May 23 - June 7, 2024

This cycle, one of our sophomore students, Gavin Cobble, put on a special lunch for his Eagle Scout project.  When he pitched the project to us, he described an experience that he had where he ate in a restaurant that was completely dark, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. It was called "Blind Dining" and put someone in the position of eating without sight. The experience was meant to bring awareness to those who experience visual disabilities. He asked if he could host a lunch with a similar experience. 

We were very excited to be a part of such a great experience. Gavin planned the menu (a 3 course meal of quiche, beef bourguignon, and apple crisp) and orchestrated the service (using blindfolds instead of having the room dark). He hosted the lunch on Wednesday May 29 and it was a rousing success. All of his classmates assisted in some way, some in the dining room, some in the kitchen preparing the food. It was amazing!

May 13 - May 22, 2024

I love this time of year. Both the freshmen and the sophomores are comfortable in the kitchen and rocking out food on a high level. This is the cycle that we also get a chance to show off a little bit. Freshman orientation is a chance for next year's freshman students to learn a little more about the school and the expectations as well as to take a look around the trade classrooms again. We always set up our bakery space in the main downstairs foyer to show off the students and the amazing food that they make. Because we really make this an event, we get dozens of student volunteers, which makes us extremely proud. We also get a chance to make some specialty items!

May 2 - May 10, 2024

One of the highlights of this cycle was to introduce two new items to the entree menu of our food2go program. One was a dish that is dear to my heart, coq au vin. This dish is so soulful. The braised chicken in a rich sauce, was fantastic. We paired with with a German spaetzle and it turned out amazing. We also made a Greek specialty, Moussaka. This dish is baked in the way a cassarole would be, but with African spices and a rich bechamel on top, the eggplant, potatoes, and spiced beef mixture was unique and delicious!

April 22 - May 1, 2024

April 1 - April 19, 2024

March 14 - March 28

This cycle the freshmen get a chance to really get their hands on some different produce. Specifically fruits and vegetables. They learn to identify the different categories that are so important to the chef as well as learning about the importance of seasonality. 

In the production kitchen, the highlights for the food2go sale were the chicken pot pies. Students also got a chance to learn how to make baked mac and cheese from scratch which we offered up for sale as well. We also were asked by a local charity to produce over 200 carrot cake cupcakes with mini anchor cookies as a garnish. We got a chance to collaborate with the drafting department here at Grasso Tech and they were able to produce an anchor cookie cutter with their 3D printer. Thanks to everyone involved!

March 1 - March 13

This cycle the sophomores began their unit on breakfast cooking. In addition to incorporating a Quiche Lorraine into the food2go offerings, we began our daily breakfast service again.

We typically run a short menu for staff from 9-10 Mon - Wed during the week. We make our own bagels, bake muffins and other quick breads, fry up our famous crullers, and make a delicious bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. I have been wanting to incorporate a new hashbrown, something easy but yummy, as a way to expand our side dishes. I tasked a few students to work on the recipe and we came up with a winner. Just this cycle over 20 of them were sold over the services.

Another fun thing that we got to do is cook a large brunch buffet for the upperclassmen. All students love breakfast food and we had a real feast. Pancakes, waffles, french toast, quiche, hashbrowns, homefries..... the list goes on and on. What a great way to get both classes together!

A close up of the many items that the sophomores prepared for the brunch buffet during their cycle on Breakfast Cookery.

February 20 - February 29

The freshmen are back for one of their more challenging units, weights and measures. Here at Grasso Tech, freshmen are a bit more hands on in the creation of recipes than they are at some of the other schools. For that reason it is extremely important for all students to become proficient in their measurements as the success of the final product and the eventual happiness of our customers depend on it. 

Students work on flash cards to quiz each other, look at recipes to decipher desired yields and new ingredient amounts, and use the different scales (digital and balance) daily in production. They compute cups, pints, quarts, and gallons and must be able to grab the correct tool multiple times in each recipe. The production kitchen is truly designed to give maximum opportunity to practice what they are learning!

We offered up two new recipes during our food2go sales this cycle. One was a shepherds pie that we set up in a 9 inch tin, topped with mashed potatoes, and ready to bake for customers when they get home. I love those first few real cooking activities for the freshmen, because they love to gather around the range with tasting spooons, trying each other's food.... and often turning and smiling saying "wow, that's good!"

We also were able to make a traditional chocolate mousse for sale. Enough said... delicious!

February 1 - February 16

In the production kitchen we have one of our favorite sales of the year for food2go, the Super Bowl Food Weekend. Students work hard preparing a number of  different snacks that are popular for the game.... mini meatballs, buffalo chicken dip, southern fried chicken, among other things. It is always a favorite with the students as well as we always have a little bit leftover to sample before they leave for the weekend.

In the classroom the students begin their unit on pasta, grains, and legumes. One of the highlights of this cycle, besides making fresh pasta dough from scratch, is that students get a chance to learn how the classic Italian dish of risotto is made. This dish makes me think back to one of my first jobs after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America over 20 years ago when I worked for Chef Wolfgang Puck at Spago in Palo Alto California. It was there that I was able to perfect my technique on a dish that I find to be one of the most savory and delicious things I had ever eaten. Certainly there are many varieties out there to flavor a risotto, and I teach a simple one, embellished only with butter and parmesan at the end. Students can taste and they love it, but when we make larger batches we sell it as Arancini, breaded risotto balls that are deep fried and served with a Marinara Sauce on the side. 

January 22 - January 31

The freshmen are back and the cookie season is over. Whew.... I think they are ready for something new. Lucky for them, the entire curriculum starts to unfold during this cycle. Though the primary learning goal for this cycle is learning the different smallwares and larger cooking equipment that is used in a professional kitchen, I also begin to incorporate their first formal training in knife skills. Identification of equipment is incredibly important as the students begin to build their kitchen vocabulary. They will be using this equipment daily and must be aware not just of the how and why these things are used, but also more importantly, the safe use. We take safety very seriously here and students demonstrate proficiency and sign off on safety sheets for the most important equipment.

Additionally though, it is very important to get them used to working with a Chef Knife. Developing their knife skills is one of those fundamental skills that takes years to truly master. However, they must be able to work in a busy environment safely, and at first, speed is not the most important thing. I am sure that they wish to work as quickly as a professional chef, and that will come someday, but our job here is to get them to feel comfortable using the professional techniques that we teach them. They learn how to dice, chiffonade, julienne, and a number of other knife cuts as they develop their skills throughout the year. These lessons will carry on for the next few cycles as well in the production kitchen whenever I get a chance to have them practice.

