tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-156185622024-03-14T04:57:02.202-05:00A Day in the Life of a ChefJoin me on a journey with my travels, experiments and reasons I love this business!Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.comBlogger180125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-77112781322419913732014-12-27T20:27:00.001-05:002014-12-27T20:27:49.377-05:00My favorite holiday pastime; Gingerbread Houses! I love the food of the holidays! Roasted turkey, glazed ham, standing rib roast, all those awesome sides, you name it! Aside from cooking and eating all those wonderful things, I find a lot of pleasure in building gingerbread houses. The planning, the trip to my favorite candy aisle, the hobby store and the "BIG REVEAL!" All fun and exciting.<br />
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This year, I decided to do a replica of a new athletics complex at an area private school. The building wasn't even built yet but I knew recreating it would make a huge impact. I love being all about the WOW factor!<br />
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Since there was really nothing physical I could use to make this replica, I had to use a picture that was hanging in the lobby. I just eye-balled the dimensions and it came out pretty nice.<br />
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In order to make my life a little easier (and to be able to recreate this in the future) I had to make a set of stencils out of something pretty sturdy. In the picture below, you will see that I chose a large cardboard box.I just held them together temporarily with scotch-tape to make sure it was going to fit my sheet pan. I was also sure to mark each side, wall and rooftop to avoid confusion later. <br />
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Of course, what's a gingerbread house without tasty gingerbread, right? Here's my favorite <a href="https://www.kingarthurflour.com/baking/documents/gingerbread.pdf" target="_blank">gingerbread dough recipe</a>. This page even has some simple templates to help you build your own! The cookie is actually tasty too. </div>
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Using my cardboard templates, I rolled the dough out in sheets and took a paring knife to cut around the stencil. I then laid them out on parchment lined sheet pans and wrote the names of each section to avoid a night mare later! </div>
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Of course, <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/royal-icing-recipe.html" target="_blank">royal icing</a> is the glue that holds it all together. Once the icing sets a little, its time to stick all your candy on. There's no rhyme or reason, just have fun with it. I like "<a href="http://www.necco.com/candy/wafers/Original-NECCO-Wafers.aspx" target="_blank">Necco Wafers</a>" for ceiling tiles, they seem to work the best. Shredded coconut makes great snow. Crushing up some hard candies into powder makes awesome stained-glass windows too. After baking your sides, you lay the wall down where you want a window onto a sheet of flat aluminum foil, sprinkle the crushed candy dust carefully into the window hole and pop into the over for about 3 minutes or until the candy melts. Let cool completely and carefully pull the foil off the back of your wall. Any color will do. I chose red-cinnamon candies for these windows. </div>
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Red cinnamon candy windows, rice crispy treats with green food coloring for a wreath. </div>
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Days to build, moments to kill! </div>
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Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-5589564343120843112014-10-03T15:13:00.001-05:002014-10-03T15:18:30.382-05:00My deck garden and it's lessons...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Growing up, my great grandmother always had a garden. It was the first time I was really exposed to the amazing flavors of food grown just a few feet from the house. She'd pull these huge cabbages, some carrots and a couple onions out of there and turn it into something amazing. She'd put the seeds in the ground and something would grow! As a small child, that always impressed me. As I got older, and especially as a chef, I've always loved to plant a garden where ever I could. In the back yard of a couple of the places I've lived in the past, behind a <a href="http://unklechef.blogspot.com/2010/03/organic-garden-project.html" target="_blank">country club</a> I worked at, helping <a href="http://unklechef.blogspot.com/2011/01/garden-planning-at-davidson.html" target="_blank">kids</a> plant and grow their own too, gardening has always intrigued me. </div>
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When I moved back to New Hampshire a few years ago, I moved into a townhouse with very little land. Yes, the view of the river and railroad tracks is nice and I don't have to maintain the yard but there is just no place to plant food! But wait...there's this huge deck with nothing on it but wasted space! Of course, we have neighbors and planting a bunch of produce in pickle buckets wasn't going to fly, especially with my better-half. </div>
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As you can see below, I picked up a few planter boxes and a few seedlings from my local hardware store. A few varieties of tomatoes, some hot peppers, lots of herbs, watermelon, cantaloupe, a couple types of summer squash, strawberries and more. Everything I love to eat and that are easy to can for the winter (I learned that from my great grandmother too). </div>
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At first, it seemed like my green thumb was kicking in and all was going to be well. Stuff started sprouting immediately and I had this abundance of flora to look at out my back door. </div>
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But, as it became time to harvest my wares, seemed everything was coming out in miniature. The strawberries were basically snacks for my dogs, the melons and summer squash never happened and the watermelons were the size of softballs. My green beans produced a meager 6 beans, I pulled a mere three cucumbers off the vines and fought the good fight with a million aphids on my lettuce and basil leaves. </div>
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Magically, however, I ended up with a ton of all the varieties of tomatoes and hot peppers and there was no shortage of herbs. I made this amazing gazpacho that was cold and refreshing in the summer months. Basically, it's a cold soup with all the great flavors of summer. In my recipe, I basically rough chopped some tomatoes (the garden produced a great mix of heirlooms, roma, cherry and beef steak), a cucumber, smashed a couple cloves of garlic, mince a shallot or two, tossed in some basil, oregano and parsley, a couple chilies, rice wine vinegar, some really good olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Couple pulses in the old <a href="http://www.gymoptional.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Vitamix-Review.jpg" target="_blank">vita-mix</a> and we are golden! There is really nothing like it and nothing else captures summer like a really cold cup of gazpacho. </div>
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I smoked a few tomatoes. None of my tomatoes got much bigger than golf balls but had a lot of great flavor. This batch was smoked in apple wood and turned into a nice sauce. I canned it and should have enough to get me through winter. This batch made 12 pints.</div>
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With the cukes, hot peppers and herbs, I made this fresh pickle; cold and crisp. The radishes and carrots were from a local farm stand. This recipe is simple; equal parts vinegar and water, little sugar and salt, dissolved together and allowed to marinate for a couple days. Great on burgers or as a snack.</div>
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I love ketchup, but tomato jam is, well...my jam! I just chucked a few rough chopped tomatoes in a crock pot along with some spices, some sugar and a splash of white wine. Covered and cooked it for 8 hours then uncovered it, pureed it with a stick blender and let it simmer for another 6 hours. Better than anything Heinz can make!<br />
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At the end of my "harvest" I had loads of green tomatoes, a few chilies, some sweet peppers and herbs. Pickling these seemed the best idea. I basically took that same simple pickle recipe above, boiled it and poured it over a few jars packed tight the leftover goodies. I cant wait to try them in a few days. </div>
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The reason everything came out so small, come to find out, was that the plants weren't getting enough sun. They were only getting about 2 solid hours of sunlight, which is far from enough. I'll need to revisit this issue next year. Meanwhile, I'll just enjoy what I have and scratch it up as an amazing learning opportunity!Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-86391881838360660952014-08-10T12:21:00.001-05:002014-08-10T12:21:23.420-05:00ACE apprenticeship; journey to behind the scenes of certification...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As with anything we have passion for, we have to keep moving forward, honing our craft to stay sharp and relevant. As a <a href="http://www.acfchefs.org/ACF/Certify/Levels/CEC/ACF/Certify/Levels/CEC/" target="_blank">Certified Executive Chef</a><u>,</u> it is my career obligation to stay focused and get better at what I do. Doing the same thing and becoming complacent is not only bad for me personally, but bad for the industry as a whole. As chefs, we are given a gift. It's the gift of a skill that not a lot of people have. Creating something from nothing is not only an art, but a craft. Just having this ability opens up so many doors to great things. For example, the countless numbers of charity one could offer with the skills we have could change the world. Teaching someone how to cook for themselves could save a lot of lives. Cooking and being a chef could be the recipe for a lot of great things if we just went out and made a difference. </div>
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Some of the ways I try to stay fresh and relevant is to stay up on my certifications, compete with fellow chefs, go into other kitchens and offer a hand, attend my local ACF chapter meetings, cater to the masses and stay educated. Part of this important educational process is becoming an Approved Certification Evaluator or <a href="http://www.acfchefs.org/ACF/Certify/ACE/ACEStatus/ACF/Certify/ACE/Status/" target="_blank">ACE</a>. The American Culinary Federation put this into place to extend chefs professional experience to fellow chefs in the industry we love so much. It doesn't cost anything except our time and you can gain so much from it. </div>
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To become an ACE, one must apprentice under other ACE chefs four times. I've been working on this for over 3 years now and, in about a month, I will have finally met the criteria for this awesome accreditation. I did my first apprenticeship down in Charlotte, North Carolina at the beautiful <a href="http://www.jwu.edu/charlotte/" target="_blank">Johnson and Whales</a> campus. The other three were completed at the Cambridge location of <a href="http://www.lecordonbleucollege-boston.com/Home" target="_blank">Le Cordon Blue</a>. I watched chefs get tested for their <a href="http://www.acfchefs.org/ACF/Certify/Levels/CEC/ACF/Certify/Levels/CEC/" target="_blank">CEC</a>, <a href="http://www.acfchefs.org/ACF/Certify/Levels/CCC/ACF/Certify/Levels/CCC/" target="_blank">CCC</a> and <a href="http://www.acfchefs.org/ACF/Certify/Levels/CEPC/ACF/Certify/Levels/CEPC/" target="_blank">CEPC</a> certifications. It was such a learning event for me. To watch passionate chefs show off their skills to get those three little letters after their names was such a blast. </div>
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Certification separates the lifers in this business to the fly-by-night cooks, or hacks as I like to call them. Those who are serious about their professions and those who are just waiting for the next best thing. Of course, you can tell the ones that actually practiced for their test (which is always suggested) to the ones who thought that the certification process was just cooking. You have to come prepared, with a written menu, following a strict criteria, practice good sanitation and a level of professionalism. Professionalism is more than just shaking hands and saying, "Yes Chef" to everyone, its about respecting the uniform, your knives and others around you. Its about respecting the ingredients and respecting the ACFs expectations of you. Sadly, there are those that don't do their homework and it shows. </div>
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So, for those of you that are thinking of becoming a chef, remember that its not, necessarily, about getting on TV or opening a restaurant, its about living to cook and cooking to live. It's about mentoring and paying it forward for the rest of your career. It's about charity and not forgetting where you came from. Most importantly, its never letting yourself get complacent or bored. A bored, unhappy or complacent chef is bad for others and even worse for the industry we spent our life perfecting. </div>
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Check out a few photos below of the certification process. </div>
