Lesson 1 - Intro to the professional kitchen

I have always loved to cook, but wasn't sure I learned the basics correctly, so I decided to take a 'serious' amateur class at the French Culinary Institute in Campbell, CA (www.frenchculinary.com).  This class really is a serious class - 110 hours!  And serious subject matter, which I will get to in detail soon.  Class is held Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:30-10:30 pm.  The tuition includes a tool kit (which weighs about 50 pounds and has things such as knives, whisks, tweezers, etc.), a text book and a uniform.  We got an actual chef Jacket with our name embroidered on it. We also have to wear hounds-tooth pants with an elastic waste and a neckerchief.  Oh, and the wonderful hat...  The uniform is super hot (and not in an attractive way)...  But the purpose is to protect us and as long as we have the fan on in the kitchen, it is fine.

The first day, we learned the different cuts for vegetables, as well as proper cleanliness in the kitchen and basic knife skills.  We also got practice at standing for 5 hours straight - which is not normal for any of us.  Shortly after the first class, I invested in some dansko clogs, which are not terribly attractive, but are very comfortable.

Our instructor's name is Chef Bruno.  He is very nice and has a great sense of humor.  I didn't even consider how much this would impact the class until I was sitting in the parking lot beforehand.  It then dawned on me that if we had a Gordon Ramsay-like chef, the class might not be so fun!

That was pretty much it for lesson 1.  Lesson 2 to come...