January 2 - January 19

The sophomore class is back and as it is the end of the first semester we are doing a lot of review for their upcoming mid-term, also known here in the technical high school as the DSA (District Summative Assessment). Students also work by themselves on a braised chicken entree that encoporates some classical French mother sauces to showcase their skill in all of the areas they learned about so far this year, seasoning and flavoring, sauces, cooking techniques, and safe food handling.

One of my favorite dishes to offer in our food2go sales during this cycle is the Beef Bourguignon. This is truly a favorite dish of mine, but aside from that, it gives the students the opportunity to see how to take a tough cut of meat and make it delicious and tender through careful slow cooking. This is also a very popular one! Chef Jones and I have been coordinating it to run while he teaches meat fabrication to the juniors so that they get a chance to break down the chuck roast and then pass it along to us to cook up. 

We  treated some of the sophomores to a lunch in Café 189 as a way to introduce them to the aspect of dining using some of the food they created for the food2go program. This is the beef bourguignon. On the right is the classic dish packaged up for sale.

November 27 - December 12

This is an important cycle for the sophomores. First, they are in shop for a few extra days now that exploratory is over so they get a chance to flex their muscles a bit more. Typically this is the time in the year that our food2go program ramps up and there is more than enough work to be spread around.

This is also the cycle where students get a chance to learn a lot more of the details behind all of the different cooking techniques. This year I decided to incorporate a new activity, one that would test their skill in a number of different techniques in order to make a plated entree. Students were asked to grill, saute, sear, boil, and simmer different items which all came together with a pan sauce finished a la minute. Just watching these students work, I got excited to see what they would do next cycle during their practical exams at the end of the first semester.

A sophomore student prepping the vegetables for the seared chicken with herbs and light jus for the cooking technique practice activity.

Exploratory Phase 2 - 11/2 - 11/22

The freshmen are back in cycle having chosen their top three trades that they are most interested in finding more about before making their final selection (the one they will spend the next 3 1/2 years studying). Here in the Culinary Arts department the freshmen get a real taste of what it is like to work in a busy kitchen. Not only do they get a chance to really learn some new techniques like making pasta from scratch and practicing some fundamental techniques such as the lesson on classic knife cuts, but they also participate in the preparation for the holiday sales that we do this time every year.

Leading into the holiday season I do rely heavily on the experienced hands of my 10th graders (funny to say experienced and 10th graders in the same sentence so easily but the truth is that these students have over 200 kitchen hours producing food for sale at this point). However, a lot of the assembly of the pie production and soft roll baking is put in the hands of the freshmen. It is one of my fundamental beliefs that these young students are equally as capable as older students as long as I take the time to give them excellent instruction and guidance, demonstrate not just the things to focus on to do well but also things that students occasionally make mistakes on, and as always support, encourage, and praise their hard work. Sometimes I think that for some students, they will have never worked this hard in their life prior to the four days they spend here in the Culinary Arts department. It is a testament to the drive these young students have that they often not just perform amazingly but also ask for more. At this age they love nothing better than to be given the chance to show that they can be trusted to work hard and be given increasingly more mature responsibility. We can't thank them enough!

October 23 - November 1, 2023

As the sophomores continue on in their education on everything liquid (not only sauces now but also stocks and soups) we had another rather busy food2go week. We offered up a corn chowder as well as a lentil soup for the staff and sold over 8 Gallons! Many students had never tried a lentil before and were surprised how much they liked them. Of course the generous amount of bacon that we used we have had something to do with that!

We were also getting ready for this year's open house during this cycle. It has become an anticipated event around the school community when we open up the kiosk at the front entrance to our trade area. This year we had a number of delicious baked goods created entirely by the freshmen and sophomore students. It is always exciting to see the amount of students that stay to volunteer for the event!  This year was no exception. Many of our juniors and seniors led tours throughout the kitchen, while the sophomores ran the sale. What a night!

September 26 - October 3, 2023

The sophomores are back for a rather short cycle (6 days) and are starting to learn about the French mother sauces. In fact they were able to make 4 out of the 5 in preparation for the food2go offerings this week. The bechamel was used in the baked Rigatoni and Cheese and they made a derivative of an espagnole, the apple cider and balsamic demi glace, which was served with the braised pork. I also gave them a demo on Hollandaise sauce, that buttery delicious sauce famous on Eggs Benedict!

Exploratory Phase One 9/11 - 9/25, 10/4 - 10/20, 2023

Hard to believe but I am welcoming exploratory students into our new building for the 5th time, and personally my 10th time overall here at Grasso. I have done a lot of thinking about the process over the years and have fine tuned what I consider to be, a dynamic two day experience for the freshmen in phase I. During this phase, students spend two days in every shop that Grasso tech has to offer in order to see where their interests line up. 

In the kitchen, I like to keep the students busy. The first day teaches them how to use the standard breading procedure as well as how to make a cookie dough using the creaming mixing method. Mastering this method will allow them to be able to produce dozens of different cookie recipes that rely on the same procedures. Day two introduces the students to the 12 steps of yeast dough, making our famous soft rolls. After a single taste they are usually hooked and the smell of fresh bread cooking is an amazing experience for those who have never had a chance to smell bread baking before. I tell the students that they will learn 30-35 different things over the two days, something I think prepares them for the rigor of our class should they chose to continue their education as permanent members of our class. 

So far we have seen about half of the freshman class (total of 170 students). I have nothing but great things to say about the different groups. Each has worked hard and shown the respect for their education that we try to foster here in the department. However, it takes a lot of preparation to give them an incredible experience! Take a look at some of the "mise en place" we have set up (see......new terms here too!)

August 30 - September 8, 2023

Back to school for the new year and the sophomores (last year's freshmen) couldn't be more excited to get started. After some initial review of standard operating procedures, including the creation of a new social contract, they jumped right back into the kitchen to get working! I walked them through a few recipes that they new well so that they could get acclimated again into the professional kitchen after being off all summer. Then we started off the year strong with 7 items for food2go! Among the items available for sale from the production kitchen were some meatballs and sauce (our not so secret recipe), Tomato bisque, Zucchini bread, and our famous Focaccia!

All of these items supported the unit in the curriculum that the students are currently studying, seasonings and flavorings. I brought 12 different herbs, cut fresh from my garden at home in to the class so the students could smell, touch, and identify each. We also cracked open 30 different spices and asked them to identify each! What a test! I can't think of a better way to start off the year!

One of my favorite lessons is to bring in some farm fresh tomatoes and prepare them in two different ways using herbs and an acidic flavoring. One preparation uses balsamic vinegar and basil while the other uses lime juice and cilantro. Students are encouraged to taste after each additional ingredients to see how the product changes as you build the flavors. It doesn't hurt that they get to taste them with some freshly fried tortilla chips!

