"There is no love sincerer than the love of food"

Hey yall!
So San Fransisco was amazing, but needs more investigating. There is just far too much to do in one day! It's a good thing I live so close now... :)
We have a couple projects going on in class now - the first is a presentation on our desired externship. (From april 19- September 11 we are required to participate in an externship, or off-site internship with a list of approved members of the culinary world). If everything goes according to plan, I will be interning with Via Veneto, a Michelin star restaurant in Barcelona, Spain. (Check it out at http://www.viavenetorestaurant.com). HOW EXCITING! Spain has one of the fastest growing cuisines in terms of popularity and culinary recognition today. And, duh i love Spain!
Our second project is a menu development group project. We are to create a 4 course menu with one central theme and present this to the Chefs here at CIA along with a costing form. This is a big deal - it's our first real interaction with some of the bigwigs here, and our first chance to make a good impression and show them what we are capable of. My group has decided to use chocolate as the theme and serve dishes prepared using chocolate as a savory ingredient. When we finish, Ill be sure to share the final product with yall!
Today there was a welcoming reception for our new class which just reiterated the class and high level this insitution is based on. All of the chefs are experts in their fields and i simply cannot wait to learn everything I can from them! Before school started I was nervous and scared and couldnt help but think - am I a poser? I have no business here...do I know anything about this? But since day one i am only more and more assured that this is where i am meant to be. Its a thrill a minute and I love it so much.
In other news, I am currently exhausting all possible resources trying to find a job. Just to show you how far I am reaching right now, I just applied for a job with the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group! For those of you who dont know, thats like the mozart in the culinary field. Keller is the only American-born chef to hold multiple michelin star ratings ever; he also won Best Chef Award from Time Magazine and has won consecutive James Beard Awards for best chef. He has 4 restaurants and a bakery - all except for one (per se in ny) are here in napa, so i figured, why not at least try? Im giddy at the very thought of working for him!
Things are getting busy here with job hunting, the project, and externship preperations under way. I could not be happier!
Until the next post, eat well yall! <3

Week One of CIA

Hey everyone! It has been way too long since I updated, and I promise this will actually be a regular thing from now on! I got to St Helena a week ago, and only just now got my internet working! But now that it's in action, be prepared for a long post because we have lots to catch up on! ...
Class started on Tuesday, and let me tell you...I LOVE this school! It's everything any foodie ever dreamed of. They literally call it the North American Food Mecca, understandably so. Classes are set up so that we take a couple courses in 4-6 week long blocks and right now everyone starts with culinary math and intro to gastronomy. Culinary math is basic algebra but applied to costing and yeilding, etc, and grasping metric conversions. Pretty easy and straightforward, but necessary. Intro to Gastronomy is a GREAT course - it is the study of food, and its relationship with culture. The Chef professor, Chef Briwa, holds tastings for us as well. The first was a cheese tasting of mimolette, and it was absolutely delish - I liked it paired best with walnut, or surprisingly enough, chinese five spice. Our next tasting was of olive oil, and I learned tons that I never knew even though I use tons of EVOO every day! Todays tasting was samplings from the farmers market that was this morning, and we had excellent melons, peaches, cheeses, and wines. Really truly learning how to properly taste has been great tho, and I feel like I can appreciate a multitude of flavors in a whole new way now.
One of the best parts about the CIA is lunch. We break class to eat together in the testing kitchens what the other classes have been preparing all morning. Because this is practice, they make tons of different foods, so we get to try a little of a lot. For example, so far I have most enjoyed roasted beets with goat cheese, sauted broccolini, and lemon-olive oil sorbet. Our "everyday food" here has consisted of potatoes au gratin, beef tenderloin, hanger steaks, or veal schnitzel, and its always accompanied by a variety of freshly baked breads, homemade salad dressings, and fresh juice concoctions (ie desert pear lemonade). And the desserts - theres always an assortment of cakes and truffles. And this is EVERY DAY!
If the meal plan is the best thing about CIA, the second best has to be the professors. So far I have only had one Chef Professor, Chef Briwa, but others who I will be having soon include the great Tom Wong and Ken Woytisek. The professors not only really know their stuff and have tons of field experience, but they are passionate about food and excited to help us on our way.
I could list things off all night about what makes CIA the mecca, but I have to mention this - everyone Im surrounded by every day, inc. everyone in my program is a FOODIE. We are all extremely excited and passionate about food, and what better place to gather than Napa Valley? There are only 17 people in the Culinary program, and including the Baking and Pastry AOS program there are 30. Ages range from 18-40's, and we come from all over with various backgrounds and experiences. That means that we are all so different, with a few key similarities, and it makes for a real great interesting and fun bunch.
Sorry to go on so long, but basically one week through the program and I LOVE it here. CIA could not be better, and outside of CIA, Napa is the perfect setting for this experience. In fact, tomorrow a group of us are heading to San Fransisco, sure to find some good eats.
Sorry again for the delay, expect regular updates from now on, and in the meantime, eat well!

Greetings from Memphis!

Hey yall! So far the trip has been great - I absolutely fell in love with Nashville and Memphis! In Nashville we grabbed some great soul food at Loveless Cafe, as featured in a biscuit throwdown on Food Network! Delish. And in Memphis...ribs, what else? Rendezvous, also featured on FN, had hands down the BEST ribs I have ever eaten. And, because of course we went to Graceland, I had to have a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich - what kind of Elvis fan would I be if I didn't?
From here we head to Arkansas, Colorado, Arizona, and then Cali - can't wait for the hole in the walls we have yet to stumble upon!
Eat well!
<3

California, here we come...

In less than 17 hours, Dad and I set out for our cross country road trip: destination, napa! We'll be stopping in Nashville, Memphis (finally), Denver and Bolder, and the Grand Canyon before arriving in Saint Helena on the 21st. Orientation is on the 24th, and then I will be well underway!
Check for updates about awesome foodie finds along the way!
Until then, eat well!
<3