Just Enough Cooks in the Kitchen

Day 13 of the 31 for 21 Challenge

Thank you to guest blogger, Kris Mickelson, for visiting the Culinary Arts kitchen and writing this blog!

You’ve probably heard the old saying, “too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth.” But the day I visited Shepherds College, just enough cooks were in the Culinary Arts kitchen—11 to be exact—to prepare a luscious-smelling beef stock!

The 2^nd year culinary students will make 40 gallons of stock this semester altogether. Some will become part of the recipe for New England Clam Chowder for Preview Days on Oct 12 and Nov. 9. A lot will be used in the school commissary to prepare meals, such as chilies, pastas, pot roasts, soups and stews. 

The students start by chopping celery, carrots and onions, which will add flavor and aroma to the stock. Chef McCarthy tells me this veggie combo is called a Mirepoix in traditional French cooking. 

The chopped vegetables soak in bowls of cold water for 10 minutes, allowing any soil that may remain after washing to float to the top. Emptying and filling the huge bowls results in a lot of splashing around the two sinks. 

Chef McCarthy reminds the class the more mess you make, the more you have to clean up. 

 

“Simply turn down the water so it doesn’t splash so much," he advises. "Get in the habit of making less of a mess. That way, you won’t have so much to clean afterward.”

The faucets are turned down and a frenzy of mopping begins.  Christian stands at the ready, towel in hand, as Miranda rinses the last batch of veggies. 

The students all work together remarkably well, considering the close quarters of the kitchen work stations.

Chef McCarthy explains that teamwork is part of culinary school, because it’s essential to working in any restaurant kitchen. He’s developed an acronym to help the students remember called H.O.T., for Help Others Thrive.  

Next, the students fill metal half-trays (about the size of standard cookie sheets) with veal bones and baste them with tomato sauce using pastry brushes. The trays are loaded into a professional stainless-steel oven, and within minutes the aroma starts to make my mouth water and my stomach grumble. It’s not even close to lunchtime!

The final kitchen task is clean up. While the students carry bowls, cutting boards and French knives to the dishwasher (handles up, blades facing back), they stop to chat with me for a second or two.

“Chef McCarthy is a good instructor,“ Lindsay tells me with a big smile. 

“I’ll give you that $20 bucks later, Lindsay,” Chef McCarthy quips in response. 

“I just love food, that’s why I want to learn to cook!” Miranda offers. 

“My dream is to work in the Cobblestone Creek restaurant in Brillion, Wisconsin,” Lindsay adds. 

Based on my observations, I fully believe Lindsay, Miranda, Christian and the other 2^nd year culinary students at Shepherd’s College will reach their dream goals, and become part of the perfect number of new cooks in restaurant kitchens and bakeries in 2014!

Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.