driving day. They had the most snow we saw on the whole trip, it was also the evening of the lunar eclipse, but it was all cloudy, so we were not able to see it. After some chatting, it was off to bed for a bit of rest before the last 7 hours of our drive. After having our alarms fail, my mom and I were awoken around 8 and started to get ready. Kim, those earplugs you gave me were very helpful for the last bit of my trip, as there was a crying baby on board.

The last 7 hours was rather easy. We had an extended lunch and even stopped at a new casino on the way home, no winnings though. Overall it was a very easy drive and it was great to do the long haul on the first day. Thank you Kim & Adam for your hospitality! And mom, thanks for putting up with me on this return trip, it felt like only yesterday when we first drove out to denver in the red rocket.

Best Partay Ever!!!

Thank you to everyone who came to the Graduation/Going Away Party this past Saturday. It was clearly, Way Too Much Fun!

Jolene, Melaine, Marcee, and Alana, you 4 really know how to throw a party! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for taking care of Moe and I and the support and the Party! It was so great to have everyone there and see familiar faces and to celebrate the end of chapters and the start of new ones.

Thanks everyone for coming out and potentially ordering more shots in one night at Uptown then ever before. Mama Olst may have had more fun than me, mainly because I was crying mostly. But nonetheless, a great time was had by all!!! Photos to come soon!

Love you all!!!

Graduation!!!

It actually happened! 18 months of constant school, work, and meltdowns, all came to a head on December 17th with graduation. Presentation table set to go, the food was hot, and the crowd began to amass. With the support of Moe, Jeff, Marcee, and my Mom, the table presentation went smoothly. And a shout out to all of my friends who came to support me and try all the tasty food that was available. With graduation only a mere moments away, medals were handed out to students who exceeded the judges expectations in their presentation. Both Moe and I placed with a bronze and silver respectively. I am SOOOOO proud of both of us for our achievements and for both of us graduating with Honors, Moe with a 4.0!!! Woop Woop!

Graduation time, and of course, Culinary was the loudest and perped the largest group of graduates, and had the only 4.0 students graduating. Pretty great to be part of this class and of AI in general.

Thank you to all of the educators, students, friends, and slackers for making my culinary experience one to remember. All the hours at the dish pit, the last minute papers, and the inside jokes (insert mustache finger here) made my whole experience worth it.

Moe I Love Your Guts!

Jeff, Bob, Todd, Karl, Matt, Brian, Alissa, David, Danielle, Joe, Josh, and so many other great folks that I was able to work side by side with.

Chef Beckwith, Chef Hayashi, Chef Donna Kennedy, and Chef Bennett; not only genius educators, but priceless mentors for me over the last 18 months.

THANK YOU!!!

Follow me through Culinary Adventures

Welcome to my blog!

I am sure this is how many blogs start. However, I have promised many that this blog will not be boring, but at some point it will probably turn senseless. As I graduate from culinary school in Colorado in less than 2 weeks, I am looking just beyond to my next chapter. Italy here I come! Heading to Italy for a 3 month internship, many posts on travels, food, wine, and alternate adventures will abound.

I wish you all could join me on my adventure, but alas, I will have to post pictures, write, and video to share it all with you.

Thanks for reading!

Nikki