Yes, I went to Culinary School. No I am not a Chef.

I am passionate about cooking, local food and all things related to the category of eating. In support of small farmers and local produce, a deep love for all the seasons of the year and fresh ingredients, delicious at their peak. I crave a long morning, afternoon, or even all day, spent in the kitchen; whether alone or with company of friends, family or strangers. I followed this passion toward a career when I hit that quarter life crisis – the period where 20 something’s realize working for a living really is not easy & life before this phase didn’t have as many responsibilities as we thought (why didn’t I listen to that advice at the time??). Anyway, when I struggled in my “full-time” office career, I dropped it all to pursue a love life with food and cooking. I let go of the reliability of my job and took out a loan and a leap of faith on somewhat pricey, long term cooking lessons known as a formal Culinary Education.

I loved it! The stress of the kitchen, 35 hours of classroom activity, studying math & sanitation and writing menus. It was a wonderful 18 months, I met some amazing people & even cooked for a wonderful small family during that time. But it was not easy. NO, not easy at all. I cried…a lot. I learned that any attempt at organization fell apart as I stood at a prep table, working under the kind of pressure & time constraints of daily deadlines in a real, working kitchen. I loved all the stainless steel and all my friends in chef coats, learning to julienne carrots, supreme oranges & make the perfect rice pilaf. I adored the experience of learning about sustainable food, the industrial food industry of today & most importantly, how to support the local farmers I now love. My classmates and I had the best instructors in the business, sharing their knowledge and food passion with us every day.

…But, I struggled…a lot. More than some. Sure, I finished the program, even with a near perfect score, but I was changed forever. The panic & nervous feelings I experienced every day in culinary school, came rushing back as I walked into the kitchen at a cooking class I took this past weekend with the boy and a couple of wonderful friends (the ones who have the smoker – oh yeah, they are foodies too!). The obsession I have for this place quickly flooded me with memories good and bad. The panic set in and my brain stopped working properly, as it normally seems to when I enter a working kitchen. While I am confident at home, by myself, I am really nervous in front of other cooks, beginners & professionals! I am curious about the recipes before me, but I cannot seem to organize my thoughts properly. I am excited to chop onions and chiffonade basil, but my station is a chaotic mess; and how can this be? I am only making one dish, a pasta salad. I want to cook the orzo perfectly, but I dread inevitably forgetting it is boiling across the room and making mush. All these fears are based on actual happenings that have occurred in my cooking past.

I know I have a love for cooking and a serious passion for food; I can talk endlessly on the topic and share the knowledge I have gained with anyone who will listen or has interest. However, I am not a chef. Real chefs take command in a kitchen, a control I have yet to even qualify as a beginner at. Chefs organize themselves meticulously from start to finish, and manage to deliver amazingly tasty & composed meals, some 8 & 10 hours later (it is really, really amazing!). They multitask like you cannot even imagine and do it all in a kitchen, usually over 75 degrees, under pressures of time & other people, in tight working quarters (yeah, now imagine your cubicle life a little like that - no thanks!).

While I once thought that a professional kitchen was where I would end up, I know I am not yet cut out for it – at least not under the traditional kitchen model. This is not my usual lack of self-confidence (although that probably plays a part somewhere!), but rather a realization of my real strengths and weaknesses...there's no crying in the kitchen, which I know because I have been kicked out before! That self-realization was something I could have only gained from going through culinary school in the manner I did. Without that experience I am sure I would still be wondering what it is really like.

Don’t get me wrong…I continue to cook at home, play with recipes, read cookbooks cover to cover and dream of a life not behind a desk, but rather in front of a stove & cutting board with wrist pain from chopping too many onions, not typing for 8 hours! But my passion for food will stay a passion, at least for now. Everyone else seems to have that faith in me, so maybe I will absorb it via osmosis one day. For now, thank you for the positive energy flowing in my direction & continue to entertain me with your interest in food. 

Feed yourselves well – starting with this orzo pasta salad recipe from that cooking class at Mirepoix on Saturday evening. Enjoy!

Orzo Salad 

Serves 10 adults, as a side

I’m sure this recipe makes a very big salad, but in the two times I have made it now (two days in a row!) I doubled the recipe! The double version served well over 20 adults, with leftovers, which as you may have guessed are great the next day. This is a perfect summer potluck dish for just that reason. Even a single recipe should go around a group meal of 10 if not relied on as the main course. The fresh herbs are such a big part of this dish, if you can find local grown ones in the summer you will really appreciate the flavor! You can cook the orzo in broth, but it is not required; instead, if you add some herbs or a spice blend from your cupboard to the water you are boiling your pasta in, that will also give great flavor to your pasta as well (and don't forget to salt your pasta water!).

Ingredients

1 ½ cups dried orzo pasta

1 carton Vegetable broth (optional, will add good flavor, but not completely necessary – see note above)

1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained & rinsed

1 ½ cups red & yellow tiny tomatoes or grape tomatoes halved

¾ cup small dice red onion (about half an onion)

½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves

About ¾ cup Red Wine Vinaigrette* - recipe follows

Salt & fresh ground black pepper

Directions

In a large saucepot, bring water & broth (optional) totaling at least 4 quarts to a boil & add salt. Pour in the orzo and stir. Cook, boiling, until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently (about 8 minutes). Drain the orzo through a strainer and transfer to a large bowl, tossing to cool & with a drizzle of olive oil to keep from sticking together. Set aside to cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the vinaigrette. Add the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint all at once to bowl with the cooled orzo. Toss with enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt & pepper & serve at room temperature.

*you can also use a bottled vinaigrette dressing, but the recipe below is delicious on this salad & very easy to make!

Red Wine Vinaigrette – makes 1 ¾ cups dressing

½ cup red wine vinaigrette

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (fresh is soo much better than from a bottle!)

2 teaspoons of honey

2 teaspoons salt

¾ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Combine the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt & pepper in a mason jar. Add the oil and shake vigorously until well blended. Taste your dressing before adding to the salad and adjust if necessary.