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Early bird gets the worm, right? We arrived at 6:00 am to get things started. </div>
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This chef is working his fish course for the CCC exam. </div>
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Knot rolls for the CEPC exam.</div>
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Lobster course for CEC.</div>
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Nice appetizer using lobster for CEC.</div>
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This chef had great cooking technique, was well organized and flavors were amazing. Another CEC made it out into the world.</div>
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CEPC dessert (notice the home made ice cream!)</div>
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<br />Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-39192353478073490692014-08-10T11:06:00.002-05:002014-08-10T11:06:25.959-05:00My guest chef appearence at Merrimack College, Andover, Massachuesetts <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few months ago, I was asked to do a guest chef presentation as part of the interview process for my "big promotion" with the food service company I work for. At the time it was a "big secret" as no one was aware that I was about to be joining their team. I entered this huge kitchen and an even larger dining hall, being greeted by a few happy faces and professional managers This place reminded me of the food court at one of the many airports I've been through. Compared to other places I've worked, this place was simply cavern-es! This promised to be a great time and an awesome chapter in my budding career. Below is the blog I wrote from my phone the day of my guest appearance. </div>
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As I type this (first blog written on my mobile phone!) I've recently accepted the executive chef positive at a prestigious college in Andover, Massachusetts. This new position opens up a lot of doors for me in my career as well as many welcome challenges! Just think, a few years ago I was scrubbing pots and pans for 3 bucks an hour under the table at 13 years old! Now I'm about to embark on a game changing celebration of 30 years in this wonderful industry. </div>
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The menu was created for the "International Station" where Mexico was the featured country. I was asked to come up with an item that was inexpensive and delicious. Challenge accepted. Mexican food is full of flavors, colors and great textures. It's a simple cuisine that still holds its challenges when it comes to eye-appeal and offering a little something for everyone. The item I chose was a simple <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tostada_(tortilla)" target="_blank">Tostada</a> which is basically a fried corn tortilla spread with a little re-fried beans, meat and condiments. A delicious spice-rubbed char-grilled flank steak was sliced thinly on a bias against the grain to ensure a tender cut. Lots of condiments were offered to the diners to add a colorful and interactive experience. Corn salsa, pico de guillo, chipotle salsa, guajillo spread and salsa verde were offered. Topped with some <a href="http://www.yumsugar.com/Mexican-Crema-Recipe-16233732" target="_blank">Crema</a> and a couple lime wedges on the side and an amazing meal was ready! Of course, you can use your imagination and change any of these items up, that's whats so great about Mexican cuisine. Just use what you have laying around and it can become a mind-blowing experience. </div>
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Stay tuned for some more fun and exciting things when I get settled in. My team and I will be blowing minds and taking names. I just hope that we can keep up! </div>
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<br />Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-18890211654858278872014-07-04T15:11:00.001-05:002014-07-04T15:15:19.800-05:00Transitioning to a new chapter in my career, an Independant School Reflection...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Just about three years ago, as few of you may know, I moved back to New Hampshire from a long visit to North Carolina. The people, places and things I saw and had the privilege to take part in were life-changing. I met some amazing people and ate some even more amazing food. I saw a lot of great things culinarily and learned how I want to be as a chef. The passion for food that I didn't know I had blossomed and grew into this enormous entity that I would never have imagined possible. It's amazing how ones core beliefs change as they progress in life. When I first moved down there, I was lost and heading in a bad direction. Making food was more of a means to an end than a calling in life. With a little faith and courage and a lot of help, I made it to a place I am proud to be. If you had told me all those years ago that I'd be where I am today, I would have told you that you were crazy!</div>
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A little more than two and a half years ago, I started on an amazing journey with the food service company I am currently employed with today. Having been in between jobs for a few months at the time, I was so grateful to have been given the chance by my then hiring manager to take on the challenges of a small private day-high school in the North Shore of Massachusetts. The client was not pleased with the way things were going back then and had even considered looking elsewhere for someone to fill their dining services needs. There were a couple employee-related issues that needed to be resolved and the place was filthy from top to bottom. HACCP was an after-thought and, to be honest, I wondered how anyone did not contract a foodborne illness. To make matters worse, the staff and student moral was in the trenches. The people who made the food weren't excited to make it and the diners weren't excited to eat it.</div>
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After a lot of changes and even more hard work and determination, we left that place better than it was when I arrived. I am proud of where we took this place in the relatively short time I was there. Of course, you can't accomplish much without a team and my team helped make it possible to fill everyone's high expectations. The people who create the food do so now in a passionate and excited manner and, as a result, the diners give rave reviews. We introduced all sorts of awesome stuff; from Matzo ball soup made with real chicken stock to whole grains and mind-blowing interactive dessert bars to mile-high burger days. Staying relevant and non-complacent as a chef is the key to happy diners. Listen to the complaints and do something about them. Of course, we all know some people are impossible to please and that's a sad existence indeed, but we just have to smother them with kindness and hope they will wake up one day without the need to feel slighted. </div>
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Check out some of the photos below; sort of like a review of these past 2 years and 8 months. </div>
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Matzo balls floating in rich house-made chicken stock. Smelled like heaven.</div>
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Buffalo chicken wings and brown rice (of course, roasted vegetables were offered, just not pictured).</div>
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Scratch-made signature desserts (this one was called the "Brookie" brownie and cookie baked together and topped with out own butter cream icing).</div>
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Mile-high burger days! Local buns, local beef and lots of laughs.</div>
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Little logo flags on top of chocolate cupcakes brought a smile to even the most grouchy of grouches!</div>
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"Breakfast for lunch" complete with over a dozen toppers! </div>
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Gingerbread house for Christmas. One week to make and one hour to break!</div>
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The faculty and staff ate like kings during special events. Pictured here is a local artisanal cheese and anti-pasta display complete with house-made breads and spreads. </div>
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We composted all of our non-meat food scraps.</div>
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Once in a while, we'd fire up the grill for some amazing grilled meats!</div>
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I'm a condiment guy, that's half the fun of eating! Sriracha was one of those things I just had to bring in (I'm a huge fan) and now the students are huge fans!</div>
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Signage is great for communication and education. People just want to know what they are eating! </div>
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Local, seasonal food is important to me and yummy too! This handy chalk box was nice to show off the local apple offerings. </div>
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Nothing like local!</div>
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Local carrot/ radish salad was a hit, who knew?</div>
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Thanking the parents with great food. If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have this amazing job!</div>
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When introducing infused water, I had no idea it would be so popular! We started off with one and moved up to three options within just a few weeks. Pictured here are melon water, basil infused sweet tea and orange water. </div>
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5' sub day! Filled with Italian meats and cheeses as well as a vegetarian option for those who care to indulge.</div>
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A salad like this was just not happening a few short months ago. This sort of thing became a regular occurrence as the students became aware of the importance of eating healthy. Of course, having over 30 items to choose from every day helped too! </div>
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With the good there comes the bad! Local frozen yogurt over scratch-made cakes with plenty of whipped cream on top will keep anyone smiling. You know those football players have big appetites!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQqsuy5GsMRuwS_ws6mnMG4UdnYYXVWVBqMvBogREY9Pa_tgAWuGO3mUpgdA5rp9eWD_-1KByKnceTWMwSCMEFKqr34drfvVgtlgjGjN9sJ5tcHbg1KNlwlRA6ilWI9BSOuvx/s1600/photo+(38).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPQqsuy5GsMRuwS_ws6mnMG4UdnYYXVWVBqMvBogREY9Pa_tgAWuGO3mUpgdA5rp9eWD_-1KByKnceTWMwSCMEFKqr34drfvVgtlgjGjN9sJ5tcHbg1KNlwlRA6ilWI9BSOuvx/s1600/photo+(38).JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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We stuffed our napkin holders with food educational signs to keep everyone on top of what was going on. Neat and tidy is the way I like it!</div>
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"International Day" and other such specialty days were a huge hit and kept everyone happy and excited about their dining hall. </div>
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Easter chocolate fountain anyone? Complete with "Bunny on a death wish". </div>
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(before)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbsPvzvVUPAlxwfy3Cpq2e4m1TjRaD1S8riCT-PzTRUjOArGJV1RyEHxZi-SJHYYneXHe40ZMZU_a-_IURAUlFVxAMRnU4BIaHV0kbMe8MbqcFpi8KUAe2MCYS7JFDdiTzRSn/s1600/20140418_112213~2~2-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbsPvzvVUPAlxwfy3Cpq2e4m1TjRaD1S8riCT-PzTRUjOArGJV1RyEHxZi-SJHYYneXHe40ZMZU_a-_IURAUlFVxAMRnU4BIaHV0kbMe8MbqcFpi8KUAe2MCYS7JFDdiTzRSn/s1600/20140418_112213~2~2-1.jpg" height="320" width="258" /></a></div>
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(after, no more bunny!)</div>
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Pie eating contest for the last day of school, surprised no one puked! (that girl on the left almost did, I was worried!)</div>
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Wokka wokka wokka :) Dressing up for Halloween/ costume day kept many up for the challenge. </div>
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Fresh-made mozzarella cheese with local tomatoes and basil, caprese goodness! We went though 40 pounds of cheese and 30 pounds of tomatoes that day. Not too bad for 350 eaters!</div>
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So, I told you all that to tell you this; I started off an even BIGGER adventure and list of challenges at a college about 30 minutes north of this school. I accepted the Executive Chef position and I started this past Monday. I have no idea what I got myself into but have already met some amazing people and the management team are all crazy foodies like me so I'm sure I'll fit in just fine. I always said I love a challenge, didn't I!? I accept the challenge and will keep you all posted as the days and months progress. I'll either learn more and become a better chef or die trying! Thank you to everyone that has supported me over these past few months and those who will support me in my new venture. Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-8526448445933543292014-05-20T19:45:00.001-05:002014-05-20T19:46:51.949-05:00Went to the airport and a 500 person wedding broke out!?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In this insane world of chef-dom (is that a word?), we offer ourselves up whenever we can to those in need of our assistance. Cooking, for me, is more than just showing up and feeding the beast and going home. Cooking, in my mind, is more than just applying heat to food, it's... a lifestyle. Cooking is more like a place or a thing where someone, like myself, can create. I guess it could be thought of as an artists canvas except my canvas is fire, platters, plates, tables; basically, anything that causes a person to pause, look, and salivate. </div>
