2017 into 2018: My Last School Year

Good morning! I have returned.
So much has happened in the past year and a half that I have been gone. As usual, I would love to share my past year through some photos, and then we'll talk about what I am up to now!

Even though I intended on making a schedule and finding time to write, my school semesters just became more and more hectic and all consuming. The projects piled on, especially crazy stressful group work and my time management skills seemed to go out the window. But, I had the opportunity to learn so much, and my practical classes were a lot of fun!

Of course, with all the stress I encountered for my last year of school, I seized the opportunities to travel when I could. These trips were amazing but I'll write more about it in the next post!

(Click to enlarge photos... trust me!)

Baking 2:

They were a little ugly, but delicious!

Layers

Pastries

Layers and layers and layers...

Vol-au-vents

Coffee and Vanilla creme bruleé

Total Local: Fry bake (floats), coconut bake and sada roti.

Chokas and more!

Nouvelle Cuisine:

Garde Manger
One of my absolute favourite practical courses, though it was difficult at times to achieve exactly what I wanted, I learned so much and enjoyed every moment of it.

My stingray etching inspired by Moana.

My first rose on the right vs. my third rose on the left.
Loved looking at my improvement.

Facilities Layout and Design

This was the most time consuming group assignment we ever did. For this course, we were required to build a model of a restaurant, along with a written report of our choices. We worked on this almost every single free moment we had. We were very thrilled with the result.

My last semester was the most difficult of them all. For this semester, I did my Final Function, as it is called, where we were put in groups to plan and successfully execute a banquet for 50 persons. Trying to balance all my different assignments in addition to the heavy load of being appointed Head Chef for this event was trying, to say the least. However, despite several setbacks, our function was successful.


What now?
Well, one day ago, I jumped on a plane and landed in...

Jamaica!!! 

I was accepted to do my internship in Montego Bay with a well-known company for the duration of six months. This internship will be the last requirement before I graduate, but it is so much more. It is an opportunity to put what I have learned into practice and continue learning even more. I will be able to experience the industry and see what it is like, meet a lot of wonderful people and immerse myself into the culture of Jamaica. I am very excited to see where this goes and to have an amazing time in Jamaica. Wish me luck! 🍀

Vegan Salted Caramel Cupcakes

Happy Valentine's Day! ❤

Today is said to be a day we celebrate love or, it is said to be a day for exploiting consumerism. Regardless of our view of what the day is about, we're still all always happy to love and to be loved; love makes the world go round. What's a better way to show your love than with a sweet treat?
These cupcakes are the perfect shareable treat for Valentine's day. It's super simple to make and can be shared with both carnivore and herbivore friends alike. It's a soft and fluffy cupcake with a perfectly balanced sweet and salty frosting. Just sprinkle some cute little hearts on top and you can already feel the love.

Salted Caramel Cupcakes 
from Chloe's Vegan Desserts by Chloe Coscarelli
Makes 12 Cupcakes 

Make-Ahead Tip: Cupcakes can be made in advance and frozen, unfrosted, for up to 1 month. Frosting should be made fresh. Thaw cupcakes and frost before serving. 

Cupcakes
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar 
1 teaspoon baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
3/4 cup soy, almond, or rice milk 
1/2 cup canola oil 
2 tablespoons white or apple-cider vinegar 
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 
Frosting
1/2 cup vegan margarine 
1 cup dark brown sugar 
1/4 cup soy, almond, or rice milk, plus more as needed 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
3 cups powdered sugar 
Fleur de sel, for sprinkling 

To make the cupcakes: 
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with cupcake liners. 
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. 
In a separate bowl, whisk together nondairy milk, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. 
Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix. 
Fill the cupcake liners about two-thirds full with batter. 
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out dry with a few crumbs clinging to it. 
Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. 
To make the frosting: 
In a medium saucepan, melt margarine and whisk in brown sugar, nondairy milk, and salt. 
Bring to a gentle boil, and let boil for 3 to 4 minutes. 
Remove from heat, stir in vanilla, and let cool. 
Using a stand or hand mixer, slowly beat the caramel mixture with powdered sugar. 
If frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon nondairy milk at a time, until frosting reaches a spreadable consistency. Beat on high until smooth. 
To assemble the cupcakes: 
Spread a thin layer of frosting on the cupcakes and sprinkle with a few flakes of fleur de sel.

By the way, if you don't have any of Chloe's books yet, get on it ASAP! She has crazy delicious and easy vegan recipes that will please anyone. And when I say easy, I mean easier than traditional eggs + butter baking easy. The best part is that her recipes don't require any weird or hard to find ingredients. Now you can cook for all your friends and impress them without breaking a sweat! Take a sneak peak below!

Internship Week 4: Dinner Shift

Time flies when you're having fun. Unfortunately, four weeks have flown by and our internship has come to an end. This week was different from all the others in a really good way. Our classes have become smaller as several groups of students have completed their internship and were no longer required to return. We had all become familiar with our new work, our groups and our duties, and as such, the running of the kitchen became smoother, faster, smarter and inevitably more fun. Of course, conflict still existed, but on a very small level that was quickly resolved.

