Do You Need a Culinary Degree to be a Top Chef?
A new round of Top Chef will debut next month on Bravo. Set in Chicago, season four of this food-based reality show features 16 rising chefs competing for the coveted title of Top Chef through culinary challenges.
According to the short bios of the 16 “chef-testants”, the great majority (thirteen) have completed formal training in the culinary arts. Only three are described as “self-taught”. Which leads to the question that most aspiring chefs ask themselves at some point - do you need a formal culinary education to be a successful chef?
While there’s no concrete answer, the judges on “Top Chef” seem to value formal training. Of the winners from Seasons 1-3 of this popular show, all three are graduates of the Culinary Institute of America.
Among the many famous chefs profiled on this site are a number whose training consisted of a combination of apprenticeships and world travel. Can you, too, can backpack around Europe and learn all you need to know to open your own restaurant by working under a French chef? Or should you bite the bullet and enroll in an A.O.S. (Associate in Occupational Studies) in Culinary Studies?
Ultimately, there’s no sure-fire way to success in any field. Some graduates of culinary school go on to work as bank tellers. There are executive chefs who have never taken a formal cooking class. If you’re looking for a structured path to a career in the food industry, a culinary degree is probably your best bet. However, if you’re a free spirit who prefers to learn through life experience, perhaps a one-way ticket to Italy is a better investment.
Seven Reasons to Watch “No Reservations”
Food takes center stage in a film released on DVD last week. Should you take the time to watch? Here are a few reasons “No Reservations” is worth your time.
1. Kate on Quail -The movie’s opening monologue, delivered by perfectionist chef Kate(Catherine Zeta-Jones) details her favorite ways to prepare quail. The fact that this speech is directed at Kate’s new therapist adds humor to an already mouth-watering soliloquy.
2. Restaurant Life- From the numerous scenes in the kitchen to the meals shared by the staff of 22 Bleecker, “No Reservations” offers an interesting window into life in a successful fine-dining establishment, complete with the complex relationships that come with the territory.
3. Truffles - It’s nice to see these fungi steal a few scenes, most notably when Zoe (Kate’s orphaned niece, played by Abigail Breslin) mistakes them for garbage and tosses them out.
4.Bonding Over Food - Anyone who enjoys cooking and eating will appreciate this first date: Kate, Zoe, and Nick (Kate’s love interest and opera-singing sous chef) make homemade pizza and then eat it together on the living room floor.
5.A Sexy Dessert If you ever doubted that Tiramisu could be an aphrodisiac, check out the romantic encounter between Kate and Nick over a Tupperware container of Nick’s signature dessert. It may just inspire you to whip up a batch for your next date…
6. Fish Sticks?! -While most chefs tend to be food snobs, Kate’s reaction to her therapist’s suggestion that she feed Zoe fish sticks will hit home with most foodies.
7. Great Advice - Therapy finally pays off for Kate when therapist Bob Balaban gives her a mantra that could apply to anyone’s life :”The best recipes are the ones you create yourself”. Her interpretation of this suggestion is sure to make you smile.
Serve Up Some Sunshine
For northern chefs who prize fresh, local ingredients, menus by the end of February can feel pretty repetitive. If hearty stews and roasts are starting to get boring, head to the produce section for a little Vitamin C-filled inspiration.Citrus fruit, at its peak during the winter months, can bring flavor and variety to cold-weather meals.
There are plenty of websites devoted to cooking with citrus. Here are a few ways to incorporate fresh grapefruit, orange, lemons and limes into your menu this month.
- Soups - Combine the flavors of orange, red lentils, and Middle-Eastern spices in what is termed “Liquid Sunshine Soup”(just what you need on a cold winter night). Alternatively you can try the “Spicy Soup of Mandarin and Coconut”, from Ethel and Georgeann Brennan’s book Citrus.
- Salads - Grapefruit and avocado are an unlikely, yet delicious pair and can be highlights in a lettuce or spinach-based salad. Orange sections are a great addition to Mexican or Caribbean salsas, offering a combination of color and flavor that just might have you seeing palm trees.
- Entrees - Citrus-based sauces and marinades are a flavorful way to brighten chicken, fish, pork, or shellfish. Your taste-buds will thank you for taking the time to juice fresh fruit (rather than using concentrate).
- Desserts -There’s nothing like a little grapefruit sorbet to remind you of summertime. Citrus tart, also refreshing light, combines lemon curd with fresh oranges and grapefruit. For the ultimate in decadence try a key lime cheesecake, which tastes best when made with freshly-squeezed lime juice.
- Drinks - A glass of fresh juice is sure to have your brunch guests raving (making it worth the extra preparation time). Or end the day by livening up cocktail hour with a special beverage (try the Floridita Daiquiri while wearing Hawaiian shirts!).
The Theory Behind ‘Mise in place’
Mise en place is a French phrase defined by the Culinary Institute of America as “everything in place”. Mise en Place refers to the preparation that takes place prior to cooking a dish. For each dish, the ingredients are measured out, cleaned, diced or chopped and placed in individual bowls.
In professional kitchens mise en place is prepared in conjunction with equipment necessary to cook the dish. This can include setting out specific kitchen utensils, knives, and setting oven temperature. A chef will prepare the mise en place to last throughout the meal service. Preparing the mise en place ahead of time allows the chef to cook without having to stop and gather ingredients. So, in theory, a properly set up mise en place will keep a chef from getting behind on orders.
The concept of having everything in its place as applied to the work in a kitchen likely became a staple around the time of Auguste Escoffier, who is well known for his development of the brigade system of running a kitchen.
Godiva offers night in chocolate hotel room!
NEW YORK - Don’t lick the walls.
An all-chocolate room was unveiled in Manhattan on Tuesday — a pre-Valentine’s Day creation complete with furniture and artwork made of the sweet stuff.
“It’s the perfect bit of sin,” said Ali Larter, star of TV’s “Heroes,” of the Godiva chocolate “pearls” that are her private daily indulgence.