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I wear many hats, for those of you that don't know, and one of those hats is catering chef. My buddy over at <a href="http://celebrationsmenu.com/" target="_blank">Celebrations Catering</a> has me attend all sorts of awesome events. We get to show people our art on our many canvas' in all sorts of cool places. For example, we just did a wedding on the tarmac at the <a href="http://www.nashuaairport.com/" target="_blank">Nashua Airport</a>. The bride and groom, Sandy Adams and Len Cushing, both met at the airport and both have been pilots for many years so it was a fitting setting. </div>
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The menu consisted of the use of three huge 8 foot char-grills with nothing but the best natural wood charcoal used. Grilled skirt steak, barbecue chicken breast and their famous St. Louis style ribs were fired, marked and glazed with this amazing house-made barbecue sauce. I can't seem to crack the code of this amazing sauce matrix, but I guess I'll just have to ask for a "sample" next time I'm there! </div>
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This wedding reception was for 500 people, this is what 250 seats looks like (well, as many as I could squeeze into my cell-phone-camera).</div>
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The other 250!?</div>
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Smoky, marked and glazed with that SAUCE!</div>
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Yup, you know you want some of these!?</div>
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The bride arrived in a private jet, the groom in a hot rod, how romantic!</div>
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After a tearful toast, a few loving speeches full of great wishes, and salutes to five World War 2 Veterans (yes 5!!), the noshing began. Two buffets with all the picnic grub you could ever want. Of course, the smell of charcoal in the air will make anyone hungry!</div>
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The rest of the menu included the necessary sides to make this event complete; southwestern pasta salad, rolls and a million mini desserts just to name a few.</div>
Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-38956653747818047862014-05-20T16:05:00.000-05:002014-05-20T16:05:05.748-05:002014 Epicurean Dinner for my Local ACF Chapter, this stuff never gets old!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
OK, many of you already know I'm crazy about food and this industry I've devoted my life to. I've seen and done so many amazing things throughout the years; from washing dishes at the local diner to opening cans of pudding for a temp-service and breaking down an entire pig for my dinner menu to feeding the rich and famous at chef galas. You'd think that, after a while, one would get sick and tired of doing so many things?! You think, after a while, that I'd be ready to settle down and stop running around so much? Not me, I'm far from tired of seeing or doing so much great stuff. As a matter of fact, I always look forward to doing more, seeing more and learning more every day. Every chance I get I sign up for this or that, meet great people that share my passion and become a better chef as a result.</div>
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Just the other day I volunteered with my local <a href="http://www.pcnh.org/" target="_blank">American Culinary Federation chapter</a> to take part in this years Epicurean Dinner at the <a href="http://www.cpnashua.com/" target="_blank">Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua, New Hampshire</a>. There were all sorts of amazing things going on, multiple courses and even more multiples of chefs, culinary students and pros getting involved! There were about 250 guests that attended. From foodies and home cooks to ACF chapter presidents and awards winning chefs. There were dozens of us chefs plating, cooking, tasting and drinking. Lots of laughs were had and the level of camaraderie was second to none. We basically raised money to help up and coming culinary students get into culinary school and other charity organizations. </div>
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The menu below was a collaboration of area chefs that each took charge of a course. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDetmLibzhfLKZ-Sm7NakgropD-JI3qY_pNIdl_kaLVxV1yAXLxpjkwrjoGORbnXyO3bnGSA3TjcMG6fhhxvGVi_Ja2iszTvJVXado5CEmaizkcBteHp8AMYDTEnBhfHMo9KXo/s1600/MenuDraft.small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDetmLibzhfLKZ-Sm7NakgropD-JI3qY_pNIdl_kaLVxV1yAXLxpjkwrjoGORbnXyO3bnGSA3TjcMG6fhhxvGVi_Ja2iszTvJVXado5CEmaizkcBteHp8AMYDTEnBhfHMo9KXo/s1600/MenuDraft.small.jpg" height="320" width="201" /></a></div>
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We had some amazing charcuterie for people to snack on. This amazing pate campagne was divine. Being wrapped in bacon helped too. ;) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPH7RVs_oOk_kx86FCRcWeWIdEVBVdDACrARJlYNySoGwa2eoi9iF_VsbuAVmPvJZaQN8wTwVgkHb67NB38_Dvk5RHVMgUMyGajU5Izi6fdESiAWca8rRq8nbNe9fDxWCICv0Q/s1600/2014-04-04+17.25.32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPH7RVs_oOk_kx86FCRcWeWIdEVBVdDACrARJlYNySoGwa2eoi9iF_VsbuAVmPvJZaQN8wTwVgkHb67NB38_Dvk5RHVMgUMyGajU5Izi6fdESiAWca8rRq8nbNe9fDxWCICv0Q/s1600/2014-04-04+17.25.32.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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My buddies from <a href="http://www.snhu.edu/386.asp" target="_blank">SNHU</a> and I were in charge of the inter-mezzo. Fresno Chili Mango Sorbet, Strawberry Mint Sorbet and a "Mardi-Gras Cookie" that I threw together. Adorable and yet very therapeutic. Cutting over 300 of those little buggers with a cutter the size of a silver-dollar will keep you focused for sure!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOYelnv5OiLqfxLSU-gZvOe3cdnqdJ5z3bIO4HGikuZXeEui9_0pvkrhzkK8MxwY6zSdblPzgUxEMfCo4ye6Nwq2YUzEbqN8K0TCpbdnaPrUJPhgF2k1FVWfqQ2bnOiKaPMdq/s1600/2014-04-04+18.47.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtOYelnv5OiLqfxLSU-gZvOe3cdnqdJ5z3bIO4HGikuZXeEui9_0pvkrhzkK8MxwY6zSdblPzgUxEMfCo4ye6Nwq2YUzEbqN8K0TCpbdnaPrUJPhgF2k1FVWfqQ2bnOiKaPMdq/s1600/2014-04-04+18.47.57.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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Amazing ice carvings by <a href="http://www.icebreakersnh.com/welcome__.html" target="_blank">Ice Breakers</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5plW8ZgGc9LdkElK7VFTlWOPEpV5z4HeKo_804vWMXUhkCoOkusd8LwwDitI07Lzd9DD3uXGARPpYfiu66nQSCbSQOvD2SYT3i09cY3USkfftAWn8dl8BuRvac_zxeRFSGsxQ/s1600/2014-04-04+19.32.56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5plW8ZgGc9LdkElK7VFTlWOPEpV5z4HeKo_804vWMXUhkCoOkusd8LwwDitI07Lzd9DD3uXGARPpYfiu66nQSCbSQOvD2SYT3i09cY3USkfftAWn8dl8BuRvac_zxeRFSGsxQ/s1600/2014-04-04+19.32.56.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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An amazing plated salad. 250 multi-component salads laid out all over the hotels kitchen, was a sight to see!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3END25N_ykcrvKBLhd3QrpgBp7TV6fGif4Uwtz4feC7LBJ_9gJqP1ZRggfz_lf6QC6zpZNuyDheYz7VKrLvjm264-MzuRns_6BAdpTdSZDrsDE4DAFwaPQpDuDGEKzdTHRIhm/s1600/2014-04-04+19.36.27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3END25N_ykcrvKBLhd3QrpgBp7TV6fGif4Uwtz4feC7LBJ_9gJqP1ZRggfz_lf6QC6zpZNuyDheYz7VKrLvjm264-MzuRns_6BAdpTdSZDrsDE4DAFwaPQpDuDGEKzdTHRIhm/s1600/2014-04-04+19.36.27.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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Gumbo garnished with mud bugs? YUM!!</div>
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Yes, more salads...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4DgzH1ariJ9oRU2TZBaBuec2YBcmszXsbb4ezvv77qHyPjY8Q_bAw7cPEB9-xNiNn35Dib417GXhjrySfQpUJYV-jl1oi65drdZXvUNR9D1XgaXhFRF6eZvT4vnbdkxQ_dMF/s1600/2014-04-04+20.07.06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4DgzH1ariJ9oRU2TZBaBuec2YBcmszXsbb4ezvv77qHyPjY8Q_bAw7cPEB9-xNiNn35Dib417GXhjrySfQpUJYV-jl1oi65drdZXvUNR9D1XgaXhFRF6eZvT4vnbdkxQ_dMF/s1600/2014-04-04+20.07.06.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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Our awesome inter-mezzo! Thank you <a href="http://pro.baldorfood.com/chelsea-ma.htm" target="_blank">Baldor Boston</a> for donating the chilies and the Peruvian mangoes!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3sEZU8EOj5zpYiDrhbWKVKvaZpanlRbv8IGee-TQ8dbXVKiZh2Nqk71oNxJsn6ElDv_UHJmVQBgmBZOgK6QXRLXwT3nobdkhhTUsM4RX1sNJWTZ3U4sDRTExD-qkN55ZzEaDH/s1600/2014-04-04+20.39.57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3sEZU8EOj5zpYiDrhbWKVKvaZpanlRbv8IGee-TQ8dbXVKiZh2Nqk71oNxJsn6ElDv_UHJmVQBgmBZOgK6QXRLXwT3nobdkhhTUsM4RX1sNJWTZ3U4sDRTExD-qkN55ZzEaDH/s1600/2014-04-04+20.39.57.jpg" height="320" width="180" /></a></div>
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Beads baby!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqL1WjS7SV-ZX5N6n57nTzMQLJbNffCIbD5aWjlGuFyKUyizmgBrKW0NAYDHLQaA9wlKXgh8g-dY0KFariBHy8OfHe3r1fcL-H9MzyluaerQPaosVkWJJ1mpXo5h3UhbeUUFcL/s1600/IMG_1210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqL1WjS7SV-ZX5N6n57nTzMQLJbNffCIbD5aWjlGuFyKUyizmgBrKW0NAYDHLQaA9wlKXgh8g-dY0KFariBHy8OfHe3r1fcL-H9MzyluaerQPaosVkWJJ1mpXo5h3UhbeUUFcL/s1600/IMG_1210.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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More salads?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7rrc64QsvhiWU76dnf5YAe0An6-R4Zi9dcSKqmDhxOmmPg1ujqCbEejzVQ2wonspHmDy2cXrJnXdQBJJqk_UjIHQ_eOhIjdseBg1Qghcebah-mFwPIwygZMKySm7T3Fv92hj/s1600/IMG_1308.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU7rrc64QsvhiWU76dnf5YAe0An6-R4Zi9dcSKqmDhxOmmPg1ujqCbEejzVQ2wonspHmDy2cXrJnXdQBJJqk_UjIHQ_eOhIjdseBg1Qghcebah-mFwPIwygZMKySm7T3Fv92hj/s1600/IMG_1308.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Braised beef short ribs :) </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xekd6Nq5wBXz2yMhIhBaFShIK16EU47TEwiwFX-AKAvcJt1BBQ8w05A7vnvvfN4AkkHJtYOSE-robxcOP67AGiH6TCoUhAIteNM6wxQat-ouxp92N0SO_9_NUEf3S0lzMBqv/s1600/IMG_1436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xekd6Nq5wBXz2yMhIhBaFShIK16EU47TEwiwFX-AKAvcJt1BBQ8w05A7vnvvfN4AkkHJtYOSE-robxcOP67AGiH6TCoUhAIteNM6wxQat-ouxp92N0SO_9_NUEf3S0lzMBqv/s1600/IMG_1436.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our guest speaker was <a href="http://www.chefnicole.com/" target="_blank">Nicole Barrierra</a> from <a href="http://greatnhrestaurants.com/" target="_blank">Great NH Restaurants</a> who discussed making healthy choices. Oddly enough, while she was discussing this, we were stuffing our faces with the above braised short ribs, yum. </div>
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This amazing carving talent was awesome!</div>
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We raised tons of money for great causes and I, personally, had a blast!!! I'm very much looking forward to doing this again next year.</div>
<br />Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-69110529453825002312014-04-20T19:10:00.000-05:002014-04-20T19:10:31.105-05:00You have to give it away to keep it!?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I really love teaching. As far as the things that get me out of bed in the morning is concerned, it's third only to cooking and eating. I'm not sure where this love came from originally. Maybe it's just that I feel sharing how our food is made is really important. Maybe it's that I believe showing someone how easy it is to create something delicious from great ingredients is our right as humans. Or, perhaps, how nourishing ourselves though food WE CREATE shouldn't be a chore, but something we should look forward to. Or, maybe, I just like being the center of attention, who knows. Whatever it is or wherever it stems from, I was always told that, when it comes to gifts we've been blessed with, we have to give it away to keep it. </div>
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Throughout the almost thirty years I've been in the culinary industry, I've noticed a scary trend; we seem to be becoming a generation of simple, fast, salty, sweet, and soulless food. Greasy bags of mass-production and plastic wrappers. It concerns me that we are getting away from dinners together as a family, people-watching at the coffee shop and grilling burgers with our folks in the summer. When I teach someone how to cook, it's important that I remember to focus on, not only, the ingredients and where they come from, but WHY we make this instead of buy it from the dusty box stores. Once you've had, for instance, fresh hand-made pasta with marinara sauce made with local heirloom tomatoes, you will always create a new higher standard that everything else will be held against. Can you really tell me that dried linguine and jarred sauce can beat it? If you claim, "Yes", then you hadn't tried it yet or, sadly, you've been eating crap for so long that your pallet just doesn't know any better. </div>