May 4 - May 16, 2023

The sophomores are back for the last true cycle in the bakery before the year-end clean up of the kitchen and their eventual ascension to the upperclassman side of the kitchen. They are working non-stop in production at this point and operating as a team. 

This cycle they also get a chance to compete in the annual Chopp-ED competition. This amazing show of talent is stretched over a number of rounds and was created to give the students a chance to really own their work in a way that will be stressed more and more as they get older. They get to really show off their own individual styles and tastes and it is a time of year that I really look forward to.

Please see the 2023 subpage in the Chopp-ED folder for a more detailed description of this year's competition. We had the best food this year and each competition was extremely close. The winner for this year is Noah Galingan. We are so proud of all of our students!

April 24 - May 3, 2023

During this freshman cycle the students began to research and learn about salads. The subject involves so much more than just a mixture of different ingredients with a dressing. Students learned about emulsions and how to make them in addition to being taught the correct procedure to wash salad greens. They even made a mayonnaise from scratchto use in a creamy dressing (our homemade ranch that we use to create a buffalo chicken dip)!

The freshmen also got a chance to participate in the creation of one of the favorite dishes we offer in our food2go program, the chicken pot pie. This meal is such a great learning opportunity due to the inclusion of different cooking techniques, making a pie dough, learning about thickening agents and mother sauces by making a veloute, and the extra practice that they get from all of the knife cuts that are needed. They turned out as delicious as ever!

April 3 - 21, 2023

This is an interesting sophomore cycle. While the students are studying the different baking mixing methods in theory they are also fully running the kitchen for food2go. It also just so happened that our April vacation happens to be right in the middle of the cycle. A well deserved break!

This cycle, in addition to making a delicious quiche, Kelsie created a fantastic pineapple upside down cake. Truly delicious. This was a recipe that I asked her to develop the previous cycle and she really nailed it!

March 22 - 30, 2021

The freshmen are really working hard to master their knife cuts. They are practicing over and over in preparation for the end of year exam. It is so important to get them to pick up a knife in a professional kitchen, we look for many different ways and products to utilize all of this work. Though they will get pretty consistant, fairly quickly, it always takes a good deal of time to really train their fingers in such a way that using a professional chef knife becomes second nature.

In the production kitchen, we began experimenting with a few new recipes for different bar cookies. The students made traditional brownies, blondies, created a delicious and decadent coconut bar, and even a fantastic lemon square. All of these are being considered for a future sale. Recipe testing is integral to our process down here in the Culinary Arts department, and I loved speaking with the students (and tasting!) about how they assessed each of the creations. Hope that we can offer them to you soon!

March 6 - 21, 2023

This cycle the sophomores came back and as a department we decided to include some different items for sale in our food2go program. Becasue the sophomores were learning about grains, we decided to offer up a stuffed pepper (with brown rice) to show how you can incorporate whole grains into a delicious diet. Also, we brought in a case of sweet potatoes to use and made a southern classic, sweet potato pie! Delicious! 

Students also got the opportunity to make and taste risotto. This is one of my favorite dishes to make and there were times in my career that I made it twice daily. I feel like it is a dish that really requires time, effort, and most of all patience. You simply cannot rush a good risotto and the creaminess generated from slowly developing the starch is a unique pleasure. We cooled down the different batches, formed them into small balls, breaded them, and sold them as arancini. What a treat!

February 21 - March 3, 2023

This is the third cycle for my freshmen as permanent members of the shop. We are more than excited with their progress so far. We have a full class and the level of dedication is apparent each day. Already, we have many students who have  ordered their uniforms and that little detail, just elevates their professionalism in the kitchen. They really spent time studying their weights and measures this cycle, memorizing the different volume equivalents, not an easy task. Additionally they got a chance to make one of our most popular desserts the whoopie pie. Oh boy, what a treat!

February 3 - 17, 2023

This cycle the sophomore students are back and learning one of my personal favorite units to teach, pasta. During this cycle students develop confidence in identifying different pasta shapes and matching them with specific styles of sauce that are most appropriate. They all get a chance to cook pasta to the correct "al dente" stage and also make a fresh pasta dough. This turns into one of our most popular to-go items, our traditional Lasagna Bolognese. Paired with some other fantastic options, this cycle was the busiest we have ever had here for food2go sales. Word must be spreading fast about how delicious our food is! Even the prinicipal, Mrs. Feeney spent some time observing the class in production as they were constructing the lasagna. At the same time other students were simmering the Italian Wedding Soup and still others were practicing some advanced stuffed pasta shapes (mezzeluna to be exact). Below you can see Yan Carlos  organizing the focaccia for packaging.

January 20 - February 2, 2023

Consistency, consistency, consistency. This is the word that I am stressing most this cycle as the freshmen begin their first offical cycle as members of the Culinary Arts Department. Sure, their first cycle was action packed with the massive amount of cookies they needed to bake and package up, but this cycle is the one where they get a chance to feel the ebb and flow of the typical day. In theory they are learning about all of the different equipment and smallwares that they will be using everyday in their work. In the production kitchen they are practicing their weights and measures along with their knife skills by making a number of different items for food2go.

I happy to say that I have seen the consistency of their work really increase. This is essential to any strong business. Students got a chance to make so many things it is hard to list them all but here are some pictures of these stellar students hard at work!

Tahlia and Nahir rolling out and forming the sticky buns!

January 3 - 19, 2023

The first cycle of the new year brings a few extra things for the sophomore class. 

As the last cycle of the first semester the students spend time studying for their DSA (District Summative Assessment) a mid-term like exam that tests them on all of the learning topics throughout the year so far. Part of this exam is a practical exam which asks students to create a braised chicken entree with vegetables and accompanying sauce and present it for assessment. This tests them on their knife cut accuracy, safety and sanitation, cooking techniques, mother sauce creation, and usage of seasonings. This year the students scored on average higher during the practical portion of the exam than any class before them. Congratulations sophomores!

Additionally, the students take the SkillsUSA Culinary and Baking exams. The top 12 scores in the state are invited to the state competition at the end of March. Last year we had five students compete in Commercial Baking and I am hopeful that even more get the opportunity this year. 

November 3 - 23, 2022

Exploratory Phase 2. After freshman students spend two days getting a chance to experience each of the trades offered here at Grasso Tech, they pick the top three that they are most interested in. It is these three trades that they spend 4 days in during the cycle leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday. Here in the Culinary Arts Department we focus on giving the students an authentic experience of what their typical class day will look like should they choose to dedicate themselves to the study of Culinary Arts. We feel that it is only by giving the students a true sense of the excitement that surrounds food production as well as the rigor and structure that enables this type of production work that they can truly make an educated decision regarding their future. 

