I'm Judging The French Culinary Institute Final

Image by frenchculinary.com

I'm so excited about tomorrow, I can hardly contain myself, for it is the day that I'll be judging the French Culinary Institute student final.  Besides being extremely honored and humbled by my invitation to judge these talented students who've spent 600 hours learning, preparing and cooking mind-blowing French cuisine, I'm also delighted to mix with the incredible talent of chefs who will be my comrades in judging.
  
How I Scored This Gig
Well that's a good question, as I often want to pinch myself to make sure this is really happening.  The truth is, my lovely friends from Conundrum marketing chose me to be a media judge, as each panel of judges (there are 2) consists of 5 chefs and 1 media person (like me).

About the Judging Process
Just to give you a preview, the judging process will take place over the course of four hours, during which we'll be sampling a plethora of dishes including an appetizer course, a meat/poultry/fish course and a dessert course.  We'll be judging each student on his/her primary, secondary and garnish cooking techniques.

Critique will be given on a number scale as well as through live commentary.  I'm especially sensitive to the latter, as I know how hard these students have been working, so I will do my absolute best to be candid and just. I can't wait to see their diligence pay off and I'll surely document the experience for you. 

How You Can Get Involved
In the meantime, if you're not in the market for a professional culinary education but you love to cook, I'd highly recommend the recreational courses at the International Culinary Center (located in the same building as the French Culinary Institute). I was lucky enough to take a bread class there last year and absolutely loved it.  Check out my experience here and also check out their list of courses here.

Wish me luck tomorrow and I'll report back with full details.

Me as a Parisian Breadmaker

This week, I had the distinct pleasure of doing something very special--I took a Parisian Bread Class at the International Culinary Center in SOHO. The ICC is a respected cooking school in Manhattan, with the French Culinary Institute, The Italian Culinary Academy and the newly created Recreational Division under one roof. I guess that's why I've never heard of it before--but after this week's class, I'll keep it top of mind for future culinary learning.

The Facilities:
The school is pretty nice but nothing fancy. The equipment is good but basic, which I liked because you could visualize yourself replicating the experience at home. I also liked that our kitchen was directly across from one of the pro-classes, where we got a whiff of the raw, uncut atmosphere that professional chefs are exposed to. Although we overhead a couple of stern shouts and clambers, it added to the authenticity of our experience. Everyone ate it up (pun intended).

The Instructor:
As with most activities, either for work or fun, it's all about the people that you work with. Our instructor was a young-looking yet experienced baker named Johnson Yu. He's been on the bread scene for quite a while, working at various New York restaurants before going on to work in renowned California bakeries such as Thomas Keller's, Bouchon Bakery.

My classmates and I very much enjoyed and appreciated Chef Yu's teaching style--he was informative, knowledgeable and approachable. He seemed a bit closed off in the beginning, but warmed up after a short hour, providing us with all sorts of helpful insights and techniques to bread baking. It was obvious that he was a master of his art, his love and appreciation for bread shining through from the beginning.

The Bread:
We did a lot in four hours! From making our own dough from scratch to shaping the bread, baking it and eating the finished product, it was an all-inclusive experience. About three quarters into the class, we took a rest and ate a delicious dinner, courtesy of the professional students. Although it was presented in a cafeteria-style setting, the food was top notch. And the best part was eating the fresh bread from our class with it.

Throughout one class, we made two different types of bread--le pain de mie and a classic baguette. I was glad that we got five generous baguettes each from our individual dough and about two large loaves of le pain de mie. But that's not to say that we didn't take more home. Chef Yu told us that we were welcomed to take home as much as we could carry--so in addition to the two breads mentioned above, I brought back a sweet cherry-nut bread, a dark wheat loaf and rolls. All in all, it was about 8 loaves and by the time that I got home, I was covered head to toe in flour.

I'd love to go back and take another class--although they do come at a premium, you learn a lot and get a truly wonderful experience. For my next one, I'm already thinking about desserts--chocolate in particular. Mmmm.....

Click here for a schedule of classes. The Parisian bread class will be offered again on January 27 - January 29 from 5:30pm - 9:30pm.

International Culinary Center - 462 Broadway, New York, NY 10013
212.219.8890
6 Train to Spring Street or N/R/W/Q to Canal Street
www.internationalculinarycenter.com