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We chefs have tons of passion. Passion for eating, cooking and sharing this passion with others. For some reason kids ,specifically, love to see how their favorite foods are made. For example, during a recent summer program at an area private day school, I was asked to offer a cooking class for some 3rd graders. It was a five day class and the theme was to create our kid-friendly favorites from scratch.</div>
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Don't get me wrong, most of the adults I've taught get a kick out of learning how to cook their favorite foods too! There just needs to be wine and baby-sitters involved first. Adults have filters that kids don't have. Their grandmother is the only one that knows how to make pie crust, for instance. Most of them are convinced that the red-sauce they buy with a picture of some retired famous actors face on it is the best thing you could ever pour over spaghetti! Kids, you see, have no such filter and they are amazed by everything. Fortunately, they hadn't been jaded by years of trial and error yet and their minds are open. </div>
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Check out these pictures below. The photographer took some amazing candid shots.</div>
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We are discussing kneading and how awesome my trusty stand-mixer has been over the years. I was amazed that most of these kids parents have one of these but they've never seen it used! I guess this just proves my point; why make it when you can buy it, right? WRONG! It takes the average person about 10 minutes and two ingredients to make <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mario-batali/fresh-pasta-recipe.html" target="_blank">scratch made pasta</a> with that mixer, give it a try! (Thanks Mario for your awesome recipe! I use it all the time!)</div>
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Cutting the dough into manageable shapes.</div>
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The pasta attachment on a table-top stand mixer is worth its weight in gold!</div>
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The face!!!</div>
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One of the other days, we discussed yeast and made <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/pizza-dough-recipe.html" target="_blank">scratch-made pizza dough</a> and my favorite recipe for it. Each student made their own and we ate like kings. Pepperoni and cheese, oddly enough, was most popular. :-) </div>
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Cupcakes with this <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/quick-vanilla-buttercream-frosting-recipe.html" target="_blank">butter cream icing</a> recipe from Gale Gand (nice woman, I met her at a a food festival), local butter, sugar and vanilla, that's it. Yum indeed. </div>
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Pretzels; (<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe.html" target="_blank">ode to Alton Brown, perfect recipe!!!</a>) boiled and baked with kosher salt, little mustard and that's all you need! </div>
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There are jokers in every bunch!</div>
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Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-661779691331177902014-01-20T17:15:00.002-05:002014-01-20T17:22:12.400-05:00Back in the competition saddle after three long years...Besides feeding people that love your food, one of the most rewarding things one can do as a professional chef is to partake in an American Culinary Federation (ACF) cooking competition. Days or even weeks of preparing yourself mentally, hours and hours of menu preparation, practice and eating to end up at the moment we hit start-time is second to none as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, work is work, but competing? THAT'S what's up. When you're working, for the most part, one can easily get into a rhythm and a groove and can soar by most days on just muscle memory and coffee. When you're the boss, you may not necessarily get to cook as much as you'd like or, when you DO get to cook, there's really no one staring over your shoulder pointing out your mistakes. When you are competing with and against your peers and being judged my Certified Master Chefs, the game changes; now one has to be on his/ her toes as if their career/ life depend on it! Ahh, so refreshing.<br />
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The competition event was at <a href="http://www.skidmore.edu/diningservice/" target="_blank">Skidmore College</a> in Saratoga Springs, NY.<br />
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Among the many competition categories, this was a Four-Man "W" Mystery Basket category, which basically means "custom" category, or a category which is not necessarily listed on the <a href="http://www.acfchefs.org/ACF/Events/Competitions/ACF/Events/Competitions/" target="_blank">ACF website</a>. <br />
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There were 10 teams of four, each with different backgrounds and levels of expertise. There were corporate food service companies, country clubs, community college students and more competing which led to an amazing three-day event. <br />
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On the first night, which I was not able to attend, was just for eating, drinking and being merry. Personally, it was hard enough to get two days away from work let alone three, but I digress. The second night, they gave us our mystery "Market Basket" ingredients listed below:<br />
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"For protein, the chefs were given a whole duck, Alaskan king crab legs, monk-fish and pork belly. Additional ingredients included amaranth, sweet potatoes, Nero di Toscana kale, celeriac, Brussels sprouts, trumpet mushrooms, tri-colored carrots, Bosc pears, dried apricots, blood oranges, cranberries and pecans" <em>(<a href="http://poststar.com/lifestyles/conference-tests-chefs-skills/article_ecdf219a-7e2d-11e3-a343-001a4bcf887a.html" target="_blank">Gruse, 2014</a>)</em>.<br />
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How exciting! We were then given one hour to come up with a menu and were allowed to use a plethora of common pantry ingredients; spices, fresh herbs, seasonal produce, etcetera. The menu we came up with is below. We decided to go with a "Latin-Theme" because <a href="http://www.flavormeansbusiness.com/products/latin-flavors/" target="_blank">Nestle/ Minor</a> was giving away a grand prize of a set of chefs knives.<br />
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Not only did we have to come up with a 3-course plated dinner, we had to come up with a fourth course; a buffet item for 10 people. This would end up being all of the competitors lunch so we could share each others food with each other and learn some new ideas.<br />
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After the menu was created and turned in to the judges, my teammates and I went to dinner for a couple hours and hashed out our game-plan. They picked each team out of a hat for start-times, ours was to be 6:30 am. Yikes! It took me four hours to drive from Manchester, NH to Saratoga Springs, NY after a really crazy week and even crazier day at work that day but I was so jacked up with adrenalin that I was just fine. As I've heard many times, there will be time to sleep when I'm dead ;-). So, after a terrible salad at a terrible restaurant, we headed to our hotels to get some much needed sleep. None of us slept well that night. I know, for me, since this was my first competition in over 3 years and I had never competed with anyone else on my team, and, the hotel beds are never comfortable, I may have gotten a total of three hours sleep that night. Thank you Starbucks! You saved me! </div>
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My team and I arrived a little early and were allowed to set up our stations 15 minutes before start-time. Crazy thing, we only had two 8-foot prep tables and four butane burners to work with! Yup, that's it, no stoves, no fryers, nothing but four cassette butane burners were allowed to cook on. This would keep the playing field level. Of course it had it's challenges but we are professionals! I mean, I once cooked for 16 doctors and pharmaceutical reps with nothing but a toaster oven, a saute pan and a stainless steel bowl! All you need, really, is heat and the will to succeed. </div>
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Once our start-time was in effect, we broke into our courses. Appetizer, cold soup and entree. Check out the menu, it's pretty amazing. Though I don't work for the University of Albany, my team did, I was just asked to join them. Thanks guys! Enjoy the pics below. More to come of the actual food soon. </div>
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Menu creation, grabbing our ingredients.</div>
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Butter-basted Latin seared Monk-fish and a picture of my good side :-P</div>
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Plating window - 15 minutes</div>
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Plating our smoked fish course. Love that <a href="https://cuisinetechnology.com/the-smoking-gun.php" target="_blank">smoking gun</a>!</div>
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A little bit of chaos never hurt anyone!</div>
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Judgement time is calling...a lot of CMC horse-power judging us!</div>
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Grand-prize winners from Nestle, Minor Latin Bases</div>
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Silver medal winners, hoping for gold next time!</div>
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All the teams. Someone didn't get the "White Jacket" memo. </div>
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It was a humbling experience, to say the least, but wow, did we have a great time! To be surrounded by so much talent and to be considered one of the "talented" was an honor and an experience I won't soon forget. Of course, now I got the competition bug again and I've already signed up for a "K-Category" ACF competition in Boston in March of this year. This should be just as fun as this one. Will be sure to keep you posted! </div>
Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-27378138536246532452013-12-23T20:56:00.001-05:002013-12-23T20:56:03.652-05:00Chef Symposium 2013; My Misty Knoll Poultry DemoRecently, I was asked to do a demonstration on local and sustainable poultry from <a href="http://www.mistyknollfarms.com/about.html" target="_blank">Misty Knoll Farms</a> in Vermont. One of the owners, Rob Litch, an expert on raising sustainable poultry, and I opened up the all-day symposium held at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). It was basically an all-day team building seminar where we talk about food, watch demos and eat well! <br />
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In order to show a way to use everything on their turkeys, I decided to do some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcuterie" target="_blank">charcuterie</a>, which I hadn't done since <a href="http://unklechef.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-nose-to-tail-pig-project.html" target="_blank">2011</a>!<br />
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I wanted to show the chefs not only how to utilize the entire bird, but to introduce or, perhaps RE-introduce a seemingly dying craft of preserving meats. Being a huge fan of charcuterie, I went with the classic gallentine, literally uses the entire bird. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rillettes" target="_blank">Rillettes</a>, which is a great way to use roasted scraps of turkey (or any meat, I would guess!) and, everyone's favorite, spicy garlicky smoked sausage. I was able to throw together a quick liver pate for my troubles, which was a nice surprise!<br />
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In order to get a cleaner looking pistachio for your galentine, I flashed them in boiling water for about 10 seconds, drained them and then rubbed them in between a couple cooks side towels. The skins came off almost perfectly and resulted in a nice green gem! </div>
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In my haste, I forgot to take pictures of the early stages of my gallentine, so I Googled a couple pics and cited them below.</div>
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After skinning, de-boning and cubing my turkey meat (equal parts dark and white), I marinated the meat in a little cognac and simple pate spices. <br /></div>
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I ground equal parts dark and white meat turkey. </div>
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Folded in a garnish of roughly chopped dried cranberries and pistachios and a few eggs to help hold things together.</div>
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Gotta do a taster test of course!</div>
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I layed out the skin and spread the farce onto the meat.<br /></div>
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<i>Thank you <a href="http://themeateater.com/2012/turkey-galantine/">http://themeateater.com/2012/turkey-galantine/</a> for the great pics!</i></div>
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And is ends up looking something like this: <i>(thank you <a href="http://cairncrestfarm.blogspot.com/">http://cairncrestfarm.blogspot.com</a> for the pic!)</i></div>
