FabulousFoodBabe

Yep. Plus, it took up an awful lot of space. (Still, though, I loved the time Bryan Miller cooked for the chefs he'd reviewed, and let them criticize him.)

I've never left nothing, nor have I left less than 10%. Ten percent is my tip for slow, rude, inattentive, etc. etc. etc. If a waiter treated me as badly as some of the stories here, I'm not sure what I'd do. I know someone who almost always has "lousy" service at restaurants. Things that piss her off always start with the server not realizing that she's dealing with "such a strong, assertive, knowledgeable and classy" woman.

What godito said. (And Carlos, I think you may have been a PM student during my pre-Externship semesters ...) It seems that in all the Culinary Arts classes, there's always some 19-20 year old guy (always, a guy) who claims to have been working in classic French restaurants since they were, like, 12. Is it like that in B and P?

Wonder what the liability/insurance would be, if the corporate shield could be pierced even with an LLC or SubS, because it's happening in someone's house (too damned many lawyers in this town! And yes, I love 'em all ...) As for the special meal thing .. I've been surprised before, in similar settings. I'm going to have a beeeyoooteeful new kitchen by the end of the year and I think Mr. FB and I should do this. I am picking out my outfit/shoes right now.

Is this something new for the school, or is it just the way it's done in the B&P courses? Either way, I think it's a great thing to do. I heard that the school has waived even its minimal prior-experience requirements for admission? In Culinary Arts, we went straight into fabrication classes, and some of the students were completely clueless about knife work, equipment, etc. I still remember the guy who, standing next to me, held half a tenderloin up in front of his (and my) face, declared it "full of useable trim," and started whacking at it with a dullish 8-chef. WHILE IT WAS STILL IN THE AIR. I was ducking and bobbing and saying, "hey, whoa, if you're gonna do that, please do it away from me," and he called me "b*tch." (Honey, you don't know the half of it.) I am not making this up, Fabby

Dammit, where is the shrieking, still-quaking smilie? WHERE, dammit? (I still hear his voice when I do pate en croute.) In that FCI course I took, written about on another thread, we had Sam Sifton (former Times dining ed.) speak to our class. He said working in a restaurant or as a cook wasn't really necessary. Dean Richman said the same, for various reasons. But everyone who has done both agrees with what Mr. Ruhlmann said right here.I think you can write about stuff. Or, you can 'get' it. It makes a real difference to the readers, and to the people you're writing about. I've found that the people you're covering respect that you've done what it takes to understand them. And that can be pretty nice.

I'm dying over here! What was it? ← It came down to this: "You a mom?" [uh, yeah] You done this for a while before? [uh, most of my adult life.] You used to being in charge and responsible for people, product, output? [well, sure.] Etc. Here's what he said to me: "Helping someone out when they're in the weeds is different from taking responsibility for their education, behavior, performance, state of mind. They won't learn if you're constantly working two stations, it's not your problem if they're struggling and tired of being shouted at. They won't learn if you keep running interference. You'll perform just fine ... but you won't learn. Keep your head down and focus." And I did, and I do. Doesn't sound too earthshaking, but it was/is.

I have a feeling they're too wiped from sweating it out to read/post here much. I absolutely loved line-cooking; the heat, the pressure, focus, even the butt-kickings (because that means Cheffy cares ). I learned quickly that if you were taken into the chef's office for a bitching-out, you were in big trouble. Not that it happened to me. And dammit, I NEVER cried! (Some of the guys I've worked with can't say that ... )

Yes, yes, YES! Please remember, too, that blogging and writing for a publication are pretty different. Bloggers can just ramble on; their audience is who(m?)ever they decide. They've got no editors, no copy interns trying to make their mark, no proofreaders, and no space limit. Like Zadi, I come from a poor working-class family; women with a talent in the kitchen were declared future housewives and no one thought I needed education past learning from Grandma. Ahem! (I'm a writer, avocational instructor, wifey-type and have patched together a university education as we moved all around the country ... and then went to CIA and learned that i KNEW NOTHING! ) Last, as someone said when Tiger Woods turned pro: It all changes when you do it for money.

There was a little neighborhood in Cincinnati, where folks kept televisions and refrigerators on their front porch. From all the hanging-out on said porches, it seemed to work fine! I always kept my chest freezers in the garage, because it was easier to get to than the basement. Did it in Ohio, California, and Jersey. I think I have a chest freezer in the basement somewhere, in this house. I think.

What's not to like? Bacon? Ice cream? Two of my favorite things. ← Ah, but it is Kosher?

that was something I learned early on in school: that the people who the chefs pretty much stayed cool with, were the ones they may like and enjoy but didn't really care about. Best thing I did was in C block, was ask my chef after class what I could do to make myself absorb and learn faster. (That was after he kicked my butt from the moment I picked up the knife ...) I will never forget what he told me; it was a turning point in my education and something that no one in 15 years in the industry had told me before. Do email Chef Andreini! I'm sure he'd remember you. He may have told us stories about you! Now, what would it take to get the pear anise recipe ... Chianti, do you know which block Chef Schorner is teaching? He is amazing. He was our faculty advisor in Aspen a few years ago, and when Jacques Pepin came into the room to say hello to him, he told all of us that he (Pepin) was where he was, because of Schorner. (Watching him work was something I'll never forget.)

