Culinary Fundamentals--Week #1

I dusted off my chef's whites and dug out my checkered pants to start fall semester's Culinary Fundamentals at SBCC's School of Culinary Arts. I'm working my way backwards! I started with the most advanced class: Modern Food: Design, Style, Theory with Chef Vincent Van Hecke and am working now on the introductory classes, including this one taught by Chef Charles Fredricks. It's going to be a fun, educational class--last week we spent mostly working on our basic knife skills--cutting carrots into julienne strips and brunoise (here's a link to basic knife cuts) and learning a bit about Chef Fredericks and our fellow students. Chef Fredericks has an interesting story: he spent the first three years out of high school as a ski bum, then was spurred to attend college by his parents. He chose the Culinary Institute of America and after graduating, flew to Europe with $900 and his knife kit. He ended up working all over Europe for 18 months--a great encouragement to the new students who can see by his example one can make a living and travel the world with skill in the kitchen. He worked at Luxe in New York,  Auberge du Soleil in Napa and helped open Bouchon in Santa Barbara. He was also selected to be a dinner chef at the James Beard Foundation. As a chef, he worked on every continent, both as an ambassador for California cuisine and as a personal chef aboard a yacht. But, after his children were born, he wanted to find a way to spend more time with them, so turned to teaching and running a restaurant consulting business. Fortunate for us!

Had a wonderful stay and dinner at the Cliff House in Ventura. Here is my shaky iphone video of the tremendous view of the Pacific which pounds the breakwater less than forty yards from the inn and restaurant. My battery went out, so I have no photo of the seared ahi and wakame salad or Caesar with grilled shrimp, but they were lovely.