Lucky for me as the 9th grade instructor, we were blessed with an outstanding group of students who came through the program in November, 65 students in all. These students experienced what it is like to really cook from scratch. They made a fresh pasta dough, rolled it out and cut it by hand, made a classic French mother sauce which was turned into an Alfredo, before sampling it for lunch. They made a pizza dough, formed and built their personal pizza and used the bakers peel to slide it into the deck oven for a quick 3 minute bake. They learned the fundamentals of using the most valuable tool in the kitchen, the chef knife while practicing specific knife cuts. 

At the end of it all we were happy to welcome our newest class of Culinary Arts Students, the class of 2026!

Kimberly Bollenbach, Ekana Brown, Kyra Cho, Gavin Cobble, Samuel Cornell, Aries Estrada, Maddix Gonzalez, Analia Hernandez Pena, Alexis Irizarry, Joey May, Ashlynn Messer, Dominick Peralta, Nahir Quinones Martinez, Jayden Rivera, Tahlia Suarez, Giovanni Sykes, Edward Wells, and Ky Yu

September - Mid October 2022

The new school year has begun and last year's freshmen have now matured into this year's sophomores. Unfortunately, because the beginning of the school year is typically dominated by Phase I of exploratory, they only get a two short cycles to start the year. The first few days are spent getting the kitchen opened up again and reinforcing skills that lay dormant over the summer. It is always great to see the students again and catch up on what they have keeping themselves busy doing!

The first phase of exploratory is always an exciting time for the new freshman class. Already, I see a strong work ethic in the students as they cycle through the kitchen in two day increments. I have already spotted a few future stars! We have a dynamic and busy two day program that has been designed over the last few years. We typically start off the first day with an overview of the class and a tour of the enormous kitchen we are lucky to work in. Then we transition into the activities. Each activity is designed to give the students an opportunity to work hands on with food in a way that closely resembles a typical work day here as a permanent member of our class. It is through this structure that we hope to allow students to make an educated choice as to what path they choose to follow in their education. We bread chicken fingers as a fun whole group activity and then shift into small teams to learn a fundamental baking mixing method, the creaming method. The two days also include an activity on yeast dough, additional baking activities, a fun interactive quiz, and an guided open discussion on their likes and dislikes. Let me tell you, one thing that every student has in common with each other, is that they have some strong opinions on food! I can't wait until Phase II!

June 2022

Here we are, at the end of another year. The sophomore class finished up quite of bit of the closing procedures while reviewing for their Final Exam and the freshmen completed the job with some detailing of some of our more heavily used equipment. The 9th graders are spending the last week of the year taking the time to practice and deliver presentations on a specialty sandwich of their choosing to reinforce the unit on sandwiches that they have been studying. Below I have included an example project from Emilio, who delivered a fantastic and dynamic presentation. Well done! In the in times between holding individual year end meetings with students we are also watching episodes of the British Baking Show. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this series, it is available on Netflix and is a week by week competition style cooking competition. I have only recently started watching it but I love the amount of technical vocabulary that is used and described in each episode. I think that it gives the students to access some of the things they have learned previously in a different way in addition to being able to approach new concepts in an exciting format. To all .... I hope you have a wonderful summer!

Week of 5/23 - 5/27

This is the last week before Memorial Day Weekend, the unofficial start of summer. Here in the Culinary Arts Department, this weekend marks the end of our production cycle. Though we will still occasionally cater a special event, or offer up one last food2go, at this point in the year we have stopped serving breakfast and lunch and are concentrating on closing up the kitchen for the summer. It is even more important to clean every nook and cranny of the kitchen because when we leave in 3 short weeks we will not be back for two entire months. 

The students have been asking to offer up a Tres Leches Cake as a Dessert2go and this week we decided to try it out. What a hit! The cake was incredibly moist and succulent with the traditional soak of evaporated and sweetened condensed milk. The kids pulled this off amazingly well and we completely sold out!

This week we also were able to meet next year's freshman class for the first time during Freshman Orientation on Thursday night. For this event, students and their families are able to come into the school, tour the shops, and sit for an informational session that prepares them for the big transition to high school next school year. We like to offer up pastries, baked goods, and refreshments for sale to begin to excite everyone about the amazing things that they can do when joining our class. We had 9 sophomore students volunteer for this event! Yes, more than half the class, amazing! They are such fantastic representatives of our program. They brought families around for tours and answered questions from the student perspective. They worked the front kiosk and sold the baked goods that they had produced, and they showed the kind of enthusiasm and excitement that we value so much in our students. I can't thank them enough!

Week of 5/16 - 5/20

The freshmen are back and while they begin to learn about the fundamentals of lunch cooking, sandwiches and salads, the big event this week is that Grasso Tech is hosting the CTECS Board of Education. They are holding a meeting here in our conference room and have invited all of the Teachers of the Year from each technical high school for a meet and greet. Our own Rachel Smith, Special Education Instructor won the teacher of the year this year for Grasso Tech. Another reason that this is a special event is because this year Culinary Arts as a trade is up for reauthorization. This is a process that each trade that is offered in the technical high school system goes through every 5 - 8 years. The purpose is to consistently evaluate the offerings in each school to make sure that they align with the needs of the state and the community. We were asked to participate in a video production that Chef Consultant for the State of Connecticut Marc Hussey showed to the board before his presentation on why Culinary Arts is a valuable trade to offer. Natalie Acosta (10th grade), Leah LaPointe (11th grade), and Courtney Kosloskey (12th grade) were filmed and interviewed for the piece and Chef Jones and myself could not be more proud of their professionalism. We know the incredible value of a Culinary Arts Education here in our class and now the Board of Education do as well!

The day after the board meeting we hosted another special party, this time to celebrate a reunion of the first graduating class of Grasso Tech, the class of 1980. Finally, we are able to invited guests back into the dining room after more than two years of being shut down due to Covid! Below you will find some pictures of the offerings for these fantastic events!

Week of 5/4 - 5/13

The sophomores are back for their second to last cycle here on the underclassman side of the kitchen. They are able to operate as a complete unit now, managing production needs and tasks as well as making informed decisions in terms of quality. They can problem solve and are ready to move on to the restaurant side of the kitchen next year where they will be immediately tasked with managing their own individual stations during service. 