Would you believe just yesterday my son emailed me the same article and wants us to open our own Speakeasy? So my questions would be: *Wonder what would be popular dishes? *Where do we park the cars? PS: One possible answer to your #3 is be friends with the Speakeasy-runner or one of his/her good friends. A ← I think I should do this -- smack in the middle of suburbia Maybe you could only do parties of 8-10, and have a car service drive the people. One of those enormous stretch Hummers with a hot tub. I am irritated in advance, though, about the number of people who will demand vegan, kosher, or Atkins/Zone meals when they get there.

What served me best was not so much learning how to cook, but learning how to research, study, observe, and "get it." Returning to school (CIA) after so many years writing and cooking has helped me bump it up a notch. But my situation is a little different, I think. The best advice I was given: Don't quit your day job!

Does anyone think this type of concept would work outside an urban setting? Specifically ... suburban?

I can see that the CMC (try saying that five times before coffee!) has been answered. I really liked Chef Andreini. He's quite a character and has about the best story I've heard, about how he came to be a CIA instructor. Group leaders ... LOL! We kicked our first one to the curb; he was a drunk (at 22, no less) and we just had to boot him. It means so, so much at first and believe me, you'll have to work hard to find someone to do it after Externship. It's truly a thankless job, especially when you pull a chef who gives leaders a grade based on how well they make the team behave. (And some chefs just hate group leaders in general ...) Some of the younger women there treat CIA like an extension of high school, which is a shame for them. My team was very small, mostly male, and they politely informed me that "Fabby Rocks, baby!" And I does. And did. Keep it coming, chianti. I'm loving this!

OMG< Chef Andreini! He's now a CMC. I worked with him on a few special projects, and he took over about half our Garde Manger class. Yeah, I channel my old chefs, too. I still can't break down a salmon without hearing, "Fabby, DONOTDONOTDONOT STOP YOUR KNIFE!" <-- Chef Clark. Oh, Chianti -- about the "older" students at the CIA. I was one of them and, yeah, no one is supposed to care if you're older, but the other students pretty much do. Girls are especially tough on older women and to that I always said, "One day you, too, will be 40!" The assumption is made immediately that you're a housewife with a hobby, or a retiree, or just playing at it, even if you've been in the industry for years and years. As many 19 year olds play at it as do 39 year olds. I could write a book ... That said, the friends I made there are lifelong; I'm always in touch with my chefs and professors. Just spoke with a guy from my team today; he's a full 20 years younger than me, lives 500 miles away, and I still count him among my best friends. Have fun and start working on that Externship right now! It will be here before you know it. This is bringing back some memories. Snif. Edited to add: I was 45 when I started!

Fresser, do your workmates enjoy you as much as we do? I just saw a commercial where some guy sits in a glass-enclosed office, on top of a bag of Cheetos or something, and the resulting bag-break causes a big puff of orange inside the office. The nearby teenagers said, "lame." I laughed myself silly and said, "Fresser!"

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog could be a judge: "Rachel, your EVOO laden salad is veeery good..... TO POOP ON!" ← Yeah, Triumph and Dakota Fanning. What a duo.

Heh. Mr. FFB would have to break out of his headlock to get me to share that with him! I'm assuming that gelato is out of the question, for such a size of dinner. How about vanilla roasted berries? It sounds fabulous. How do I get an invite?

Just an idea along those lines ... That Muppet Chef (Swedish chef, I think?) Chef from South Park

Valrhona 70% for me. It would be M&Ms, but they give me zits

I've posted about this before...but back when I was in college there was a woman from a wealthy Iranian family in one of my classes. After class, we were eating lunch and she saw someone eating a banana and commented that she had never eaten a banana with her hands before she came to America. She said in her home in Iran bananas were always served on a plate and were eaten using a knife and fork. Her parents said it was beneath their status/class to eat any kind of food with their hands. ← Aww ... even asparagus dipped in egg yolks? I grossed Mr. FFB-out with this when we were dating early on -- the asparagus with the fingers thing. He was HORRIFIED, but far too polite to say anything to me about it (and far too wise to say anything for a long, long time thereafter ). The man eats bacon with his fork, still!

The incident/ditching I posted about happened was when I was a teenger. It was (gulp) a long, LONG time ago, but every now and then I'm reminded of it. I have NO idea why that bugged me so much, and I think it still would. I ditched my fair share of guys over the years for other food-related things. Being mean to the waiter means, to me, that the person is an a**hole. Not being adventurous about food -- boorrrrrrring. Chewing with mouth open? Yick! But eating a banana like that is, well, not indicative of anything, except that it bugged me. I remember one guy years ago who dunked his bread in his soup and ate the bread, in a restaurant, on an early date. I hated it and don't know why, but he was history, too. Sincerely, Princess Fabby

You, babe. Powerball or not! Okay, the crystal and china were major factors. Any other Fishs Eddy lovers out there?