Week 1

I love it.
Week one is over. Wednesday was the first day. The prep work begins before 8.30 and though it can be disorganized (as is this blog) it provides extremely hands-on learning. On Thursday I asked how I could help (nothing is formally assigned); Chef responded, "can you make a bread pudding?" Sure. Friday - "make breakfast for the kitchen." OK (scrambled eggs with sauteed red peppers and scallions). We made the white chicken stock for soup on Wednesday. We helped butcher a New York strip. Began working on presentation. What fun.
Classwork has been minimal and very easy, amounting to an exam for which I've been studying for 10 years.
Mark, one chef instructor, is a recent California Culinary Academy grad. He claims that we will do as much in the kitchen in 12 weeks as he did at the Academy in 2 years (CCA tuition: $48,000). It's hot, kinda dangerous, sweaty, and quite tiring. It's exactly what I wanted.