This has been such a busy week. I’m only taking three classes but two of them are four hours long and the other is two hours and forty-five minutes and there is a ton of reading and homework to do. This was actually a really good week. I’m getting used to being back at school and all the nerves I had about my classes are (mostly) gone. I’m having a lot of fun so far and next week I get to start cooking. Yay!

Today was my first day back at school after my winter break and it started nice and early, at 8AM, with my CUL101- Intro to Food Prep & Theory class. It was a little overwhelming, the amount of equipment, the things we have to learn, trying to remember how to use the ranges and ovens and the dishwashers. We took a tour of the kitchen and the one thing I took the most notice of is how tall everything is and how high off the floor everything is stored. I can barely reach the Salamanders (the big industrial broilers) and the light switches are about a foot higher than I can reach. Those are things I can deal with. The chef who is teaching the class says he’s had other vegetarians and they did good in the class, most of what we will be cooking is meat, I’ll even have to breakdown a chicken in a few weeks. Yuck. I was worried about the meat stuff but I think it’s going to be fine. I’m nervous about this class but still very excited.

Tomorrow I have my Purchasing and Product Identification class and then next Monday I start my Intro to Baking and Pastry class. That’s the one I’m most excited about. Sure, sauces and soups and hot cooking is fun but it’s the baking and pastries that I’m in school for and what I’m ready to start.

The biggest problem I’ve had so far is actually with my uniform. I had to have the basic student’s uniform, a white coat, checkered pants, baker’s cap, and four-way apron. I had to buy my uniforms from the school so I could have them deducted from my grant so they cost a little more and the sizing was crazy. My uniforms are three sizes bigger than my street clothes. And my pants were about six inches too long and the coat was huge in the arms and chest so I have to have it taken in. I found someone to alter it and they are both there now and I just hope they’re back on time, I called them today to ask if they can be rushed. It’s just crazy. I got my shoes over the weekend and ended up getting a pair on sale half off that fit great and they are really comfortable. I got these Dr. Scholl’s work shoes on sale for $25 and they are just perfect. I hope they hold up.

So, I’m really happy to finally be in my cooking classes. I feel like I’m actually starting school now and it’s a lot of fun. I know I haven’t written about crafty knitty things in a while and I promise I’m not going to turn this into a culinary school blog. I am knitting on my Shetland shawl at night before bed and it’s going very slow and just looks like a blob right now but I’ll try to write a little about it Friday.

So, I’m bored tonight and feeling a little better, the cold is almost gone, and I got an e-mail a few weeks ago asking me about school, so I thought I’d talk about it a little. I’m on winter break until mid-January and I actually miss it, which I’m kind of surprised about. This is my school in the picture above. I’ve mentioned before that I’m taking a baking and pastry certificate course at OTC, my local community college. There isn’t a “real” culinary school anywhere near where I live and there is no way I could afford to move away to go to school. I’ve been asked if I’m worried about being able to get a decent industry job after school since I’m not going to a fancy culinary school and I’m not, at all. From what I’ve read it really doesn’t matter where or even if you went to school, it matters what you know how to do and how good you can cook. I know I’m a good cook, I just need to learn the proper skills and I can get that just easily at community college as at a culinary school and it’s about $40,000 to $50,000 cheaper (and yes, those numbers are right).

As far as the classes I’ll be taking, they are the same as any other culinary school. Last semester I took my ServSafe class, kitchen safety and sanitation and I’m now ServSafe certified, I passed the test a couple weeks ago, and the school requires a public speaking class so I took it, too. They also require an English 101 and Math class but I had transfer credits from when I went to college before so I don’t have to take them. In the Spring I’m taking Purchasing and Product Identification, Intro to Food Prep and Theory, and Intro to Baking and Pastry. And then next Fall I’ll be taking European Pastries and Classic Desserts, Quick Breads and Yeast Breads, Cakes and Cake Decorating, and Chocolate, Sugar and Confections.

So I’ll be getting a well-rounded eduction in all desserts and pastries. I would love to be able to take some other classes at other schools but I doubt I’ll be able to afford that for a while. I do plan on taking workshops to learn new skills through my career, though. I’m not really sure what I’d like to do after school, if all goes to schedule I’ll be out in a year. The city I live in doesn’t have any really nice restaurants with pastry chefs and there aren’t any big hotels or convention centers that would have a pastry chef on staff, so I’m looking into moving out of town, I’ll have to save up some money first. I’m looking at Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis, and possibly St. Louis or Kansas City or Little Rock, since they’re closer to home. I might be able to swing something in Branson, though I would rather not work there if I don’t have to, maybe just to save some money until I can go somewhere else. I’ve also been researching catering around here and maybe doing wedding cakes or something until I can leave.

Now I just need to go buy my books, uniforms, knives, and baking kit and I’ll be all ready for school to start again. I’m really excited about my cooking classes and I’ll keep the blog updated.