My Passion

Im a currently a culinary student at LCB Pasadena and a

line cook that is aspiring to be an executive chef. When

I cook for families from my church I love the smiles on

their faces when they taste risotto for the first time and

their kids eat all their glazed carrots:). At the same time

I cant get enough of working in a restauraunt or catering

job. It want that the feeling I got my first time in the

business about 4 months ago. I was working a catering event

for Wolfgang pucks catering company in Santa Monica

California. It was a 2 million dollar wedding!

As me and my stepdad drove up to this enormous house it

looked like a golf course he dropped me off. To me it was

like dropping me off a cliff and expecting me to fly. As I

anxiously walked beholding the sight of the catering truck

and the hundreds of front of the house staff. Finally I met

the kitchen staff people with tattoos and proffessional
chef jackets.

Normal everyday people that know how to cook with knives. I

met the head chef Mike probly my favorite chef. I was

abruptly told to help lift in the metal catering boxes.

Across the seemingly football field lawn over to the

kitchen. Being a highschool track cross country runner I

felt up to the challenge. Despite maxing at a mere 70 lbs

bench pressing. Well I was promptly chastized by the huge

mobile fridges. It felt like running 3 mile cross country

race with a huge metal box attached hills and all.

Finally, I was directed to the kitchen walking passed the

huge dining hall were later I would learn 95 guest would be

dining and celebrating at the wedding.

walk in to the kitchen I was directed to cut 300 hundred

cucumber slices for the salad course. At the same time

talking with the other chef supervising me. As I finished

we began cutting pear,grape,and cherry tomatoes to

accompany the cucumbers for the salad course. I was told to

wrap and put them into the medal boxes. Chef Mike called me

over telling to come over and watch him put together

a cheese plate. As I watched he pulled out about ten

different types of cheeses all imported from france

gruyere, cheddars, fontina and the varations of them.

It was awesome the pyamids of cheese and the nut brittles

along with a demo of cheeses. He let me taste every type of

the four hundred dollars worth of cheese. My superviser

chef came over beholding the sight and talking and

commenting about the cheese. Then I was taken to the

appetizer production station. I was almost immediately

rebuked by the chef because my inexperience, I was

determined to prove her wrong I was a little pissed off.

She offered me and my other school mates a taste of the

mango sauce, with a green sauce and another sauce I dont

remember. With a piece of french bread, I dug in it was

really good with condiment it was like a hamburger, Adding

even more stimulation to my palate.

Then came the plating and serving the best part of this

event one of the defining points in my life. First I was

told to start the salad course. This was the most ingenius

dish I’ve seen. I started cutting out the panacotta

directed by chef Mike. First time working with the

delicate creamy goodness.

I did pretty well once or twice or more I screwed up and

the chef immediately told me to fix it and put it in the

middle of the plate. Then we started putting the proteins

lobster and crab on top, stabilizing with pastry rings.

then me and other students put a triangle of my perfect

cucumbers… Most of them were perfect! Then we followed

with two kinds of cocktail sauce dispensed into circles

making triangles forming stars. We followed with the thin

cut tomato trio I cut before they were nearly perfect

making another triangle adding sides to the star. We then

topped it with some microgreens it was amazing . Realizing

that I played a major part in the production I felt needed.

Then it was soup course a butternut squash puree with

butternut squash raviolis in the middle. This was one of

the most stressful times of the event. I had place the

raviolis down and push the scorching hot bowls down the

line while I had the boss breathing down my back. At first

I had towls but I got a tip of the towl in one bowl.

Intantly I was repremanded and told to ditch the towl. I

think I did pretty good. When the entree came along I was

stuck feeding plates to each side of the line for the to

different entrees. It was lamb with collard greens and

creamy parmesan polenta. The second was sweet potato puree

with a fried sweet potato chip next to a filet of trout and

another side dish I cant remember. As the exhausting day

ended we had leftovers that was the best part. This first

time in the industry ignited my passion even more. I was

happy that I got paid 12 dollars in hour, but the

experience was even better. It was a introduction to

gourmet food and working in the business. My second

experience was kind of a reality check.

To be continued

Writen by Michael Cristobal