Avocado Tartar, Mixed Baby Greens &
Herb Oil, Pickled Cauliflower, Garlic-
roasted Tomatoes, Carrot Reduction and
Balsamic Reduction

Cream of Provision & Chive Soup with Jerk-flavoured
Dumpling and Pineapple Oil

Pan-seared Mahi Mahi atop Red Curry Risotto, Melange of
Vegetables and Five Finger Chutney

Cilantro-coconut crusted Rack of Lamb atop Cous Cous,
Vegetables and Apple-rum Sauce

Cinnamon-roasted Chicken stuffed with Cumin Rice Pilaf,
Roasted Vegetables and Orange-beet Sauce

Olive Oil Cake (below sorbet), Passion Fruit Sorbet, Ginger
Snaps and Marinated Fruits

For our dinner shift this week, we were once again privileged to have Chef Ottley Alexis as our facilitator. My favourite part of working under him was his sharing of his vast knowledge on almost every type of cuisine you can imagine. Dishes and ingredients did not seem to exist independently to Chef Ottley and he was always able to describe its background, culture, origin or at least some interesting fact about each of them. He taught us new ways of doing familiar things and easy ways to master new things. He readily and thoroughly addressed any questions or issues we had and and taught us how to make errors work to our benefit. We worked in stations rather than dishes for the greater part of the week, and emphasis was placed on us conquering our stations and continuously improving. Time management was of utmost importance this week, particularly because it was our last week and we were expected to be familiar with the running and timing of the kitchen. Another important task for the week was ensuring minimal wastage and optimizing usage of ingredients. Unfortunately, after doing preparations for dinner, especially for the buffet, many reservations were cancelled and therefore there was a large amount of leftover food.
Being familiar with our group and becoming comfortable with our work resulted in better teamwork and higher team spirit. Asking for and offering help where needed became more natural and easy. Working together not only during preparation but "on the line" to prepare and plate dishes in their entirety was far less chaotic and disorganized than the past weeks.

Turkey Satay

Roasted Lamb

Braised Lamb

Soup Station

Soup Station

Dessert Table

Salads

Breads

Our last day of internship was bittersweet. We all have become more familiar, closer and built better relationships with our peers, not just in our own group but with many from other groups, during the past month. We learned a lot about our strengths and weaknesses in the kitchen and helped eachother to improve our skills in those weaker areas. We developed a greater understanding of how the kitchen works and an appreciation for the importance of teamwork and being a team player. Though it was stressful at times, we all worked through the hardships and had a successful internship. Some of us gained a new perspective and decided that they preferred Food & Beverage rather than Culinary and some liked neither area. For me, I thoroughly enjoyed working in the kitchen with my peers. Despite the inevitable confusion almost every week (particularly at the end of the day for clean up), working with my teammates was enjoyable and I can see myself having fun, cooking and learning in a kitchen for a very long time to come.

Internship Week 3: Food and Beverage

What a fun week this has been! As I mentioned before, this week we switched things up a bit and I was required to work Front of the House (Food and Beverage) department. My positions included bartender, hostess and server. Our facilitator this week was Mr. Ashmeed Abass. He stressed on the importance of service to a dining experience and taught us several very little gestures which can make a big difference. Ensuring that the guests were happy and well taken care of were the top priorities for him, as he reiterated to us that his teaching style and service style is more new school but still very professional. However, he allowed us the liberty of not only learning through experience but for us to teach one another. Peer teaching is a great way to learn as it is comfortable and you may feel as though they are more on your level. Some of our co-workers this week included some Food and Beverage students who taught us a lot along with our facilitator. Table settings, identifying cutlery, napkin folding, replacing tablecloths and doing lots and lots of dishes were among some of the things we learned and did. Bartending was an important part of our duties; unfortunately, we did not have many customers and especially not many who ordered cocktails and mocktails.

Being able to see the restaurant operations from the other side was enlightening and exciting. Working and communicating with the kitchen is important to be able to properly serve guests and ensure a problem free dining experience. It was interesting to see in what ways the kitchen can improve its service to the front staff and vice versa. On one of the days, there was a miscommunication between front and back staff with the menu which caused some problems with guests ordering and receiving different items. However, the problem was eventually rectified but could have been easily avoided with proper communication. The pace of the front of the house is a bit slower than in the kitchen and a bit more laid back. However, it is very important to maintain professionalism when the guests arrive. Interacting with guests and being able to see them enjoy the dining experience was definitely one of the best parts of the week. For me, when I dine out, and for many other guests, regardless of the quality of food, service can make or break a restaurant. With this knowledge and being able to see it firsthand, it became even more important to us to provide exceptional service to our guests, regardless of who they were. I say this because many of our guests are usually school staff or students but it was important to treat every single one of them with utmost respect and professionalism. I can see myself working in this department if necessary in the future and it was definitely a very good experience, but I'm excited for my last week in the kitchen for our dinner shift that's coming.