Prepping at the New Zealand Embassy

This weekend, we had four days off! It is the longest break that we get during the whole course. I hadn't done much this weekend besides being sick, buying my halloween costume, running a few errands, meeting people for lunch/dinner, and watching the Gator and LSU games. However, today, I joined 9 of my classmates and one of the LCB chefs at the New Zealand Embassy to prep for a dinner they are having, I believe, tomorrow.

I had signed up a couple of weeks ago when the chef had come into our demo to ask for volunteers. Every few weeks or so, one of our chefs gets the opportunity/is hired to cook for an event or do a demo, etc. Then they ask the students to volunteer to help prep/make the food. I had not signed up for the first opportunity, which had ended up being something to do with Slow Food and one of my classmates ended up meeting and talking with the president of Slow Food France while volunteering! She reported that it was a great learning experience volunteering and working that day.

So, I did not want to miss another chance, especially when I realized it was on a 4 day weekend for which I had no real plans.

So, this morning I got myself out of bed at 7am to make my way over to the 16arr and the New Zealand Embassy. Since, we are just Basic Course students, we only got to do the prep work today. Tomorrow, the more experienced students will get to go in and actually cook most of the food.

My American friend and I volunteered to work the day together and we were given the job of prepping the mini-mixed colored salad meant to serve 150 people. This meant a lot of chopping of vegetables.

We started with the carrots. Have you ever ordered a house salad and it comes with little match-sticks of carrot? Cut those match-sticks in half, long-ways, and you'll have what we were chopping today. All pieces- exactly even and matching.

Then we did the same thing with celery.

Then fennel.

Then bell pepper. (All of these vegetables must be peeled before being chopped)

We peeled baby tomatoes and pitted black olives from Nice which were about the size of your index-finger nail and the pit just did not want to come out. I have pitted a lot of olives in my day and these were by far the hardest!

This salad will be mixed with an assortment of herbs and thinly sliced radishes (some one else cut those today!).

Then we cut some sole (type of fish) into fish-stick-like size.

Everyone had a different task: someone made 150 shortbread crackers. Someone else broke into and separated 150 clams. Someone else prepped the Wagyu beef. Someone rolled salmon escalopes. Someone else started a slow roast of beef. There was something going on everywhere all day long!

We worked from 9am until 4pm, so it was a decent day. I wasn't too tired when I got home, but I did pick up a falafel pita instead of making dinner. We all just wished we could see what the finished products/plates will look like tomorrow.

But, I guess we will have to wait until we are in Intermediate or Superior Course for that. Tomorrow it is back to school!