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Then I made an awesome rich stock by roasting the turkey bones and mirepoix then poached the galentines in said stock at 180 to 190 degrees. I poached them for about two hours, until the galentine reached an internal temperature of 150 degrees F. </div>
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The rillettes, is a great way to preserve roasted scraps of the turkey with a layer of fat. Duck is the most common meat used in such a thing but using this awesome bird and topping it with duck fat seemed like an awesome idea and it was! Just take all the scraps off of the roasted bones before making stock, the cuts that aren't used, etc. Just roasted them up, seasoned them and paddled in some melted duck fat. Once I placed it in a pan, I poured more melted duck fat on top and let it sit in the cooler for about 3 days before eating. Amazing on crackers or great crusty bread. </div>
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This should be enough! <i>(evil laugh)</i></div>
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The rillettes before the cap...</div>
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After the cap...</div>
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Of course, I made some awesome sausages and, finally, with the livers, made some quick pate. 100% usage of those amazing turkeys. They had a great life and an even better death. :)<br />
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Smoked them with this little bad boy gun smoker...</div>
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Yes, I even made my own spicy mustard! Can't go wrong with that :) </div>
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Future pate, yummy. </div>
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<br />Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-78620804827402913432013-12-23T19:48:00.000-05:002013-12-23T19:48:11.417-05:00Random events, helping out..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
When you're as busy as I am, you find its awesome to get out of the ordinary and head out to help your fellow chefs and managers during their busy times. </div>
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That's a lot of salads!<br />
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The main...<br />
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Anti-pasta and local cheese display for VIP...<br />
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I love traveling around the New England area. I'm heading out in the new year to compete in a 4-man ACF competition. I will be blogging about that in the future. I'm finally on a long awaited vacation and I'll be posting a lot of blog entries for your reading pleasure.Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-4662704560013509112012-12-27T16:53:00.000-05:002012-12-27T17:17:12.251-05:00Our trip to Kittery, Maine; purses, a private beach and Lobstah!!As you may already know, I moved back to my home town of Manchester, NH to be close to loved ones and, being the day-trip-nuts that we are, we decided to run up to Maine the other day. We went to Kittery, specifically, for the shops that town is known for. Of course, being near the coast, we couldn't go up there and NOT see the ocean! <br />
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After a jaunt through a couple purse shops, a sweet knife shop and the best candy shop we've ever seen, I was on the hunt for a proper lobster roll. <br />
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Winding through the back roads of a small town out-side of Kittery, we stumbled across this lobster shack called <a href="http://www.chaunceycreek.com/" target="_blank">Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier</a> that was PACKED full of patrons. It was one of those "BYOB" places that you only find in this sort of setting.<br />
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A little expensive but well worth it. </div>
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A quick stop into the historic <a href="http://www.fortmcclary.org/" target="_blank">Fort McClary</a> was a huge hit!</div>
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We found a private beach that belonged to a neighborhood. Yeah, the "No Tresspassing" sign was really small :) Amazing views!</div>
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Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-87647563552818321962012-12-27T16:36:00.002-05:002012-12-27T17:06:36.025-05:00Private "Day School" management; never a dull moment<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As many of you may already know, I've been involved in the food service industry for quite some time now. For almost 30 years, I've been doing everything from scrubbing pots to food purchasing to turning around bad kitchens to educating people how to cook and make good decisions when eating. I guess I've done almost everything! Most of my career revolves around challenges. I've always accepted challenges head-on with above-average results. I have a lot of people to thank along the way and give back when I can. </div>
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My latest venture is a private "Day School" on the North Shore of the east coast of Massachusetts. I run a small kitchen with a staff of 5 dedicated culinarians where we pull off some pretty amazing miracles. When I say <em>"small kitchen"</em> I'm referring to about 600 square feet of cooking space to create about 150 breakfasts and 400 lunches 5 days a week. Not only do we pull that off, but there are dozens of catering and banquets thrown in there on a weekly basis as well as the countless concerns for food safety and allergy awareness. Throw in ordering, dealing with vendors, financial stuff, paperwork, constant training, menu development, inventory, complaints and unforeseen circumstances and you have yourself quite a juggling act on your hand. </div>
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Yes, I know some of you out there are rolling your eyes right now saying stuff like, "We do that many meals on a good Friday night!" Well, you guys and gals are setup for that sort of thing. We are working out of pretty much a walk-in closet with minimal equipment. Tiny kitchen and a small staff to boot. But, Im not complaining! I have an amazing staff, very qualified and most of them are foodies, like me! We pull it off and everyone loves it (well, you can't please everyone, lol). </div>
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I absolutely love my job and my career path. Working at this amazing school with amazing faculty, staff and, of course, the students, I always look forward to making the hour trek to work and back each day (glad I have a comfy car, lol). </div>
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There is never a dull moment for us, not ever. I'll keep you posted with new and exciting things soon. </div>
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This is my view most mornings...</div>
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New drink station went in, custom logos :) </div>
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Fresh, local and delicious!</div>
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Hoop house went in, now to fill it with produce!?</div>
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Each day we integrate a new and interesting item on the menu. Pushing the "Try Something New" campaign gives everyone a chance to try unusual foods and expand their palates! </div>
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Helping other chefs in the district is always a blast! Networking, mentoring and pulling off the impossible is just a great day for me!</div>
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Bamboo signage, beautiful and sustainable! </div>
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That's my ugly mug ;) </div>
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Custom bev-naps please! Nice touch. </div>
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The catering board stays full of amazing events. </div>
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North East Family Farms Beef, carved to order. </div>
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Senior Dinner! </div>
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Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-38980203227693949412011-11-25T14:35:00.001-05:002011-11-25T14:43:34.899-05:00New position, new school, new list of bloggable projects ;)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, as you may already know, I started this new job with a private day high-school back a few weeks ago. I'm really looking forward to sharing my knowledge and passion for food with everyone. My new staff is just awesome and I recieved a very warm welcome from all the faculty and students. <br />
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Just so happens, this month is <a href="http://nativeamericanheritagemonth.gov/" target="_blank">Native American Indian Heritage Month</a>. It's a great way to, not only, introduce the students to a fun and exciting new food, but also a great chance to educate them about a topic they may not know much about. <br />
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So, that being said, I decided to set up a little <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/amys-favorite-indian-fry-bread-tacos-225907" target="_blank">Fry Bread Taco</a> station in the corner of the servery, put up some nice educational posters, make an authentic recipe given to us from the <a href="http://www.rosebudsiouxtribe-nsn.gov/" target="_blank">Rose Bud Tribe</a> that a teacher just happen to have laying around and start handing food out. The schools percussion section of the music department put together an AWESOME tribal drum demonstration in the middle of both lunch periods. Wow, was that fun! It was a learning experience for all involved. <br />
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Pics below...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnTDUcDq5zIvODJ5zTjAIg-dFjluxIYFcWe4wgaq5Sd5QW3c2yH23UQ1uc443fdZmlO2xrNQ_vp7Rs7JIGEnYPtcYF1P7uigCzgl05YwmhVbdQUu9o7AmedqcQ-m7BFWys_Nl/s1600/DSCF0808+%2528800x600%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCnTDUcDq5zIvODJ5zTjAIg-dFjluxIYFcWe4wgaq5Sd5QW3c2yH23UQ1uc443fdZmlO2xrNQ_vp7Rs7JIGEnYPtcYF1P7uigCzgl05YwmhVbdQUu9o7AmedqcQ-m7BFWys_Nl/s320/DSCF0808+%2528800x600%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-40329224740520508322011-09-05T20:13:00.000-05:002011-09-12T07:25:35.659-05:00Been a long time, lots of changes for the better...Sorry for the delay in blog updating these past few (cough) months. Well, to say the least, a lot has happened in my life and to make a very long story a lot shorter, I'm back home. After 16 years in North Carolina, Manchester or bust! I've had some great times and have met some great people. I will miss a few of the people that I have met and am looking forward to my new life back home in Manchester where I was born and raised. I need to thank the good and, especially, the not-so-good people that I have met along the way while I was down there. Good or bad, you have enhanced my life in one way or another. You have helped me be a better person and showed me how NOT to act and for that, I am truly grateful. <br />
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Charlotte, NC (The Queen City)</div>
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Anyway, I'm settling in to my new life, one day at a time, and it's great to be back. I missed everyone so much, I missed this old city from which I was brought up. I missed all the old mill buildings, the river and the food. I must admit, not being plugged into the local food scene like I was in Charlotte is kind of a drag, but I just got back and this town could use my help, for sure.<br />
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Manchester, NH (The Queen City)</div>
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I must admit, though, Manchester, NHs local food scene has come a long way since I left almost 16 years ago. At one time, the best place to eat here was the local diner, but now, there are many locally owned places that take advantage of the local/ seasonal fair in this area. I'm amazed on how many farmers markets and farm stands there are around here! So many to chose from. Makes me very happy to know that I can drive within 15 miles and find a half dozen places over flowing with produce and locally made products.<br />
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I'll miss the friends I met in the Charlotte area, I'll miss the amazing food and the southern hospitality and charm, but BOY its great to be back. I'm looking forward to our first snow storm, growing old with my amazing girlfriend, landing my dream job and making a difference. Thank you Charlotte for helping me become who I am today and thank you Manchester for such a wonderful welcome home. <br />
