How my "training" in Springfield, IL went...

My new job as the Pastry Manager/Chef at Scheels Sporting Goods began!  The culinary team (all five of us) met on the 5th of July for orientation and to discuss our traveling plans to go to our training in Springfield Illinois.  We were all stoked!  I've never been to Illinois, so didn't know what to expect.

The plane departed and arrived on time.  For lunch, we stopped at White Castle, which is apparently "famous" for their sliders.  I just got a single slider...and although inexpensive, was disappointing.  What we got was a far cry from the posters they had displayed all over the establishment.  We were expecting about a quarter-inch of patty on the "dinner roll" they served it on, but they were seriously only about 1/8"...and the roll wasn't sturdy enough to hold the ample sauce, making it soggy.  But one thing that really turned me off was this ad on the side of the bag.

"100% BEEF, MADE WITH ALL WHITE MEAT CHICKEN".  Really??  This 100% beef patty is made from white meat chicken???  And yet it's not considered a chicken patty??  I guess somewhere during the cooking process, a complete DNA transformation occurs...
Our plane arrived at St. Louis, Missouri--so we drove our rental cars for two hours to get to Springfield.  Coming from a mountainous Utah, it felt very strange to see absolutely nothing but flat corn fields stretching endlessly across the horizon.
But we safely got to the store.  We were greeted by the Associate Store Leader and were given a brief tour of the deli/restaurant we'll be training at.

Upon entering, we were greeted by this giant saltwater aquarium.

The indoor ferris wheel standing in the middle of the store...

...And camouflage lingeries, found alongside the hunting equipment section.  Cuz, you know, you gotta look sexy while out hunting those elks.  Or maybe you wanna look sexy while blending in with the environment.  Never mind people generally wear sexy clothing to get noticed, and not blend in.

This is the deli we will be training in.  It was Monday afternoon, so not too many customers were around.

Our training began the very next day.  Each of us worked under our own areas:  Bobbi was with the "Fudge Master" making fudge, Jake was at the grill and the sandwich line, and I was with the "baker".  And I say "baker" because I was quite disappointed to discover that they didn't bake things from scratch.  The cookies and the cinnamon rolls were frozen dough, the brownies were a boxed mix, and most of the products that were actually made from scratch didn't involved much baking--like caramel rice crispy treats.  I made some chocolate chip scones using their recipe, with my own twist (I added cinnamon-sugar topping) and several people were saying how good they were. 

Nobody here, our trainers, had a formal training in culinary, so it was more like us training them instead.  We felt very much welcomed;  everyone was saying how they want to come back to Utah with us and beggin us to stay.  We saw a lot negativity--but that in and of itself was a good training for all of us.  This was a good example of how not to run a restaurant.

 A few of us had to return to Utah early, so we had dinner together at a Japanese restaurant before they left.

Playboy Roll.  It had so much toppings we couldn't even see the roll.  It's interesting how different restaurants have different versions of the Playboy Roll.  Is there a set standard for a sushi roll to be called a Playboy Roll?

And get this...Spicy Crawfish roll.  Definitely can't find these in Utah.  Had a shrimpy flavor with a hint of that "crawfish".  Good flavor, but the rice was way too sticky.

We spent the remainder of the time just helping out the Fudge Master stockpile the fudge--who's doing it all by herself, since no one there seemed to want to help her.

Here she is, marbling the Root Beer Float Fudge, the feature flavor for July...
And below are two new flavors for the month of August:  Sherbet and Watermelon.

Check out the dazzling array of fudge!  Not sure how many flavors there are, but they ranged from plain milk chocolate to dark-chocolate-caramel-candied-cashews to raspberry cheesecake.

And this was the display for the baked goods/pastries.  I'm not gonna even bother with comparing this with Les Madeleine's.  Working at Les Mads definitely helped me set a goal and a vision of the level of quality I eventually want to achieve.  Those white trays and the neon-colored sugar cookies would have to go....
Then on the last day there, the rest of us went out to the corn field to snap a few photos.  This is definitely a sight not seen in Utah.

My coworker running down the field.  See what I mean by literally, the endless stretch of corn fields??
We safely got to the airport.  There was about 4 hours before our flight, so we dined at the Mosaic restaurant there for our last meal.  It was actually quite good, a so-called New American, or fusion cuisine.

Warm Caprese Sandwich, tomato and warm mozzarella on baguette, with pesto and pinenuts.

Their FishN'Chips.  The chips were housemade, and the fish were very tender.

We got to discuss a lot of things while we were there--our experiences, thoughts, and what we want out of our own store.  Other than our flight being delayed for two hours getting home close to midnight, it was a good experience, and a good trip for all of us.

Gastronomical Exploration: Indochine

For our last exploration before dad returns--and before I went on my training to Springfield--mom and I went to Indochine, a Vietnamese restaurant.

This particular restaurant have a very special, sentimental value to me.  It was at this very restaurant that I had my stroke three years ago.  We sat down at a table a few feet away from the booth where it happened.  Mom shuddered at the thought when I pointed that out:

Me: "See that booth over there behind us?  That's where I had my stroke!"

Mom: *shudder*

Me: "What? It's all good.  What's important is that I lived to come back and dine here again."

