Cook!

 

I am truly excited to have been accepted into the Cook Masters program here in Philadelphia!  Starting January 13th and over the next five weeks, and for seven classes I will be immersed in culinary education with some of the best chefs in this amazing food city. The program accepts ten people and this year, for the first time they left two spots open for food writers, and I am beside myself to be one of them.  

Naturally I will be writing about everything I learn, and sharing my experiences with you.  Though I doubt there’s a new way to cut up a chicken, I’m sure to learn a ton of new things, acquire new skills, and sharpen my rusty ones.  The classes are Wine, Food Writing, Health & Nutrition, Butchery, Baking, French Sauces, and Braising Meats.   I’m a feeling a bit squeamish about the butchery; in the video I saw them bring out chickens with head and feet attached…  

I am looking forward to being back in a classroom kitchen, to talking about the how and why of  food and flavor.  This will be both a refresher and, no doubt, a ton of new ideas, opinions and techniques.  I will get to meet people I generally only read about, and eat a lot of wonderful food.  As I did when I attended culinary school, I will soak up as much as I can.  I will be the annoying student who asks way too many questions,  and stays after class to ask some more.

In preparation I will sharpen my knives and my pencils. I will get a new notebook (I love notebooks)  and maybe even a new pen.  Somewhere in my house is my old knife-roll and I must locate that.  I still have some chef’s pants, but I’m not inclined to dig up my one chef’s coat from graduation day at the CIA… Maybe I can borrow one.  I’m sure I sound pretty geeky, but this is the perfect circumstance to go back to school; seven classes, and no grades!!

As I did when I was I kid, I will feel butterflies, and the mild anxiety of ‘will they like me?’ and the newer worry ‘will I be the oldest one there?’  How would you be feeling in my shoes?  Oh, wow, shoes…