Oh wait that title is already taken...
The last few days have been busy busy busy for me and the new intern Ang.
Thursday Training Day will be a tour of Tre Piani's kitchen in Princeton's Forestall Village, NJ for 2:30. The doorbell rings at 1 in the afternoon. I open the door and there she is...sunglasses on all dressed in black, her red notebook, phone and my lunch order in hand.
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain was also another great book to read! Having personally attest to many of his tales being somewhat true after working in kitchens full of male domination; its all good though, and made me tough.
This is a kitchen that I have used for many of my 'large' catering events over the past three years I felt it was a large operating space that would benefit Ang greatly. Rich is not only a great chef, and all around guy he plays a mean guitar and accordion at Open Mic the night before. He agreed to give us the 'tour'. Her 'Equipment' and 'Station' chapters of the Le Cordon Bleu manual provided for her training were brought to life as he showed her the many areas of the Tre Piani kitchen.
I think he was so impressed with her passion and drive he decided to share with us how he also went to culinary school late in life like me, and was given a rare opportunity to intern for his current boss, so he offered her to come work with him twice a week outside of my training. I was excited for her, and not to mention how excited she was!
The restaurant has three floors with the main refrigerators and freezers in the basement. The can handle a large dining area on two floors while using the second and third floors for private parties. She will have a lot of opportunity to find out all sides of the business in that environment...
I would like to take this opportunity to share something I have been contemplating...I will be teaching culinary classes at a school once a week in Central Jersey, and am hoping when they complete their new culinary department that I will be taken on full time as an instructor. I was an assistant kitchen coordinator and the directors assistant for two years in culinary school and had a blast. My sea foam green chef jacket may go up in the closet for the duration...nah! My client here in Princeton is never going to let me get away, I have become like a family member!
I never thought I would say this, but the hours I put into my early college days to be a teacher seem to fit me like a glove. Maybe I will be writing my own Conf'E'dential memoirs one day!