This cycle the sophomores completed the Servsafe Food Handler training course. This is a great training tool that reinforces their study of the flow of food from the beginning of the year. This certification gives students a leg up on other applicants when they are looking for jobs this summer. For many this will be their first job as they are just turning 16 and it also provides a confidence boost when interviewing. Of course, next year as juniors, they will be studying and testing for the Servsafe Manager certification. This is an adult certification and when students achieve this not only will they typically get a pay increase but they immediately go to the top of any hiring list when looking for their next job. It is a manager level certification and Chef Jones does an amazing job preparing students for it.

Our big sale this cycle featured individual chicken pot pies. These kids are professionals when it comes to working with pie dough. They did amazing. Check out the pies being baked in the picture below.

Weeks of  4/4 - 4/14, 2022

The sophomores are getting closer to the end of their time here on the underclassman side of the kitchen. At this point they are so well trained in the procedures and daily expectations that they operate like a well oiled machine. They can produce the items we sell for food2go with relative ease and tackle new skills with confidence. 

This cycle is the annual Chopp-ED competition that allows the students a little more freedom in a competition setting. It is always a time of nerves and excitement. To follow along with this year's competition please visit the page listed in the Chopp-ED section of the menu.

Weeks of 3/21 - 4/1, 2022

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition

This cycle the freshmen continued to practice their knife cuts. There is no better example of how skill development needs to happen consistently and extensively than when students begin to learn how to use a knife professionally. As students who are new to a professional program of study, many are not used to having to dedicate themselves day in and day out to hone their skills. These lessons are not ones that you visit once and then perhaps refer to occasionally over the years. To become as comfortable using a knife as you are tying your shoelaces you have to work as a professional does, pushing yourself to work accurately while developing age appropriate speed. They got a chance to work on some new cuts this cycle including batonnet, chiffonade, rondeau, and brunoise, all of which require a slightly different technique to achieve quality. Many are already performing excellently on every task!

Weeks of 2/28 - 3/11, 2022

During these past two weeks the sophomores have come back into the kitchen raring to go. In the production kitchen we are finishing up on our unit on grains by giving the students an opportunity to cook an authentic risotto, taste it, and then form arancini for sale through our food2go program. As I am sure they will tell you I have a million different anecdotes/stories that revolve around risotto, from a failed first Valentine's Day dinner I made for my wife to different experiences I have had eating out at different restaurants. It all began because I feel it was one of my first main responsiblities as a young cook working for Wolfgang Puck out in California. Every day I had to make two batches of risotto, one for lunch service and one for dinner. It really build a sense of pride in my young mind and heart as well as a dedication for the little details that makes good food a remarkable experience. It became my goto answer to the overheard question "What is your specialty?" Of course my need to master the technique was born of a hiccup in my mid-term practical exam while attending the Culinary Institute of America. There I miscalculated the amount of time needed to finish the dish and served my judging chef instructor an undercooked version. He was kind but advised me to either finish it and be late with the dish or leave it off the plate. "If I can't eat it, don't serve it to me" he said. Truer words were never spoken.

The other big event of this cycle has been that many of our students have been preparing to compete in the state Skills USA competition for Commercial Baking and Culinary Arts. As a program, it fills us with an incredible amount of pride to see so many of our underclassmen dedicated to the pursuit of excellence, even when filled with a normal amount of anxiety and nervousness. We have been trying to prepare them the best way that we can and for those students, their days have been filled with a different kind of rigor, one much more self managed than they have ever previously experienced. They have been given a great amount of support in the process as well as being pushed to think and assess and identify ways to improve themselves. I know that this is an amazing thing that they are doing. It isn't about winning or losing or anything like that at this point. It is about pushing yourself to achieve, something that will last longer for them than any award ever will. March 25 is the date that we are all looking forward to!

Week of 2/21- 2/25, 2022

This week the freshmen have been focusing on two of the most important lessons of their 9th grade curriculum, weights and measures and knife skills. The volume of production work that the students undertake on a daily basis makes it imperitive that they become comfortable with understanding pounds and ounces (weights) and the relationship of cups to quarts to gallons (volume measures). When I say that it is important that they become comfortable, what I really mean is that they begin to feel like they are mastering the concept. Though for many it is a daunting lesson, the importance in properly measuring out ingredients is felt strongly when something goes wrong and a product cannot be used (and has to be thrown away). 

When producing recipes for sale this is the fundamental practice piece to their theory lessons. Additionally, on a more practical side of the industry, students are drilled daily in their practice of the fundamental knife cuts common to industry. Students have been cutting carrots and celery into small dice, mincing garlic, and learning one of the fundamental cooking techniques of blanching and shocking. We routinely sell about 5 Gallons of soup a week (different recipes to keep our customers interested) and this practice goes directly to support those recipes. We cannot thank our loyal customers enough.

Week of 2/14 - 2/18

This week the freshmen are back and many are starting to show up in full uniform, a welcome sight to both Chef Jones and myself. Every year we see that when students get a chance to put on their brand new chef coat, starched checkered chef pants, and lose the hairnet for an official hat, the pride that they feel to be a part of our program amplifies. Additionally, they are starting to take the reigns of our breakfast pastry program which gives them a la minute experience fulfilling guest orders as well as daily practice creating delicious pastries. This week Hannah, Banastre, and Regina have been rocking it out, busy every single day, and doing a fantastic job! 

Week of 2/7 - 2/10

This week the sophomores continued to learn about pasta, specifically the different shapes of stuffed pasta that are popular in high-end kitchens around the world. They were given a demonstration on agnolotti, mezzaluna, tortellini, and a few others. Afterwards they were encouraged to practice the different shapes. Some things they noticed when working with the pasta dough was how quickly it could dry out as well as how long it takes to consistently create beautiful little works of art. I personally feel that the stuffed pasta is the epitome of the art of fresh pasta making as it gives the chef an opportunity to really craft a filling that is delicious both on its own as well as paired with a suitable sauce. Two of the best books out there on the subject are pictured below.

This week we focused on snack food for our food2go sale this week. Some of the top sellers included party meatballs, buffalo chicken dip and our own recipe for southern fried chicken. I remember early this year when the student were studying flavorings and seasonings and as part of my slide presentation I had a "fake" recipe for the secret KFC spice blend as an example of how some businesses align their goals with flavor combinations. Jarian suggested that we make our own GfC spice mix. Our chicken might not be that famous yet, but our students still have a whole career ahead of them.

Week of 1/31 - 2/4

After a short cycle in academics (the schedule starts to have the sophomores in shop for longer cycles because during exploratory their academic cycles are longer) the 10th grade students are back and loving life. What an amazing group of kids! I honestly feel lucky to be able to teach them and always look forward to seeing them. This cycle they are starting to learn about pasta. Each student had the opportunity to make a pasta dough from scratch, and then we used all of that dough for one of our most successful food2go dinners, the traditional Lasagna Bolognese. We focused on a Northern Italian theme this week for our production sales and also offered their favorite, tiramisu, along with focaccia bread and minestrone soup. The week ended with a bit of an ice storm, but these students are so strong, they had everything under control and even though the buses picked a few up early to get home before the conditions got too dangerous, the kitchen was clean and all orders out with plenty of time to spare.

