S_tran

I have two... ...never try to "hard boil" eggs in a micro wave ...here's one noone has ever heard of... ...never put you face so close to a sauce pot to smell something and have the rim of the pot burn you forehead...i have a perfectly straight line on my forhead now, fading but still there. I will not forget the day i walked out of class and my instructors and friends all laughed at me...very embarassing.

LOL i saw that video too!!!...ohh...i couldn't get off the floor for a while

Hello, just wanted to continue this thread, I was just wondering if anyone has every staged or worked with Pierre Herme? I am a cook and i will be staging and cooking in France in the summer time but I have a strong interest in Pastry and chocolate work also and maybe after I stage at some restaurants I could try getting in and work for him. Or maybe any other well known pastry chefs or chocolatiers you know of, any information would really help. Thanks!

As a person relatively young to this industry, i have read this book and found inspiration in the life and death of Bernard Loiseau. His conquest to achieve perfection (although i do not believe there is such a thing) and and personality might have been his down fall. I personally have been around people with Bi polar disorder and have actually dated someone with this disorder. In Bernards case, his disorder was realtivley unknown during his time or not as well known so it was hard for people to accept or himself for that matter. He achieved great things on his highs and droppped even harder on his lows. Therefore the prospect of losing his third michelin star and also during a time when the culianry scene was changing dramatically from his traditional french cuisine contributed to his demise. It was funny to read the book describing his adolescence, always saying things he shouldn't be saying, getting into trouble just being full of life to watching him struggle to find himself and be known to the world.

I actually think that the coffee beans you guys are talking about is available at this store where i live. Well i live in Vancouver so we have an abundance of asian ingredients but there is this store Hen long which is a Vietnamese/ Chinese market, independently own that seels all sorts of cool stuff like, cold cuts, barbeque meats, pates, baguettes, Taro icecreams 'exotic' things everytyhing is there. We also have this place called the T&T supermarket which is sort of a growing chain in Canada and they seell those drip coffee makers and vietnamese coffees although not the same as Hen long i dont think.

Well I am from Vancouver and the reason why I think that Vancouver made it was because of the diversity of out culiunary scene and its growth over the years. The level of the sophisticated diners and top restaurants imo here is very hard to ignore. YOu can find great Indian food, Chinese, Vietnamese, small french bistros, Belgian cuisine to your classes French cuisine, or even those little mom and pop mexican restaurants and greek restaurants etc. Although i am not saying Montreal doesn't deserve to be on there, im sure it does. It's just my take on why I think we made it on there.

IM really happy that vancouver made it on there!!GO VANCOUVER!

bubble world maybe? Sorry can't help you, I havent had alot of great experiences in Richmond.

I'm not sure if someone has brought this up already or not but i just wanted to see if people love vietnamese coffee as much as I do. The slow drip dark roasted coffee mixed with condensed milk and in the summer with lots of ice. So aromatic, so delicious, as a matter of fact im gonna get soem now hehe...

In my opinion, michelin should stay within Europe, im not trying to sound exclusive but its because they rate using the european mentality. So many chef in Europe spend theyre lives trying to attain those three stars but in North America we should be using our own ratings system for reestaurants in North America. Don't get me wrong I have the utmost respect for the guide. I'm not really sure how to verbalize my thoughts exactly without sounding ignorant. So it might not be fair to a restaurant who "deserves" say a michlelin star but not qualifies because it does not fit their mold? You know what I mean? please don't flame me lol

anyone?

I think this is a really interesting topic and its good that someone has acknoiqledged this in the industry. Having just leaving culinary school (i decided not to finish the whole program, just the certificate) i found that there are alot of people who go to school thinking that IMHO that it is not necessarily what cooking school you go to but it is what you put into the school and your education that matters. Which also translates into how one might work in a kitchen. And also, one must also be realistic about the circumstances of the kitchen and the industry itself and really know what you want from it. If you want to make a lot of money then this industry is not for you (there are exceptions). It is true that people don't work as hard as they used to and it's because people expect things to be brought to them. I have seen people work in kitchens and not a lot of people are willing to work REALLY HARD because they feel that they don't need to because they don't get paid enough to work really hard, but this is what is wrong, if you are passionate enough about something then money should come second. I myself like to work the stand alone restaurants, its just a personal preference, and i dont mind being paid next to nothing as long as i LEARN and keep stimulated while i am doing it. People say they have a passion for the industry but do alot of those people really understand what it means? It is true that people are going over seas to find work and stage now because that is where you can learn the most and get what you cannot necessarily get in Vancouver. I myself will be travelling to the south of France early june because i have stage set up there and i will be staying there for 3 months, then travelling for another 3 months. I won't be paid, except they are providing me with room and board. So it is quite an investment but to reinforce what I said it is more than just money its the experience and the education and learning that counts for me. Just wanted to add a young cooks perspective into the conversation.