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Stay tuned for more fun and excitement :) Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-38663706327271096702011-02-21T01:59:00.006-05:002011-02-22T09:53:22.684-05:00Radio interview at Basil magazine...In another attempt to spread the word about local and seasonal foods, I had asked <a href="http://basilmagazine.com/">Basil Magazine </a>to allow me a few minutes to discuss this on their online radio show. <a href="http://basilmagazine.com/db/index.php?busdrilldown=yes&busdrill=Chef+Jennifer+Booker&PHPSESSID=da32271930f546281de235c381d26477">The Hostess Chef Jennifer Booker </a>interviewed me this evening, asking questions pertaining to what projects I am working on, where I work, the challenges of writing a seasonal menu and more.<br /><br />It was awesome to be able to chat with Chef Booker. What a perfect medium to get the word out! In addition to plugging my employer, we discussed lowering our carbon footprint by buying local, the nutritional value of foods that are very fresh as well as the excitement of using products that are fresh and grown or made with passion. Of course, we discussed the two schools I'm currently working with with the "<a href="http://www.letsmove.gov/">Chefs Move to Schools</a>" program.<br /><br />Check out the interview <a href="http://www.blogtalkradio.com/basil_magazine/2011/02/21/basil-magazine-wchef-jennifer-booker.mp3?guid=5554d0ed-5107-4f7f-b981-d1649d4b1bd7">here</a>. Thank you for listening!Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-69636459716765679832011-02-18T00:18:00.007-05:002011-04-27T22:49:05.894-05:00Winter Cooking Demo at Pinewood ElementaryAs we are slowly making our way out of winter and into spring, I've been asked to return to Pinewood Elementary and talk to a few 4th grade classes today about eating locally and seasonally.<br /><br />For this demonstration, I brought a farm box from Barbee Farms that had the items that they have in season right now that I can make a salad with.<br /><br />The demo began with a review of what we learned last time. It was awesome to see hands fly up to discuss Basil Pesto and Pasta. Most of the students even remembered my full name! Was great.<br /><br />As we progressed, I opened my box of goodies and discussed the lettuces and vegetables I brought. Red and green leaf lettuces, arugula, mesclun mix, carrots and more. I brought some citrus and some balsamic vinaigrette to make a seasonal dressing and, of course, a few cool gadgets to show off.<br /><br />We discussed the nutritional value of eating fresher, local foods that are in season. Also, informing that, once the vegetables are picked, they lose vitamins and minerals and the sooner they are eaten, the better. This is one good reason to eat from your area farms as the stuff is coming out of the ground.<br /><br />A film crew from the local health department was there to film my demo as well as a photographer taking pictures. They submitted their film to a government web site and sent me a DVD of the video and all the pictures. Very cool, helping to spread the word!<br /><br />Before we all left, the film crew and I visited the 4th graders garden sites where the new spring garden will be going in a few short weeks. We are all very excited to grow stuff and I'm SUPER excited to show the students how to create healthy meals with their new food items.<br /><br />Coming up, we will tour a local farm and I will create a healthy dish using those ingredients grown at the farm.<br /><br />Check out the video below!<br /><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Uo7sOUmgYuc?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" width="425" frameborder="0" height="344"></iframe>Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-33429867437317097952011-01-31T09:54:00.003-05:002011-01-31T10:19:41.639-05:00Garden planning at Davidson...Moving right along with the "<a href="http://www.letsmove.gov/chefs-step-1.php">Chefs Move to School</a>" program with an area school in Davidson, NC.<br /><br />We are in the beginning stages of the garden planning for this Spring. We will be planting a small garden in front of the school for the next semester and today we pulled weeds, marked off the garden plot with stakes and twine, discussed what we will be planting and so on.<br /><br />The students decided to grow snap peas, carrots, radishes and more. I will be showing them how to create healthy meals and snacks using these ingredients and to help them make smart choices when eating.<br /><br />It was great to see everyone get excited about the garden. I think I'm more excited to show students how to make the food than they are of planting it, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">lol</span>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13HGkP177eXRbC_Eqi1Tm8rB8CvvpQswE3yKi91L9gd011qvz6gz0yPndTWx04VZKmsFx-NNy6EF-TrLienCxRppFUxYWT9yktSfbrN0_nKuxolzGMurV2ySqmfzKC1r7YAD-/s1600/P1280074.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj13HGkP177eXRbC_Eqi1Tm8rB8CvvpQswE3yKi91L9gd011qvz6gz0yPndTWx04VZKmsFx-NNy6EF-TrLienCxRppFUxYWT9yktSfbrN0_nKuxolzGMurV2ySqmfzKC1r7YAD-/s320/P1280074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568367231198906354" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-G1KdfioI1ImrpgGiJyBdX0BIoC5CiN_u9aq3muYQpZ1cM7_HU_T_u1fFAizJBZOzX2HlkL0FCVkI6_YDaHHd2FEdZLgC2DxcN6GCFXzCfvKnWYc754DQnAUtGc_YYqR4P4G/s1600/P1280071.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz-G1KdfioI1ImrpgGiJyBdX0BIoC5CiN_u9aq3muYQpZ1cM7_HU_T_u1fFAizJBZOzX2HlkL0FCVkI6_YDaHHd2FEdZLgC2DxcN6GCFXzCfvKnWYc754DQnAUtGc_YYqR4P4G/s320/P1280071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568367227521072594" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWHDnLD1Bvl4VnvGvyuvqR4bbSCpoOKOjtgbQ6EcAGLP5CmvbS09bW8FhApDgJbLluwHAhxcEYXwOfJR-99b-VuXtWm88SaNFboAE7C6q_1BjUW-yUjHDGa_xDP4sOy-vFoQH/s1600/P1280077.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWHDnLD1Bvl4VnvGvyuvqR4bbSCpoOKOjtgbQ6EcAGLP5CmvbS09bW8FhApDgJbLluwHAhxcEYXwOfJR-99b-VuXtWm88SaNFboAE7C6q_1BjUW-yUjHDGa_xDP4sOy-vFoQH/s320/P1280077.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568367218158653122" border="0" /></a><br />Stay tuned for more fun!Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-15123995391081052342011-01-31T01:21:00.015-05:002011-02-10T10:30:43.325-05:00My "nose-to-tail" pig project...I've always been in to pushing the boundaries of the day-to-day. I think this is why I am so attracted to the restaurant business. Never a dull moment and you never know what each day will bring.<br /><br />A fellow chef and good friend texted me asking me for ideas on what to do with a whole pig he recently purchased. My mind was racing with great things one could do with such a divine creature; guanciale, bacon, smoked trotters and hocks, head cheese, <span style="visibility: visible;" id="search">chicharrón</span>, the sky's the limit! I was inspired by my friends quest and so I did something about it. (Thanks Bryan!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Someone showed me this pic and asked me if I could really eat such a cute creature? (Umm...YES!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtu76YT3XVWIvvA1ooxmhrPaWNE0GAJ_TCtM5lm3vuYW9raNHIsB35gFkP_tnYQbhsNXXOokO0vJIsuE2estXGpHRccns1WiTtbXyGhUPIQyQkiKfGIytrXd_6R-qNQ60Vxyt/s1600/tumblr_lfk6meBOmQ1qaqpfxo1_500.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtu76YT3XVWIvvA1ooxmhrPaWNE0GAJ_TCtM5lm3vuYW9raNHIsB35gFkP_tnYQbhsNXXOokO0vJIsuE2estXGpHRccns1WiTtbXyGhUPIQyQkiKfGIytrXd_6R-qNQ60Vxyt/s320/tumblr_lfk6meBOmQ1qaqpfxo1_500.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570448354975504690" border="0" /></a>So, I've decided that, since I've never broken down an entire animal before, I'd do just that. I bought a whole 60 pound suckling pig decided to create as many items as I could with that beast. Kind of like showing respect to the animal. Besides, will be great practice for my butchery and charcuterie skills. :)<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Cut in thirds...<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iwjzDLeSUEk7fOsSnKc3EN_6DiAgXY1VnyYd0jsTpfz38R2fDwXLr4dVMQ5VqPb_75y80N_u-zBrhe84hm05drz37x7T2OqE1Ma_ICEw74N4uHlHEjGBUsgZHNNpaVHoRAji/s1600/2011-02-02+15.01.07.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-iwjzDLeSUEk7fOsSnKc3EN_6DiAgXY1VnyYd0jsTpfz38R2fDwXLr4dVMQ5VqPb_75y80N_u-zBrhe84hm05drz37x7T2OqE1Ma_ICEw74N4uHlHEjGBUsgZHNNpaVHoRAji/s320/2011-02-02+15.01.07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570432897250539282" border="0" /></a><br />My piggy came in frozen solid and needed a few days to thaw. After a good "chill" in the cooler, I plopped her out onto the prep table and began. Armed with a hack saw and a couple sharp knives, I began my duties.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Dispatched...<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGT526KF-lKzXv0983Y0qtrJ4qLNqQn6y-yvt0N_-6t1MrmJa3OidfHg-LiSMf-rm-UjQ3pV-JBO3STtD8rO-IGdSa_w3zyW9_r4bp9K7rrQePip0g-malmZy0VQxFs9MgR163/s1600/2011-02-02+16.04.19.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGT526KF-lKzXv0983Y0qtrJ4qLNqQn6y-yvt0N_-6t1MrmJa3OidfHg-LiSMf-rm-UjQ3pV-JBO3STtD8rO-IGdSa_w3zyW9_r4bp9K7rrQePip0g-malmZy0VQxFs9MgR163/s320/2011-02-02+16.04.19.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570432907031946034" border="0" /></a><br />Even though this was a small pig, I still had to put two cutting boards together to have enough work space to butcher this bad boy. After a good rinse, I began by removing the head. I put this aside for head cheese I plan to put on our charcuterie plate at a later time. Besides, I've always wanted to taste head cheese over a nice local salad.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Burning off the hair for the head cheese.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKucDWEGvrw4rVcWRt6U4v5AYFjZ_JDd9TkH_43DqmIyCeFdxhkoA13ZRRR0nQ0fmNcGeNVzWIGhieiyi7cpkFyhwMDBuRfKurHx_ZICXYYEKarybIGTwqegKCxQqYgW9UUc9/s1600/2011-02-03+14.09.55.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKucDWEGvrw4rVcWRt6U4v5AYFjZ_JDd9TkH_43DqmIyCeFdxhkoA13ZRRR0nQ0fmNcGeNVzWIGhieiyi7cpkFyhwMDBuRfKurHx_ZICXYYEKarybIGTwqegKCxQqYgW9UUc9/s320/2011-02-03+14.09.55.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570432914275946258" border="0" /></a><br />Simmering away in wine, garlic and herbs for about 5 hours.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdw_TNedc2LWwanADE1eIoR4UnIFqXcBCE3iNNhxXYgOCOOVfuu1rJUxeuHGnvttAtpDwGKdjKrG8oRH4m6pO1KbgSFxp3_NJmVgWxUtiOT4_1CdVopIeCNLktDmCxd7iX4KJ/s1600/2011-02-04+13.02.12.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQdw_TNedc2LWwanADE1eIoR4UnIFqXcBCE3iNNhxXYgOCOOVfuu1rJUxeuHGnvttAtpDwGKdjKrG8oRH4m6pO1KbgSFxp3_NJmVgWxUtiOT4_1CdVopIeCNLktDmCxd7iX4KJ/s320/2011-02-04+13.02.12.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570433138423316738" border="0" /></a><br />The finished product, pretty yummy!<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qgYKR0S4EYyOf5G8I0esivSNWXV3q4rJhVl3ChzMVRsoTCnV9qFOGXsfX-ZkK69J_NByoBocZgeFYtiyWcMb-InGE_87dAl2_IZtbCEl5EQhyaUlRuPkESr1uK3_6hFencBl/s1600/2011-02-05+16.26.32.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qgYKR0S4EYyOf5G8I0esivSNWXV3q4rJhVl3ChzMVRsoTCnV9qFOGXsfX-ZkK69J_NByoBocZgeFYtiyWcMb-InGE_87dAl2_IZtbCEl5EQhyaUlRuPkESr1uK3_6hFencBl/s320/2011-02-05+16.26.32.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570433150311897202" border="0" /></a>Next, I removed the hams and then the buts with my boning knife and under sized hack saw (next time I do this, I will be sure to buy a real butcher-style hack saw and not a small house-hold one from my neighborhood hardware store, lol). It took some doing, but worked out perfectly.<br /></div></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>I removed the skin for pork rinds, the trotters to add to the head cheese and the hocks for smoking (think I'll put those in some local collard greens, yum), then saved the butts to make American style hams. The hams came out amazing, but, sadly, I didn't get a picture of the pork rinds before we ate them all! Yes, they were insanely good.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Perfect ham with Dijon brown sugar glaze.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudyoccyc_qo6exPvWX3GxBmyxL8EShMrb_GyAvxwGSxsTJIcL-wRlsJjWQEuYRuk3YbPNazHcyN49km_FqR89nfgn3LuFYTMiD-liKJvcWd0lJa4anOM3LxE75jKLiHZHVbeY/s1600/2011-02-08+17.47.00.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiudyoccyc_qo6exPvWX3GxBmyxL8EShMrb_GyAvxwGSxsTJIcL-wRlsJjWQEuYRuk3YbPNazHcyN49km_FqR89nfgn3LuFYTMiD-liKJvcWd0lJa4anOM3LxE75jKLiHZHVbeY/s320/2011-02-08+17.47.00.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572083082410236098" border="0" /></a><br />Smoked ham hocks for collard greens? Maybe soup?<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxMnE9o9yKKWwOJJQFx-O6m8Msxre42VnKip1vnyVeIYA2-GyOpTXSdObvwt-UEZ97k7oP_OkaWaKrlbrewU5UvIlfvyRDArfxMg-FqlLYNxt5fLNUbCqMASjlIsm5mJOIbwR/s1600/2011-02-08+11.08.35.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZxMnE9o9yKKWwOJJQFx-O6m8Msxre42VnKip1vnyVeIYA2-GyOpTXSdObvwt-UEZ97k7oP_OkaWaKrlbrewU5UvIlfvyRDArfxMg-FqlLYNxt5fLNUbCqMASjlIsm5mJOIbwR/s320/2011-02-08+11.08.35.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572083079449177490" border="0" /></a>Now, I split the saddle down the middle. I removed the bellies of both sides. One of them will be stresa (a flat pancetta) and the other half will be traditional belly bacon (or streaky bacon).<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Hack saw. Splitting the saddle in half.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwL6xe0xP62JxzohhghecGZuW0mvAWllQCrE-Dl9qLr6o_lM0NhNhEtH5NWSHfHJSUdi9SYqSNgLgm0gtMGRK503OTAYNCTU6qiRn9O30k_fGrZYiNgiULBHsVoQAf42b9sl6F/s1600/IMG_6301.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwL6xe0xP62JxzohhghecGZuW0mvAWllQCrE-Dl9qLr6o_lM0NhNhEtH5NWSHfHJSUdi9SYqSNgLgm0gtMGRK503OTAYNCTU6qiRn9O30k_fGrZYiNgiULBHsVoQAf42b9sl6F/s320/IMG_6301.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570435691206786018" border="0" /></a>Future bacon.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil74bt_W3_HU1brYCr6qtZH3JYrwGcvbrlwO6YpV2nTdthNr6dKfobEBHysfr8bGtbO65c1m_JAwUYEpaaPEXmdODZ_I8o2KthMCGQYR2KYYO3j3uCzP7bsUjXpnNG9HCqmEDb/s1600/2011-02-02+15.33.59.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil74bt_W3_HU1brYCr6qtZH3JYrwGcvbrlwO6YpV2nTdthNr6dKfobEBHysfr8bGtbO65c1m_JAwUYEpaaPEXmdODZ_I8o2KthMCGQYR2KYYO3j3uCzP7bsUjXpnNG9HCqmEDb/s320/2011-02-02+15.33.59.