PRACTICE - Notes, January 24, 2015

2012 C-CAP grad Jack Quijada was back in town and stopped in at the Saturday C-CAP preliminary practice at Southwest Gas' headquarters in Phoenix to catch up and assess this year's competitors.

A MetroTech and Classic Cooking Academy veteran, Jack also took top honors in the Skills USA competition before taking off for Manhattan and a stint at DB Modern.

"I did stages and worked my way up the line to saucier," he says.  "And I know I coulda stayed longer, but…"

He's a young professional, going places - and so he helped open Atrium in Brooklyn, where he became sous chef before moving on to his current position as sous chef on a Mississippi River cruise ship.

"Kitchen life is rough," he told the students. "Every day I work is jam-packed.  You need to love it enough to go back for the punishment every day.

"It takes everything. I mean - you learn why they call the staff dinner 'family meal.'  These people are your family."

On the other hand, he encouraged them, "It all depends on how far you want to go.  You need to let people see how much you want it."

He and chef Howard Pierceall of Sysco, along with C-CAP Arizona instructor chef Nicole deKruyter had crisp, clear assessments of the students' efforts.

Generally, chef Howard lauded the students' overall organizational skills, as did chefs Jack and Nicole.

On salads, chef Nicole says, "Everyone seems to have the recipe down, and I've seen some really good vinaigrette.  Time management is a critical issue."

"They still need to learn to trust their taste," chef Howard says.  "But the seasoning is getting there."

Here are some very specific suggestions from these chefs:

- Make sure you're filling the salad mold - don't cheat the guest!

- Get a feel for how much product you need to fill the salad molds.  You waste time and product when you overcut.

- Make sure you're cutting the right size dice.  It's easier when your knife is sharp enough!

Chef Howard gave notes on omelets, too:

- Classic French omelets are rolled, not folded! Practice rolling the omelet out of your pan by placing one hand firmly under the handle, lifting and tilting over the plate. Do not let it crease or break!

- If your omelet has turned a golden brown, it's overcooked. Keep it an even, consistent pale lemon color.

- Put a little bit of butter or oil in your eggs to help the omelet release from the pan.

- Be careful about how hot your pan is.  You need to be sensitive to both time and temperature.

- Don't forget to season your omelet judiciously.  It's salt and pepper - and yes, white pepper looks prettier (and it's also a tiny bit more sharp, so you need to know how this tastes before you cook!)