Chef Beplat

Week of 1/10 - 1/14

This week saw the remainder of the sophomore students finish up their practical exam and all students took the written exam. Scores were very good overall considering the difficulty of the exam. I could tell that many students really spent some time studying after reading their essay responses. This time of year is also when students start to test for Skills USA. This organization is a leader in youth employment initiatives and our students have the opportunity to test in both Culinary Arts and Commercial Baking. For each of the tests, students who place in the top 16 in the entire state are invited to compete at the end of March in the state tournament. I have been trying to promote involvement in Skills USA this year and hope to start developing a strong culture of achievement and initiative when it comes to student involvement in this excellent club.

This week also saw our most successful food2go sale of the school year so far. I decided that it would be a great opportunity (given that 10th graders were studying cooking techniques) to offer up a French themed menu that centered around the classic braised dish Beef Bourguignon (a personal favorite of mine). It turns out that this cycle the 11th graders are studying meat fabrication and so Chef Jones was able to purchase a large quantity of beef chuck (the most perfect and most flavorful cut to braise) so that his students could learn and practice breaking down sub-primal cuts. The long and slow process of cooking this cut produces a dish that is so moist and tender that it makes me salivate just thinking about it. Needless to say, we sold out of everything we produced and the emails I received on Monday exclaiming how ecstatic some of our customers were, told me this was a big hit.... something I would love to do again next January! Something to look forward to!

Chef Beplat

Week of 1/3 to 1/6, 2022

The sophomores are back in trade after the winter break, eager and ready to rock and roll. Covid, however, had other ideas as the winter surge of Omicron has wreaked havoc with attendance. This is the last cycle of the first semester and there are a number of different learning activities and assessments that are scheduled for the next 12 school days. The students are studying perhaps the most important unit, Cooking Techniques, this cycle and they will also take their DSA, a semester long assessment (like a mid-term). The assessment is a mix of multiple choice questions, essay questions, trade related math, and a cumulative practical/hands-on assessment that tasks them with putting together their foundational learning these last 4 months by producing and plating a braised chicken entree. 

A snow day on Friday gave us a nice little three day weekend, but unfortunately only allowed 7 students to complete their practical so far. No bother, next week the weather is looking good and everyone will have their time in the spotlight. 

Chef Beplat

Week of 12/20 - 12/23, 2021

Here we are in the last week of 2021. a year I am sure we all will remember for any number of reasons. Though the Culinary Arts Industry continues to evolve, from increased wages to better and more manageable work schedules, it remains true that we are at our busiest around the holidays. The freshmen students were in shop this week for their first cycle as permanent members of our class. I want to congratulate them as we were fortunate to recruit a full class of 18 eager and dedicated students ready to take on the challenges that await them in the next four years. Our holiday cookie platter sale was in full swing when they came into shop for their first day and I couldn't believe their effort and dedication from the very beginning.

What an introduction! The support we received this year was unprecedented! Not only did we sell about 100 platters, but the overall cookie total neared 6,000. Amazing! I cannot thank everyone for their continued support of our students and our program. As I say to the students... "Only compliments, no complaints". I could see the inward pride they took from being trusted in such a busy environment and from completing a job well done. I truly believe that these kids would rather be busy like this, even leading up to the last day of school before a well earned week long break, than to sit around doing nothing.

I couldn't be more proud, or more excited!

Chef Beplat

Week of 12/6 - 12/10, 2021

This week the students transitioned into their formal theory on soups. Though we make a soup each week for the food2go program here at Grasso Tech, this cycle they get a chance to dig a little deeper. I assign a presentation during this unit that asks students to research a classic specialty soup from a specific region of the world, develop an informative presentation, and then deliver it to the class. This way all students get a chance to benefit from each other's work. Though public speaking can be difficult and challenging at this age I always tell them that this is a safe space, one that they will be supported in, so that they all can work on this important life skill. Through the years I have always been impressed with the effort my students make and the positive support they give each other. 

I have about 15 different soups on a list that students can choose from if they are interested to learn more about something that they don't know much about but they are also welcome to chose one on their own. Here is an example presentation for a Peruvian Shrimp Chowder. 

Chef Beplat

Week of 11/29 - 12/3, 2021

This week the sophomore students are back and they are starting to learn about the 5 French mother sauces and different thickening agents. This units really begins to get the students to think about heat management and how controlling their product can lead them to success in the kitchen. They each got the opportunity to make a veloute and a bechamel sauce, two sauces that both utilize a roux to get the sauce the proper consistency.

Because we are a production shop here at the school we get a chance to think creatively about different ways to utilize the products that the students make. This week we sold a baked rigatoni and cheese so the students could get an opportunity to see how to utilize a derivative (a sauce made from a mother sauce) in a classic preparation. This sale was a part of our wildly successful food2go program. 

One of the highlights of the week was when I told my story about first learning how to make a hollandaise sauce at the soon to be re-opened Lighthouse Inn in New London. This was my first job in a restaurant kitchen and I was a dishwasher with no training who was eager to learn anything that anyone would teach me. I was given the honor (with some snickering behind my back) of making the hollandaise sauce every week for the Sunday buffet. I had to make 2 batches, each with 30 egg yolks, and if you have ever made this sauce you might imagine that it is quite a workout. However, I got very comfortable with a classic technique. Actually the highlight wasn't the story, but the demonstration that I gave to show them the process. We toasted some sliced challah bread that we also sold this week, got some ham, and poached some eggs to make a version of an eggs benedict, a dish that I believe that no one had tried before. I was actually amazed by how many of them absolutely loved it! One student even asked me if I knew of a good restaurant that serves it so that she could go out to eat and order it. So much fun!

Chef Beplat

Week of 11/22 - 11/24, 2021

This has been an amazing exploratory cycle. The freshmen got a real taste of what a high-volume production kitchen looks and feels like as they were primarily responsible for the entire bakeshop production leading up to our annual Thanksgiving sale. The final product tally, over 1,500 soft rolls, 70 Apple Pies, 70 Pumpkin Pies, and 50 Coconut Custard Pies. Wow!

Shop Selection Night, the day when students will rank their top trades by interest, is scheduled for the first week in December. This is one of the most highly anticipated days on the school calendar as this is the time when both students and families get the opportunity to ask questions and talk with the instructors in greater detail about their respective trades. Given the level of professionalism and quality of work that I saw in this group of freshmen students, I can't wait to see who will make up the roster of the Culinary Arts Class of 2025!