MmmMmm duck one of my favourites, maybe an appetizer of toasted nut and fruit bread with seared, and cooled, thinly sliced duck breast and topped with a pear chutney. OR MAKE DUCK PROCCIUTTO (sp?) mmMmmmmmMMMmmm

Or maybe adding to that using braised beef short ribs and then reducing the sauce and adding some red wine reductions and put that in the ravioli. Sorry i havent tried the ones at Babbo so im not sure what theyre like. A good asian beef satay is always quick and easy (depending what kind of restaurant it is)

Bonjour, My name is Steven and I am going to be travelling to Nice/ montpellier for work this summer. I am going to stage at some restaurants but i need some opinions on some of my choices. I will not be guaranteed anything but it never hurts to ask for opinions. I would like to work in the fine dining restaurants not necessarily even michlen star restaurants. My main concern is just learning the french culture while travelling, refining my french skills and meet new people. Here are some of my choices: Le Jardin des Sens- Montpellier La Bastide Saint-Antoine Hotel Negresco-Nice Parcours Live restaurant-Nice Le petit Nice-Passedat-Marseille La Merenda La Reserve-Beaulieu And this is im not too sure about but ive heard people talking about it the restauratn is called 'Jouni' ? If you guys have any experience working in Nice or Montpellier, some advice for a fellow industry person would be greatly appreciated. I'm not too sure where I end up and all I know is that by June i will be out of Canada and in France. Thanks!

MMMMM my favourite pho is my MOM's lol sorry i dun eat out at places like that alot I LOVE VIETNAMESE food, its so fresh flavourfulmmmmm now im hungry for Banh Mi, wait wan't i talking about pho. as you can see i have a short attnetion span. I think the best viet subs are from Hen long, this vietnamese market in Surrey, not many people know about it and its only 2 bucks!, In toronto i think you can get them for even less

Ok, thats gross. But it got me thinking, how do people taste sauces in restaurant kitchens? At home I use teaspoons, and can go an awful lot of 'em with a new recipe 'seasoning to taste'. In restaurant kitchens, are there little stacks of ice-cream sticks everywhere, to use and toss? Do folks just wash their hands before and after sticking them in the pot? Inquiring mind would love to know. Thanks. ← Well i'm only an 18 year old cook and I cringe when i see dirty and unsanitary cooking practices probabaly because I am very anal when it comes to being clean. If i saw someone tasting something with a spoon and sticking it back into the pot i would be grossed out especially if its an open kitchen. What I was taught to do is use the two spoon method. Where one spoon is you tasting spoon which is always close by (not in your back pocket ) and have other spoons (that never touch your mouth) to take some of the sauce or liquid and transfer it on your own tasting spoon adn taste from there. It doesnt slow you down that much, its cleaner and its more professional looking.

It seems to me that the researchers are just generalizing the cheese and wine pairings and just randomingly pairing various types of wines to various types of cheeses. The researchers should have had more insight to what they were doing before they started...

Hi Sara, sorry iposted in the wrong thread lol anyway i would like some advice from someone who has been around the industry. As a culinary student just starting out, one who has the passion, the drive and the skill what kind of advice would you give to me in search for a job. I am competent in my abilities but it is hard to find someone who will gove you the opportunity. I've worked in a few frestaurants but it's time for me to step into restaurants that challenge, inspire and excite me. I live in Vancouver Canada and we have an excellent culianry scene but i do intend to travel and work around the world but what advice can you give me that will help me start off on the right track at the right restaurant? Your advice is greatly appreciated

Hi Sara i was wondering, this may not directly be about your job at gourmet, but as a culinary student just starting out, one who has the passion, the drive and the skill what kind of advice would you give to me in search for a job. I am competent in my abilities but it is hard to find someone who will gove you the opportunity. i'm doing the stages and doing the grunt work but what sets one person apart from another besides experience? I've worked in a few frestaurants but it's time for me to step into restaurants that challenge, inspire and excite me. Your advice is greatly appreciated

Hi I was wondering you guys know of any culinary competitions being held in Vancouver anytime soon for culinary students/ apprentices?? just wondering thanks!