Declaration of Independence
Today I came across a blog by Pamela Slim called Escape from Cubicle Nation. She has an extremely touching Flash video called My Declaration of Independence. This came at a precious time and brought...
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Final Practical and Graduation at NWCAV
Last Sunday, our class began the final practical by spending the day organizing our menu for the week and preparing most of our mise en place. On Monday we served lunch with 3 courses, on Tuesday we...
View ArticleHow to Choose the Right Culinary School | Why I Chose NWCAV
This blog entry is for the people who are out there trying to decide on which culinary and pastry school to attend. Perhaps it will benefit potential students who are unsure about choosing NWCAV...
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The Official Weigh-In
Tomorrow I begin the full-time pastry class at NWCAV. After having a month off between courses and doing nothing but cooking, entertaining, and enjoying the company of many visitors, it is time to get...
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An Apple a Day...
It is interesting to see recipes come together and I sometimes think that good baking or cooking can easily be taken for granted. In order to get a wonderful end result, time, effort, and care needs to...
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Paris Brests
In school today, we made Paris Brests and they were as delicious as they look. A Paris Brest is made from choux paste, which is what profiteroles and éclairs are made of. During a bicycle race between...
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39 Recipes in 10 Days
Over the past 10 days in the Pastry program at NWCAV, we have already made 39 different recipes. Flaky and sweet doughs were turned into beautiful pies and tarts. Strudels, crepes, and choux paste were...
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The Future of Food
Last week after class, Chef Ian showed the eye-opening movie, The Future of Food. Genetically modified food is an alarming new topic for me and one I want to become more educated about. The initial...
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Some of the Perks While Attending Pastry Class at NWCAV
Click here to see more perks :) 1,534,006 calories and counting...
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Sourdoughs Need Love and Attention
Chef Marco introduced us to his pet sourdough when we started our bread series. His sourdough (like all sourdoughs) needs special care and attention. Sometimes it travels with him on vacation but if...
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What are Entremets?
According to Larousse Gastronomique, the word entremet indicates the "sweet course" which is always served after the "cheese course" in France. (Why am I not living there?) Entremetis also used to...
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Entremet Project at NWCAV
Yesterday we put the final touches onto each of our entremets that we created. Considering that it is only Day 33 of the program and we have spent roughly 10 days on entremets, the cakes and flavors...
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Pastry Mid-Term at NWCAV
Yesterday morning we wrote our mid-term exam, which was followed by a little over 2 hours in the afternoon to prep for the practical part. By the end of the day today, we each had to present the...
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CHOCOLATE!!!
Immediately following our mid-term exam, we began the highly anticipated series on CHOCOLATE! There isn't anything in the pastry kitchen that excites me more. Chocolate is luxurious and oh so...
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Obscene Sugar Work
Last week we were introduced to sugar work. This is the first time that I have worked with sugar, pulling it, stretching it, blowing it, and trying to manipulate it into many shapes. Surprisingly, I...
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One Year Ago Today
It is insane how quickly time goes by. One year ago today, I left my administrative job of 16 years. One whole year has passed. I remember feeling excited and relieved, yet a little unsettled that I...
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Dessert Menu Development Project at NWCAV
The past two weeks in class have been spent on plated desserts. We made over 45 different recipes for the following: ice creams, sorbets, sherbets, sauces, puddings, soufflés, marshmallows, panna...
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Black Box Friday at NWCAV
This past Thursday we wrote our final theory exam (a sigh of relief). To finish off the week we had a Black Box assignment today. Unlike the Culinary Black Box, this time around was much less...
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Pastry Graduation at NWCAV
Graduation day for the Autumn 2006 Culinary and Pastry class was held last Friday. In Chef Christophe's speech, he indicated that it was now time for us to leave the comforts of 'mama and papa', make...
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Advanced Chocolate Class at NWCAV
To end 2006 with a bang, Chef Marco kindly put an advanced chocolate class together for a few of us that are completely addicted. In the first two days, we made 8 different chocolates and then spent...
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Making Sugar Showpieces | Part of the Pastry Final at NWCAV
Because our pastry class ended so close to the holidays, I have barely had any time to post the things that we had worked on in the last few weeks of the program. As part of our final exam, we had to...
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The Official Weigh Out
Since last August, I couldn't even begin to count the number of calories I have consumed. For the most part, I haven't been a complete hog, but I certainly didn't hold back from tasting all of the...
View Article25 FAQ's on Culinary and Pastry School
Since my post on How to Choose the Right Culinary School, I have been compiling questions I received from readers who are interested in either attending school or simply want to know more about it. Of...
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Food Industry Jobs | My Interview With a Yacht Chef
As part of a series on various jobs in the food industry, I am pleased to introduce you to my friend and former classmate, Tracy Smee. We met during the full-time culinary program at NWCAV and I was...
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Final Practical Lunch at NWCAV
Today I was happy to visit the Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver again and be on the receiving end of the students' creations during their final culinary practical exam. I remember those very...
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Food Industry Jobs | My Interview With Chef Ian Lai of Northwest Culinary...
When I met Chef Ian Lai at NWCAV, his extraordinary passion for food and teaching was immediately evident. I had the privilege of taking time out of his very hectic schedule to talk about his...
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Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver Blog
If you haven't noticed already, the Northwest Culinary Academy of Vancouver has launched their very own blog! It is a fantastic way for past students to remain connected to the school and read about...
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Celebrate Thanksgiving with Rouxbe
Since living in the U.S., I have become very fond of their Thanksgiving holiday. I like the timing of it, as it really gears you up for Christmas and the New Year. You are able to indulge in over a...
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Rouxbe Cooking School is Coming SOON!
It's so close, you can smell it! We have been working around the clock to release the first few lessons of the world's first-ever online Cooking School. As it nears, everyone at Rouxbe is becoming more...
View ArticleChef's to the Field | Sunday, August 10 (11am to 4pm)
It is incredible that almost a year has gone by! It's time to join Chef Ian Lai for the 2nd Annual Chef's to the Field event on Sunday, August 10. Come out and support the Terranova Schoolyard Project...
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