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570432898100508578" border="0" /></a><br /></div>With the loins, I sawed one into chops (I marinated those with jerk seasoning and grilled them!) and the other, I broke down into loin/ tender loin feeding the ribs to my cooks for our dinner. (they simmered them in a spicy jalapeno salsa and we ate them over rice with tortillas, yes, it was good.) The other loin, I made into Canadian bacon for eggs Benedict ;) .<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">My finished Canadian bacon came out perfect!<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZol7rfQrC7qZMBCfshlStyafAfJ54bwchVg4Stvb0ZHHaiysBVOspe3rLL9woH_-3xd91QFu2GDH_C-HtGTBFxU_LBYuR6IcNlBVTYlsMfiGtptTQj373jX6b2NR_T70wEUv-/s1600/2011-02-05+16.57.25.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZol7rfQrC7qZMBCfshlStyafAfJ54bwchVg4Stvb0ZHHaiysBVOspe3rLL9woH_-3xd91QFu2GDH_C-HtGTBFxU_LBYuR6IcNlBVTYlsMfiGtptTQj373jX6b2NR_T70wEUv-/s320/2011-02-05+16.57.25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570435686533954018" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Tiny loin chops!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaaX2xaB4BPrcOp0f40eaUO9thuYOVnueY8wa_WzYePr22vV6t8G3IChg4rMPJGSGQJ6CheKklunuN5GYf3xySzP7s8AFo3BYsUoFXaiopmif5tIOsKhmlUEy4Rj0FEZ9Cru8/s1600/2011-02-02+15.34.26.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaaX2xaB4BPrcOp0f40eaUO9thuYOVnueY8wa_WzYePr22vV6t8G3IChg4rMPJGSGQJ6CheKklunuN5GYf3xySzP7s8AFo3BYsUoFXaiopmif5tIOsKhmlUEy4Rj0FEZ9Cru8/s320/2011-02-02+15.34.26.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570432902193794306" border="0" /></a>I love tasso ham, so I de-boned the shoulders, cured them, packed them with spices and smoked them over hickory. Salty, hammy goodness :)<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BN7A7KYA82tAomWSXd-vZjgEcVDLc8vFv_fHJHRMmW5NpoJuSwFFe0Agax_i7ZeREKkbaMrQOmiNY2JdUwEtuedqQSYcoKp_q5kFqeIc9Rry0oXeOUMD6QbYuSdcxjlZ5lWa/s1600/2011-02-04+13.02.32.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BN7A7KYA82tAomWSXd-vZjgEcVDLc8vFv_fHJHRMmW5NpoJuSwFFe0Agax_i7ZeREKkbaMrQOmiNY2JdUwEtuedqQSYcoKp_q5kFqeIc9Rry0oXeOUMD6QbYuSdcxjlZ5lWa/s320/2011-02-04+13.02.32.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570433140909082802" border="0" /></a>Any scraps left over were set aside for meatballs. I will sear them and serve them Swedish style over home-made egg noodles.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn12FBCRSj7wJdWEN-8dncKZ92h7PUl0oR4pEHEILC7dXBwRKRcbYNaekAtBkoQHrWXR-z12BTwOHQNMZLmk7QQvrC7HVdSfNlsb5mSwxVmp7PhKFlc4QrGN4MMvt5xXtV24tB/s1600/2011-02-04+13.37.08.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn12FBCRSj7wJdWEN-8dncKZ92h7PUl0oR4pEHEILC7dXBwRKRcbYNaekAtBkoQHrWXR-z12BTwOHQNMZLmk7QQvrC7HVdSfNlsb5mSwxVmp7PhKFlc4QrGN4MMvt5xXtV24tB/s320/2011-02-04+13.37.08.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570433143106822978" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzq1uelvoyZJ00Zlx4oZlWh7hbD5Gz9vgew7FeD5J49I8-7ShcknYO5BOgxXzJbbNmD722yRXxQlzVlO8VeUjTrghQ5Nl6_XnoBB61_7kWOzq4_y7zCMZXHXjo7HVM97OH0_h9/s1600/2011-02-04+14.22.20.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzq1uelvoyZJ00Zlx4oZlWh7hbD5Gz9vgew7FeD5J49I8-7ShcknYO5BOgxXzJbbNmD722yRXxQlzVlO8VeUjTrghQ5Nl6_XnoBB61_7kWOzq4_y7zCMZXHXjo7HVM97OH0_h9/s320/2011-02-04+14.22.20.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570433147017651362" border="0" /></a>So, head cheese, tasso ham, American style ham, pork rinds/ <span style="visibility: visible;" id="search">chicharrón, bacon, stresa, Canadian bacon, smoked hocks</span> and meatballs. This little piggy definitely went to market and a tasty market at that! Next time, I will source a larger animal and get some better tools. But, this was a great experience for sure and I really learned a lot!<br /><br />(more pics to follow!)Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-25566331537027168102011-01-24T14:58:00.004-05:002011-01-24T15:13:39.839-05:00Chefs Move to School, continued...This week at Davidson Middle School, another day with the <a href="http://www.letsmove.gov/chefs-step-1.php">Chefs Move to School Program</a>, we discussed how to make salad dressing and dipping sauces using the emulsion technique. I brought along my handy stick blender and a container with a screw-on-lid discussing that you don't need a fancy gadget to make an emulsion. The students chopped garlic and grated ginger while I discussed different oils and vinegars that one could make a dressing with. A couple students cleaned sugar snap peas for later.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbY_yD1muSNaspAH3syXVW8LCwbqOMhuO4F-YRMiLFUDLI_IK6FCxCfS_kK3owiy5LnrnY_SsCtRzT3rQRQ3jieq4Hf_ID6tlpwnIuvfGixyn0GW23wC56q3siFb0vBtQkfSD/s1600/P1210051.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbY_yD1muSNaspAH3syXVW8LCwbqOMhuO4F-YRMiLFUDLI_IK6FCxCfS_kK3owiy5LnrnY_SsCtRzT3rQRQ3jieq4Hf_ID6tlpwnIuvfGixyn0GW23wC56q3siFb0vBtQkfSD/s320/P1210051.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565846905973573346" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlshvO0DHs-IJoGO3RGoSPCG1BhPks0lvvNyuD9-JBzm_aIpXH7_4QUwm5BIWEERPBwKpvyrWNXjxt2NFDBIDQbBZyb0-qMEwlS69NOLRGej5-_s2i1CFcKPiB-Fv26xeV_2x/s1600/P1210047.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtlshvO0DHs-IJoGO3RGoSPCG1BhPks0lvvNyuD9-JBzm_aIpXH7_4QUwm5BIWEERPBwKpvyrWNXjxt2NFDBIDQbBZyb0-qMEwlS69NOLRGej5-_s2i1CFcKPiB-Fv26xeV_2x/s320/P1210047.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565846846619478338" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjMOFnyt6tIv86MQb1y046sIjT21AdG1bq5P8Ej5Zw9SXZFLbAH9nFFopEwGZyhtfW11LGTI7LvPBC_TrUNOC0pNOwpkfzbTvMp-pzEwOq741Bw2dCdsd5zr0yBIXe5TAjDty/s1600/P1210062.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNjMOFnyt6tIv86MQb1y046sIjT21AdG1bq5P8Ej5Zw9SXZFLbAH9nFFopEwGZyhtfW11LGTI7LvPBC_TrUNOC0pNOwpkfzbTvMp-pzEwOq741Bw2dCdsd5zr0yBIXe5TAjDty/s320/P1210062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565846819134065186" border="0" /></a><br />Afterwords, the students went to visit a <a href="http://barbeefarms.net/">local farm in Concord, NC</a> to discuss eating local and to see where there food comes from. They toured the farm, picked lettuces and discussed the importance of local farms in the area.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6E9qT9MqZcNMHKu-DOze4XQotO8zIDRF7UPkRDKO0HG5Rkz7uK98DkYUwb2XvLnkl1owY7e7XHmz9PrJeRhrgYdwdAHyHJbnkvJ0YoNHZtPgP92vQmx9ZyraoGrwBlsjakn4/s1600/P1210059.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd6E9qT9MqZcNMHKu-DOze4XQotO8zIDRF7UPkRDKO0HG5Rkz7uK98DkYUwb2XvLnkl1owY7e7XHmz9PrJeRhrgYdwdAHyHJbnkvJ0YoNHZtPgP92vQmx9ZyraoGrwBlsjakn4/s320/P1210059.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565846833445748546" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLr5QcoQ40Qp5tn_VNR2NvlugvOKBzwLtaAG1JPFidLNFbvqz2-7W1E-aM1zAtvMpqqfjCSeKku6ZCcb6MEWfflHZSL5772yo015u4KVc7_gqoBGM7QRhDhGdSjgB1a3wrEfH6/s1600/P1210061.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLr5QcoQ40Qp5tn_VNR2NvlugvOKBzwLtaAG1JPFidLNFbvqz2-7W1E-aM1zAtvMpqqfjCSeKku6ZCcb6MEWfflHZSL5772yo015u4KVc7_gqoBGM7QRhDhGdSjgB1a3wrEfH6/s320/P1210061.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5565846826441849826" border="0" /></a><br />They then came back and ate what they bought from the farm using our emulsions and their dipping sauces. A fun time was had by all! If you <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hadn't</span> had a chance to work with kids about the importance of good food choices, eating healthy and using seasonal ingredients, you should try it, its great!Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-60180349497454523182011-01-19T01:20:00.016-05:002011-02-21T13:07:34.387-05:00Deep Plate Challenge...planning, plating and eating!Wow, this is gonna be great! I'm doing <a href="http://deepplate.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/challenge-5-richard-taitt-vs-bradley-labarre/">this sweet challenge</a> with another chef for the upcoming <a href="http://deepplate.wordpress.com/">Deep Plate Exercise</a>. In case you hadn't been following along, this plate company sends out a plate to you (if you are a professional chef or culinary student) each month, you plate up your food on it and send them pictures. They then post the pics with descriptions on their web site and <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Deep-Plate/78150355898"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">facebook</span></span> page</a>.<br /><br />Since I really shouldn't post this blog until the contest officially starts, you'll be reading this after that day. Makes things a little more fair, eh?<br /><br />The chefs name that I will be challenging is Richard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Taitt</span></span>. I don't know this person, but I'm looking forward to doing this with him. Should be a blast.<br /><br />After a little planning and scheming, we have to do 5 courses to consist of an amuse, an appetizer, a salad, a main and a dessert.<br /><br />For my amuse, I've come up with something small, two bites, that reflects the season:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Butternut squash and wild mushroom filled ravioli with fried shallots, chili oil and micro basil and radish. Soft fresh pasta filled with local butternut squash, some wild mushrooms and a little ricotta. Combine that with the crisp fresh micro greens and fried shallot, a perfect bite.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoNvpONyyq2-BbtDXF0Oio5pt-BFjYvM4QTh1IH82xTB7oBQTyB5-JaaJXvgRQFonWMC0z4gEOSG22oDE2gX_2oGWR6jsifGG4bFDxstbufqNpmI9wJvcIf-CAns0x8MAqDP9/s1600/DSCF0619.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyoNvpONyyq2-BbtDXF0Oio5pt-BFjYvM4QTh1IH82xTB7oBQTyB5-JaaJXvgRQFonWMC0z4gEOSG22oDE2gX_2oGWR6jsifGG4bFDxstbufqNpmI9wJvcIf-CAns0x8MAqDP9/s320/DSCF0619.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572103435425883794" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">For the appetizer, something a little more substantial but light:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Pan-seared scallops over pesto with micro radish salad and extra virgin olive oil. Seared on a hot pan and placed on a fresh pesto sauce, great combo. Of course, we need a little crunch, so its topped with strips of radish and local micro radish greens. And, for some color and nuttiness, topped with some amazing Greek olive oil. A nice app to set you up for the next course. </span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-FQF2q-HYhfcbYbO138BtPLWsd9CFDXDxzyPe5oYZTyWVYGOmwv0JT8Yky-8h-CfkMMnnLbIFTUX7CMN9qcm5szsVGc1rADjfWtVzmrEaeX-lVoDt8VNMUOlNpnmxqv2nId1/s1600/DSCF0654.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO-FQF2q-HYhfcbYbO138BtPLWsd9CFDXDxzyPe5oYZTyWVYGOmwv0JT8Yky-8h-CfkMMnnLbIFTUX7CMN9qcm5szsVGc1rADjfWtVzmrEaeX-lVoDt8VNMUOlNpnmxqv2nId1/s320/DSCF0654.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572103441744707170" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Salad, fennel, </span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">frisee</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> and radicchio salad with toasted hazelnut vinaigrette. Crisp and delicious. The bitterness of the radicchio and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">frisee</span> together with the sweetness of the fennel and leaf lettuces go great with the nuttiness of the toasted hazelnuts. Perfect combo.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ctsw-y48h3BbeTJrn_fmiEdKnxGnAFgiXH265ljGeH2zxgIyiswneFxmFKDsypfyFpvTY6JRgZ-WZJlcH6Wd8pQaDEzd9AH2eQY093JW83FifOPc57MNlULWGkkVhqH5hkh6/s1600/DSCF0629.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Ctsw-y48h3BbeTJrn_fmiEdKnxGnAFgiXH265ljGeH2zxgIyiswneFxmFKDsypfyFpvTY6JRgZ-WZJlcH6Wd8pQaDEzd9AH2eQY093JW83FifOPc57MNlULWGkkVhqH5hkh6/s320/DSCF0629.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572103449771247474" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Main, pan seared loin of beef over creamy </span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">polenta</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> and topped with roasted mushrooms and pearl onions topped with local micro greens. A heartier course but not too heavy. Even though it is beef, the portion size is perfect. Soft <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">polenta</span> goes great with the roasted mushrooms and onions. The mushrooms have a unique crispness that just blow your mind!</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycOCzjta9hHa3MZNIZc3_ZR32QvpY6b2UBXj-Zvgzq9SYnab03C3CPPahYMPiWZVhRbUDdie5udzuLtkqAwuUhNobByFYWf92kCbEG03asu-pTDBBUgK0G8QD7oJzFLcSDN8A/s1600/DSCF0644.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhycOCzjta9hHa3MZNIZc3_ZR32QvpY6b2UBXj-Zvgzq9SYnab03C3CPPahYMPiWZVhRbUDdie5udzuLtkqAwuUhNobByFYWf92kCbEG03asu-pTDBBUgK0G8QD7oJzFLcSDN8A/s320/DSCF0644.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572103454367485522" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And, finally for dessert, double chocolate cherry cheese cake topped with bourbon cherries and micro mint. A chocolate blast! Dark, semi sweet chocolate, bitter sweet cocoa and bourbon soaked cherries go great with that punch of micro mint and crunch from the Oreo crust. You may have to keep yourself from licking the plate!</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRn9hVmEJRwYvNoKEAJb8Zf-IXc6u7YTyREdbiJE0YOX5obtuBItms_ojyVD80ykmCwNT1GCNir4FnTvsfejtYDj-mtTBTizLxqJanDpS24LIUa3nQ13JEBYpQvS3i7jv660Zm/s1600/DSCF0661.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRn9hVmEJRwYvNoKEAJb8Zf-IXc6u7YTyREdbiJE0YOX5obtuBItms_ojyVD80ykmCwNT1GCNir4FnTvsfejtYDj-mtTBTizLxqJanDpS24LIUa3nQ13JEBYpQvS3i7jv660Zm/s320/DSCF0661.