Emulsification at The Chef's Academy
Well I made it through my first term at The Chef’s Academy and I have to say it has been one of the greatest times and experiences in my life. I have made a lot of friends….well actually I would call them family. Like a family we don’t all get a long or like each other all the time BUT at the end of the day we are still family. One term that you learn in cooking or culinary school is emulsion which is defined as “A uniform mixture of two unmixable liquids is called an emulsion”, ie. oil and vinegar. Many times I have made an analogy (corny as it may be) that all of us at The Chef’s Academy are an emulsion also. An emulsion of people of different backgrounds, attitudes, ideas, life experiences, experiences in the restaurant industry or general kitchen/cooking experience or lack of also. Like my last blog on how The Chef’s Academy was soooo similar to my experience in Basic Training in the Army, I have realized again how similar it is to the emulsion of people that normally would not know , work, socialize or maybe even like each other normally. Like in the Army you learn to work together or learn how because you have to, you have to help each other , provide your experiences, take into consideration that people know more and less than you.
Day in and day out we have great days and some days everyone is disputing something, but in the end we are family and work it out and tomorrow is a new day. Most of my life I have held a grudge, not forget nor forgive but here at TCA I learn more everyday about PEOPLE and the importance of just letting it go. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. You have to forgive as well as sometimes forget just to reach that next level, usually there is nothing personal meant by anything with the arguments or disputes, you just have to see how that other person is viewing the task or situation or explain your vision so see eye to eye. There is a lot of compromise in life and dealing with people especially in the kitchen, remember that old saying, “If you can’t stand the heat stay out of the kitchen”. This is sooo true in the kitchen at culinary school or in a restaurant when you have a deadline or an order waiting, your job is to get it done fast, efficiently and together as a team. This is the only way to get through in life and especially in the heat of the kitchen, like in the military you have another soldier watching your back to stay alive and them to keep you alive.
At the end of a 10 week term being with the same 30 or so people it can get hard. Watch any reality TV show sometime and you will laugh and think I can deal with someone for a week, a year or whatever without having those dramatic scenes……YOU CAN’T!!!! But when you go on a Christmas/Holiday break you realize what you are missing and that is your Chef’s Academy family even Uncle Steve who tells the corny jokes or Aunt Martha who is always gossiping about everyone, cousin Andy who is always mad at the world and is always ready for a fight, the mother-in-law or grandfather who is always critical and knows it all, the nagging wife and whiney children, but again at the end of the day “We are Family”. Sometimes the things that you dislike most in another person are the flaws you actually see in yourself. I missed all of you during our 11 days away from each other and I wouldn’t change a thing about any of you and looking forward to emulsifying with you guys!
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