Chef Beplat

Week of 11/8 - 11/12, 2021

What a great way to start off the 4-day Phase II cycle of exploratory. The first group of students (19 in all) came through and got a chance to make a pasta dough from scratch, roll it out, and sample it with a derivative of one of the five French Mother sauces, a Bechamel, that they also learned how to make. This is on top of participating in a full production week which gave them the opportunity to make some delicious Tomato Bisque and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Breads that we sold on Friday as a part of the food2go program. 

They also had a special opportunity to bake off 600 cookies and brownies for a special order from a returning customer. The new group that came in on Friday got a chance to arrange the platters. They did a fantastic job! I can't wait to see which of these students decide to pick Culinary Arts as their permanent trade!

Chef Beplat

Week of 11/1 - 11/5, 2021

This week saw the end of one of my favorite units of study, the unit on stocks. This unit is one that really makes the students focus on managing their heat source, one of the fundamental skills that comprises the true "art" of cooking. I have been lucky to work in many kitchens that would only use stocks, made daily, instead of relying on commercial bases. The instruction, the demonstrations, and the theory, all bring me back to my skills kitchen when I attended the C.I.A. In fact the book "Making of a Chef" by Michael Rhulman starts off in this very class, with the instructor expressing the importance of stocks to his students. I do the same in this cycle.

I think of making stocks as the true foundation of cooking. You get to take a relatively unusable product by any other valuation and turn it into something that is used in every aspect of cooking including both hot and cold preparations. I also like to think of it as the epitome of the  Slow Food movement. This organization which was formed in Italy to combat the growing destruction of taste through convenience based food products and chains, focuses quite a bit of their attention on local food products and dishes. Of course, a stock needs to be simmered a long time... a true slow food. But it is the slow simmering, always maintaining that lazy bubble, and the attention to skim, skim, skim that makes the young chef focus on the little details that make food great. Stocks are neutral by design, a blank canvas on which the chef or saucier gets to paint their picture. They have both body.... and soul.

Chef Beplat

Week of 10/18 - 10/22, 2021

This week marks the end of the freshman exploratory Phase I. This is a big moment for the 9th graders, one that will start to determine the rest of their career here at Grasso Tech. During Phase I students spend 2 days in each trade, learning what the class will be like, what the industry is like, and what the different careers are that are available to them. All of the trade teachers carefully craft exciting activities to give the students a taste of what it is like to work and learn in a professional environment.

Chef Beplat

Here in the Culinary Arts Department we have crafted two exciting days that are filled with production work which almost exactly resembles a typical day in our class. I tell the kids in the first few minutes that they will learn about 25-30 new things during their two days here. We feel that by crafting a "true" experience that students can make the most informed decision that they can. I like to think that this is the most fun class but of course I am biased. We first teach the students the fundamentals of the standard breading procedure, where all students get a chance to prepare some chicken tenders that are later fried and tasted. Then they are taught one of the fundamental mixing methods, the creaming method, which is used for a cookie. I tell them that I don't want them leaving here only learning one recipe.... but that if they learn a method they can make hundreds of recipes. Additionally, many of them get the opportunity to do something that they have never done before, make a bread dough from scratch.  The process really excites the students and our brand new bakery with identical work stations makes for an ideal classroom to begin their discovery of the Culinary Arts. 

Chef Beplat

Week of 9/27 - 10/1, 2021

The sophomores are back after spending a few weeks in their academic classes while the freshmen go through the exploratory process. This is an exciting time, getting the opportunity to connect with the students who are new to our school. It is great to hear about the enthusiasm that many of them have for the culinary arts. 

This cycle the sophomore class is focusing on seasonings and flavorings. In essence this unit is all about making food taste good, wait... great. Some of the skills that they are practicing are being able to identify different spices by scent, listing the different types of herbs that are commonly found in the kitchen, and identifying the different ways we taste and the factors that effect taste. Of course, they also get a chance to use the different herbs and spices in a number of the dishes that we create as a part of our food2go program which we debuted again this past week to great success. I even got a chance to harvest a lot of the herbs from my personal garden and bring them in to use in the Chicken Noodle Soup.

Chef Beplat

Week of 8/30 - 9/3, 2021

The new school year has begun and last year's freshmen are now this year's sophomores. Already they are ready to go and it seems that they haven't lost a step. To start off the year we are concentrating on developing our procedures and routines for the new year, one that has all students in school again. Yay! This means a little reorganization of the production schedule as we are picking up some new students this year and now have a full class of 18. 

In addition, the class is beginning to really delve into the Servsafe manual. The section that they are focusing on right now is on the Flow of Food, the path that food takes from the producer, all the way through the establishment, ending up with the customer. One of the goals of our department this year is to have every sophomore earn a Safe Food Handler Certification by May. This certification is earned from the National Restaurant Association and comprises a good amount of the learning as outlined in our 10th grade curriculum. Of course this is all in preparation for their testing for the manager certification in junior year.

Chef Beplat

Week of 6/7 - 6/11, 2021

This week the freshmen worked towards their OSHA 10 training certificate for general industry. It is an online module and includes a test at the end. This is the first year that our department has included this training as part of the freshman course of study and I am pleased to say that many of them achieved this great certification. 

Please visit the top 10 summer foods post and challenge yourself to complete the list. Have a great summer! See you at the end of August!

Chef Beplat

Week of 6/1 - 6/4, 2021

Week of 5/24 - 5/28

This was our last week of service for the year, a very successful year when you factor in the incredible amount of uncertainty that we had at the beginning. Unlike other trades (except perhaps Hairdressing and Cosmetology) we had a great deal more to navigate when it came to making sure that we were meeting distancing expectations as well as proper food handling guidelines. The enhanced attention that we payed to every and all aspects of food production was another chance to drive home the safe food handling fundamentals that our instruction of Servsafe outlines.

This last cycle the sophomores are finishing up with 2 more chapters in the Servsafe textbook. These chapters teach them about the service side of the food business as well as about food safety management systems. Though students in our program do not take the Servsafe Manager exam until junior year, they study the most impactful chapters in the first two years as they are paramount to operating a safe and sanitary kitchen. For those who are unaware, Servsafe is a nationally recognized food safety program that is administered by the A.C.F. (American Culinary Federation). The manager certification is valid for 5 years. Management usually is required to hold this certification, though it is rare for those starting out in the industry to hold it. When our students are applying for jobs, it really stands out and shows the dedication that these students will have as they begin to work in the industry. 