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572103459020252882" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I got the hook up on the micro greens from <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lucky-Leaf-Gardens/133525393328446">Lucky Leaf Gardens</a>, thanks Kate!<br /><br />Each of the above pictures, along with the other chefs pics, are judged by our peers on<a href="http://deepplate.wordpress.com/"> Deep Plate's blog</a>. Not sure if there is a prize, but bragging rights to the winner is good enough for me!<br /><br />Check out the link and cast your votes! :)<br /><br />[edit] Thank you to all who voted, I won by over 50% of the votes! Cool stuff :)<br /></div></div></div></div></div>Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-66511949357259907672010-12-31T05:15:00.007-05:002011-01-28T13:47:01.959-05:00New menu, first month and it's highlights...If you've been following along, you will no doubt remember that I was rolling out a new menu incorporating local and seasonal ingredients at the restaurant I work for, The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Galway</span> Hooker Irish Pub. When the new web site is up, I'll post a link. Well, having just past week four of this great project, it's time for a little reflection.<br /><br />It took a few days of bumps and grinds, and continues to somewhat, to prefect it, but it's coming along nicely.<br /><br />If I'm honest, rolling out a new menu of this magnitude for the first time in almost three years of this place during the busiest month of the year was probably not one of my finest choices <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">culinarily</span>, but I digress. My mentality was "Maximum Exposure" and I sure got it, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">lol</span>. If I had waited a few weeks and rolled it out in January, I would have had less than half of the exposure and, besides, what fun would it be to roll out a menu during the SLOWEST month of the year, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">lol</span>, I have to keep my boss on his toes, right? (Sorry Chris, didn't mean to stress you out, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">lol</span>).<br /><br />Week one was a little crazy. We had a celebrity comedian working the comedy zone upstairs and, well, it was a bit of a nightmare. Ticket times were horrible and, well, a few people were pissed off, including my staff and I. The only thing to do was to learn from it, prep more and be READY! And by the end of the week, we were. Nothing like a little embarrassment to get you motivated.<br /><br />The next week went a lot smoother. As any decent chef would agree, it's all about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">mise</span> en place or having your things in their place.<br /><br />Fast-forward a couple weeks and my guys have a much stronger grasp on things. Shoot, some of these guys never saw a micro-green before in their life before they met me! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">lol</span>. Aside from having to gently remind the boys how I want the plates to look, I think we've made huge head way in getting the new menu out.<br /><br />This past week, we've been busier than I expected and the menu is getting rave reviews from just about everyone. Of course, there's always the one or two that just cant be satisfied no matter what (makes you wonder why they even leave the house, really) but I take them to a grain of salt and just try again when they come back.<br /><br />I'll post a few pictures when I get them.Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-30087714670462713772010-12-31T04:55:00.010-05:002011-01-09T16:24:10.627-05:00Sous Vide Demo for my local ACF ChapterHaving fell in love with the <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/polyscience-professional-sous-vide-thermal-circulator/">Poly Science sous vide machine carried by Williams-Sonoma</a>, I've offered to demo the benefits of sous vide at the <a href="http://www.acf-charlotte.org/">Charlotte chapter</a> of the American Culinary Federation (ACF).<br /><br />It has been a learning experience for my two helpers and myself, for sure. We all discovered that 12 ounces of marinade is enough to flavor over 40 pounds of meat! Pretty awesome. Also, I discovered a way to make amazing fried chicken to order without having to store raw chicken under my line cooks station and its probably the best fried chicken we ever ate!<br /><br />Short ribs, well, I shouldn't have to tell you how good they are when you cook them low and slow for two days! No waste, no mess, wow.<br /><br />During setup, I took a few pictures.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This small 12 ounce bottle was enough marinade to do 40 pounds of chicken legs, very impressive.<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJGndOIFr2T1rhygyey9jTsl721GuSIZJREie16NSP7MQPg20TjjZE2bkKlNxEResvbpCJhQgNgFZt15F3DTqwIxlH7Xa-bholULjGhrYDga5NDV7M-Zz-ioHM7SQ7ILGH38_/s1600/DSCF0580.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJGndOIFr2T1rhygyey9jTsl721GuSIZJREie16NSP7MQPg20TjjZE2bkKlNxEResvbpCJhQgNgFZt15F3DTqwIxlH7Xa-bholULjGhrYDga5NDV7M-Zz-ioHM7SQ7ILGH38_/s320/DSCF0580.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559354469826858402" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Hands-free cryo, nice to have when taking pictures, lol<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkR29TIiKs0m4m2HLV1zGbBKsgRt7jvAQSYLAvBLIcZfCdYxcfhardROIHnD4QloAHxFEF1J4gjg1bHtT3z0osTv6CG5MHaWR86xtY9I4GhfvUWI1Cl2I9BIdNStqH_N6cWqJ/s1600/DSCF0579.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkR29TIiKs0m4m2HLV1zGbBKsgRt7jvAQSYLAvBLIcZfCdYxcfhardROIHnD4QloAHxFEF1J4gjg1bHtT3z0osTv6CG5MHaWR86xtY9I4GhfvUWI1Cl2I9BIdNStqH_N6cWqJ/s320/DSCF0579.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559354470686996274" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Almost 50 pounds of short ribs, two cans of <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/2369510/">this great rub</a> from Williams-Sonoma, seared, cryo'd and they took a 140F water bath for over 48 hours. We almost wept a little when we ate them. They even made their own jus, conveniently, which I mounted with some <a href="http://www.ashecountycheese.com/store/products.php?cat=10">local butter</a>, yummers.<br /><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVW4JMgEgXdqrXo9dqy5zWVstL3fooXg28Q0bmztE1kzxL7ZUZvsg4EVpVqEGTDyM_1crRFn1z9X6KwDpCu9H1i-LL_iahh9OcaS4jPIvt1szRYOqKj5t0_4zSV338gVDAfpY/s1600/DSCF0575.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVW4JMgEgXdqrXo9dqy5zWVstL3fooXg28Q0bmztE1kzxL7ZUZvsg4EVpVqEGTDyM_1crRFn1z9X6KwDpCu9H1i-LL_iahh9OcaS4jPIvt1szRYOqKj5t0_4zSV338gVDAfpY/s320/DSCF0575.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559354463841093554" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Carrots that don't suck? Oh yes, I figured out a way and yeah, they were awesome. Maple and local butter glazed. They stayed bright orange and tasted like love. I swear, they were the best damned carrots we ever ate! Again, this small bottle of maple syrup was enough for all of this 25 pound batch of carrot bats. Yes, those are nobs of that local butter I keep yapping about.<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNii8JiJi9OzrIQ3VI0VLJUlRTpfPoWqDifyYpjjxt6XUt89odXXohImyhso25meiXYfp9_TorZa62nD-nf7T273WLqbQAAWd-NWYZsrKKIm06hHSGTAnrvIQUIlyyT0vpqmy5/s1600/DSCF0573.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNii8JiJi9OzrIQ3VI0VLJUlRTpfPoWqDifyYpjjxt6XUt89odXXohImyhso25meiXYfp9_TorZa62nD-nf7T273WLqbQAAWd-NWYZsrKKIm06hHSGTAnrvIQUIlyyT0vpqmy5/s320/DSCF0573.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559354464906827602" border="0" /></a><br />We had a blast setting up for this event. We cryo'd almost 100 pounds of protein and over 50 pounds of carrots and local potatoes. That's a lot of bags. We used two vacuum machines and my poor little house model cryo machine kept over heating, lol, which slowed things down a little. Only took about 6 hours to rub, sear, pour, season and suck, lol.<br /><br />[edit] just got the weather forecast, this demo was canceled until further notice. Sad to say, I was really looking forward to this. Well, I'll keep you posted!Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-55719551520410641072010-12-09T00:30:00.003-05:002010-12-09T00:53:05.393-05:00"Big Boss" of Raleigh, NC local cuisine beer dinner...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8-NYtmXmkSkWm8_YDEKqRUJac8MdP2_kTFD512wnlQ2iTNI4NZhXNuzCY8D4qxvYaEwZJuCauDR9dW-wcHCak9IHB_Wruz1AS2LpdHGMIWJCRgCDIJvQYAZP2tMpAMfaGQqS/s1600/frontpage.gif"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 148px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548554673764066354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd8-NYtmXmkSkWm8_YDEKqRUJac8MdP2_kTFD512wnlQ2iTNI4NZhXNuzCY8D4qxvYaEwZJuCauDR9dW-wcHCak9IHB_Wruz1AS2LpdHGMIWJCRgCDIJvQYAZP2tMpAMfaGQqS/s320/frontpage.gif" /></a><br /><div align="left">Great night tonight. We recently rolled out a new dinner menu using local and seasonal produce, cheeses and such and it's going well. People seem to be very receptive to our new and improved menu and ideas, which is a relief, to be honest. My ideas of great food is not always in keeping with OTHER peoples ideas of great food. To me, there's nothing like an unctuous pork belly sandwich or a rare steak simply seasoned with salt and pepper. Most folks, sadly, eat to live and have the palate of a small child.<br /><br />Anyway, people are excited about our new dinner menu, which makes me excited.<br /><br />In addition to our dinner crowd enjoying our new offerings, we ran an intimate beer dinner in our private banquet hall upstairs. Big Boss Brewers offered the beers and I came up with a menu based mostly on locally produced goods. My kinda food. Its easy to pair food with beer if you have access to the best of each.<br /></div><div align="left">My morning started off picking up some local micro greens at <a href="http://www.luckyleafgardens.com/">Lucky Leaf Gardens </a>and then a load of locally grown produce at <a href="http://barbeefarms.net/">Barbee Farms</a>. Earlier in the week <a href="http://www.ashecountycheese.com/">Ashe County Cheese </a>delivered some of their yummy-ness and a farm in <a href="http://www.farmersfreshmarket.org/rutherford/">Rutherfordton, NC </a>sent us some quail eggs and mache. Awesome. </div><div align="left"><br />Menu was this:<br /><br /><strong>Starter</strong> </div><br /><div align="center"><br />Spicy Sage and Fennel Local Scotch Quail Egg with House-Made Whole Grain Mustard (passed)<br />Paired with: Blanco Diablo (Belgian Style Wit)<br /><br /><strong>Soup</strong> </div><br /><div align="center"><br />Roasted local pumpkin and toasted black pepper bisque topped with local pumpkin sprouts and pan-fried coriander pumpkin seeds<br />Paired with: Hell’s Belle (Belgian Style Ale)<br /><br /><strong>Salad</strong></div><br /><div align="center"><br />Honey Cider Poached Local Apple, Baby Arugula; Ashe-County Crumbled Blue Cheese, Sweet Spicy Local Chestnuts, White Balsamic and IPA Vinaigrette, Parmesan Curls<br />Paired with: High Roller IPA<br /><br /><strong>Main Course<br /></strong></div><br /><div align="center">Slow Braised Local Pork Belly with Roasted Local Root Vegetables, Wilted Local Greens and Bad Penny Pork Jus<br />Paired with: Bad Penny Brown Ale<br /><br /><strong>Dessert</strong> </div><br /><div align="center"><br />Dark Chocolate and Roasted Apple Crème Brulee with Caramel and Apple Chip<br />Paired with: Aces and Ates (Coffee Stout) </div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="left">Needless to say, everyone was a little drunk when they left but they all had a blast. Unfortunately, no one had the fore-site to take pictures and I just didn't think to. You'll just have to make sure you come to the next one to see how things look! :)<br /></div>Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15618562.post-27933448013632085782010-12-05T04:05:00.003-05:002010-12-05T04:25:14.617-05:00Chef's to School Program and my journey with Davidson Schools, continued...Today during our current "Chefs move to schools" project, we discussed healthy alternative ingredients in baked goods. The 8 students picked out three baked items and I replaced or added an ingredient in the food with a healthy alternative.<br /><br />Chocolate Chip Blondies where I added sweet potatoes, apple crumble where I used whole wheat flour and oats in the crumb topping and corn bread where I added a little butternut squash. All were yummy and a little healthier than their alternatives.<br /><br />A great time was, again, had by all. We all enjoyed eating our subject material the best, I think.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVMTODW6Q0S2ikBMCCj8XQ277uE8hP3NAMF5B11Z2xlpRe6vzkWW0ebq69Ein_JWK6vxhpjFeIf0Enngu9l_frUJM4v9y_WfHV3aNWUfUDkZy7ugVa2U2AJTHK2upqybn4G0h/s1600/DSCF0536.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVMTODW6Q0S2ikBMCCj8XQ277uE8hP3NAMF5B11Z2xlpRe6vzkWW0ebq69Ein_JWK6vxhpjFeIf0Enngu9l_frUJM4v9y_WfHV3aNWUfUDkZy7ugVa2U2AJTHK2upqybn4G0h/s320/DSCF0536.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547125607961587506" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRru2MVS_YsYJuqZPP4vlA-q_tNLaQz4vBhAzfXDcyfT56orlRNHvTGmeLr-Qt2w-wzoRQnygTdeUsi_dKNUVO5KffztckQW587aSwpyT5HxCx1qh5u4khzAZRJSZmV_5tTJbh/s1600/DSCF0535.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRru2MVS_YsYJuqZPP4vlA-q_tNLaQz4vBhAzfXDcyfT56orlRNHvTGmeLr-Qt2w-wzoRQnygTdeUsi_dKNUVO5KffztckQW587aSwpyT5HxCx1qh5u4khzAZRJSZmV_5tTJbh/s320/DSCF0535.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5547125603365989714" border="0" /></a>Chef Bradleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09264083256263855257noreply@blogger.com0