Chef Beplat

Week of 5/17 - 5/21, 2021

This week my sophomores come back for their last cycle of the year, in fact their last cycle with me as their primary instructor. Though in our kitchen we operate as a complete unit, working together in production pursuing excellence and program goals, it is really a rite of passage to "graduate" from being an underclassman (where there is always a group of students older and more experienced than you) to becoming an upperclassman, responsible for the restaurant side of the kitchen. Their work during the next two years with Chef Jones will continue to test them, drive them, and open them up to the world of food in a new way. This is a cycle that is bittersweet. I love to see how much they have matured and at this point, they can run my kitchen pretty much by themselves, but I am touched with the memories of them as freshmen, just starting out, yearning to impress, and full of wonder. They are beginning to become veterans.

As we are about to wrap up our production activities and focus on closing the kitchen down for the summer I think it is worth noting where all of the funds for our weekly sales ends up. The students ask and I am sure that if you are reading these posts you may wonder as well. All of revenue from our breakfast and lunch sales gets put back into our operating food budget for the following year. For example if we were to see 10 quarts of soup at $6 a quart ($60) then we have an additional $60 to spend on food for next year. As you can see it is imperative to "pay it forward" to build sales to be able to provide a vast array of educational opportunities for our students. It is not a "for profit enterprise"... it is all about putting as much food in our students hands as we possibly can. 

Chef Beplat

Weeks of 5/3 - 5/14, 2021

The past two weeks have flown by. The freshmen are firing on all cylinders right now. Quite a few of them can run with a project given the proper direction, taking charge and managing themselves. I have incredibly high hopes for this group. 

We had two very busy, successful sets of Food2go orders this cycle. I want to acknowledge the immense support that our program receives from the administration, teaching, and support staff here at Grasso Tech. Everyone here in the building has a hand in helping us create a rigorous experience for the kids. The way that these young students have responded impresses me every day. 

As a small snapshot.... we sold over 20 quarts of soup, over a dozen loaves of bread, over 20 pounds of meatballs, close to 60 individual pot pies, and 40 individual pear and almond tarts. Couple that with our breakfast pastries (including the now famous whoopie pie) and our ever popular bagels and the kids have a lot to look forward to every day. Some have even told me that they would be willing to give up their summer vacation to stay! Me...... hmmmmm, I don't know about that. :)

Chef Beplat

Week of 4/26-4/30, 2021

This week was a split week. The sophomores finished up their competition and the freshmen came in ready to go!  This week we started expanding our food2go options that are available to the staff each week. Currently we are selling a soup, a bread, a pastry, and a different option. This week's soup was Lentil with Ham and Kaitlyn did a great job with it. I am glad that she got a chance to taste something different that she might not have before.

The theory this cycle is focused on Salads. Students spending time at home distance learning are researching different salads (such as the Cobb salad, or the Waldorf salad) and salad dressings. Students in school get a chance to see how to properly handle greens and how to make different dressings. Additionally, they continue to work on their knife skills, something that is one of the most important and fundamental skills that they need to develop during their first year here in class.

Chef Beplat

Week of 4/19 - 4/ 23, 2021

This week the sophomore students competed in all but the final round of the Chopp-ED competition that I hold for them each year. The contest itself changes and evolves a little bit every year, but the format has pretty much stayed the same since the beginning. During my first year here at Grasso, the sophomore class really wanted to have a competition of some sort. I thought that it was a great idea and began to figure out a way to effectively address their learning in different challenges. The elimination round, to get down to a total of 8 students would be based on knife cuts. The students would have 10 minutes to produce their best small dice of carrots to present. Those that make it through that round get a chance to cook a plated meal, one that usually consists of chicken, a grain, and a mystery vegetable. I hold 2 quarterfinal rounds on different days... the top 2 from each group moving on to the semifinals. This year, the last 4 remaining got a chance to make a soup of their choice from scratch and present it. The top two move on to the finals where they have all day to create a plated dessert.

I get excited as the competition goes on. I love it for a few different reasons. First, it is a great activity to finish off their two years with me as their primary instructor. Next year, as juniors, they will spend the majority of their time with Chef Jones in the production kitchen. Also, I get a chance to see their outlook change before my eyes. As they begin to self-manage their time and decision making, I get a chance to listen to their conversations, the way they interact and support each other, and witness them maturing rapidly during this time. It is amazing. This year was the best yet!

Caleb Pollard and Blake Corson faced off in the final round, with Caleb taking the top prize in a very close battle. The winning dessert was a fresh fruit tart that was beautifully presented. Blake's dulce de leche cheesecake was fantastic as well. Congratulations to all of the students for their effort and for challenging themselves to be the best they could be.

Chef Beplat

Week of 4/12 - 4/16, 2021

April vacation

Week of 4/5 - 4/9, 2021

My sophomore students were back this week and they began a more formalized theory on baking. To develop their understanding as well as their appreciation of artisan bread baking, we produced three different sourdough loaves for sale this week. We have been nursing a sourdough starter here at school for a couple of months and have been experimenting with the procedure given that we only have about 3 hours of active time in the kitchen each day to work with the dough. Lucky for us, sourdough improves greatly when given a longer time to ferment. The loaves (a 75% whole wheat, a traditional white, and a demi-baguette) ended up taking 4 days to complete. From making a levain from our starter culture to the final bake, my students got a chance to really take care of their product and make something to be proud of.

Chef Beplat

Week of 3/29 - 4/1, 2021

Another week with my freshmen students and I can see them becoming more and more comfortable in the kitchen. They have their routines down, they are working well together, and they are beginning to master some of the recipes and techniques that they have been able to practice over and over.

That means it is time to challenge them again. This week I introduced a new item for them to work on. This was a very successful Pumpkin White Chocolate Muffin (check out the recipe in the AM Bakery section). This proved so popular, I received many emails expressing a LOVE for them and was even stopped in the hall as I was walking back to the kitchen so that I would really understand how much one of my fellow teachers enjoyed them. When I related these stories back to the class, as well as the student who I worked with in developing the recipe for our kitchen, you could see the pride and huge smile (even behind a mask) that she felt for really producing a quality product. I then had other groups of students work on additional batches to assess how consistent the recipe is. I have been preaching the importance of adhering to the fundamentals because I find it very important for students to take it upon themselves to self-manage and push towards the extraordinary and not simply "go through the motions". It is not my expectations that they should be worrying about, it is the customer's, and respect for the product is more important than anything.

Chef Beplat

Week of 3/22 - 3/25, 2021

Week of 3/15 - 3/19, 2021

Week of 3/8 - 3/12, 2021

Week of 3/1 - 3/5, 2021

Week of 2/15 - 2/19, 2021