Sentiments aside, I ordered a soup & salad combo and mom, who was craving noodles, ordered a beef pho.

I got the hot & sour soup, which was very flavorful and chockful of mushrooms.  It wasn't too hot and had a nice tang.

My salad came with a generous topping of shoestring potatoes, which were nice and crispy, and a side of marinated flank steak.  I gave the steak to my mom, who had it with her pho.  The vinaigrette was good, but a little sweet.



Beef pho.  She ate all the noodles, but still had some reservations about the broth--she's not too fond of the Chinese five-spice.  Otherwise, she really enjoyed it.

Again, we're just not a big fan of Vietnamese cuisine flavors.  It's not that the food was bad--they were actually excellent--but it's not something that we would return repeatedly for.  Really, whether the food is classified as "good" or "bad" all boils down to the individual's personal tastes.

Gastronomical Exploration: Mazza

Sorry folks--I was in Springfield, Illinois for a job training since the 9th and just barely got back last night, at midnight.  It was an exhausting trip...but more on that later.  For today's post, it's yet another gastronomical exploration at Mazza, a Middle Eastern restaurant.

Both my parents have shied away from Middle Eastern cuisine, mostly due to the unfamiliar blend of spices that flavor the dish--sumac, cumin, turmeric, coriander, etc.  But mom was willing to at least try a few dishes.  I've heard good things about Mazza, so we came here for lunch.



 We shared a bowl of spinach & lentil soup. It was flavored with indescribable blend of spices, many of which we've never encountered before.  It was spicy, yet not hot, a very pleasantly strange sensation, and not overpowering.  We both thought it very good.  I'm guessing cumin, coriander and maybe sumac?
Since I'm a big salad fan, I ordered their Fattoosh.

 A medley of chopped lettuce, mint, tomatoes, cukes, radishes and onions with pita chip croutons.  Drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil, it was filling but refreshing.

 Mom ordered their falafel, a 'croquette' of fava and garbanzo beans.  Very flavorful and filling, the breading on the outside was nice and crunchy without being greasy.  Mom really enjoyed this dish.

They gave us a complimentary/sample baklava for dessert.  This was the lightest, crispiest baklava I've ever had--most of the ones I've had are laden with so much syrup that the phyllo layers soak them up, making them almost chewy.
Trying out cuisines from around the world allows us to broaden our palates and embrace wider range of flavor profile.  Trust me, doing so will open so many doors for a truly exceptional gustatory experience.
We'll definitely be back to try Mazza's other dishes!

Happy Birthday to meeeee!!

Happy Birthday to meeeee!

I'm glad we got to celebrate my birthday with my sister!  But what cake should I make?  Yes, you read that correctly....I'm making my own birthday cake.  I'm not complaining--it is my passion after all.

Just to get some ideas, I asked my sister what kind of birthday cake I should make, and if she wanted anything in particular.  To this she said, "A fruit tart or mille feuille (i.e. Napoleon)."

....Um, neither of them would be classified as cake.

But hey, it's not often my sister gets to come visit, so I started brainstorming.  A fruit tart or a mille feuille, eh? 

Well....how about....both??  How about a hybrid/fusion of the two?

So this is what I came up with....a Mille Feuille Tart!



A 9" flaky, buttery, crispy puff pastry tart shell filled generously with custard cream, piled high with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, kiwi, and mango cubes.  This was my first time making the blitz puff pastry, and it turned out really well.  Unlike the traditional recipe, this one isn't as violent/labor-intensive since it doesn't require the butter to be smacked into blocks. 

The cream (perfumed with vanilla) and the flaky pastry were a match made in heaven, and a few had seconds.

My brother-in-law asked me, "What's your favorite dessert to make?".  To this I replied...

"My favorite dessert to make....is one that brings smiles to everyone's face." :)

Gastronomical Exploration: Frida Bistro

Oh my goodness...has it been two weeks since I last updated??  Time just flew by!  My sister's family (her hubby and her baby) was in town so they could attend my graduation ceremony on the 22nd of June.  Yep, I was pretty stoked to go to the ceremony....
Until a few days before the graduation, when the counselor suddenly emails me, asking me to come speak with the Dean.

Puzzled, I went down to school to meet with him.  Was I in trouble for something that I'm totally not aware of?  Did I forget to pay for something??  Did they suddenly change the graduation requirements so I can't graduate this quarter???

I was a bit nervous when I went into his office--but was immediately relieved and, as a matter of fact, overjoyed when he smiled at me and said, "Congratulations!  You've been chosen as the valedictorian!"  Turned out that I had the highest GPA of the entire graduating class, and the only student with a 4.0 GPA at that!
Then he asked me, "As the valedictorian and the representative of this class, would you be willing to give a graduation speech?"
....A graduation.....speech....???  As in, public speaking?  As in, standing up at the front of the auditorium full of people and talk??  As in, the greatest fear of average Americans, even more feared than the death itself???
....Bring it on.  This is a rare and very honorable opportunity!
So I spent the next two days writing the 5-minute speech, practicing saying it, and timing myself.
When the time came, I executed it without a problem.  Pretty sure there were a few people nodding off, but quite a few people came up to me telling me it was a good speech.
That was my graduation.  It was too bad dad missed it--but my sister recorded the speech, so he can check it out later when he gets back home.
In the meantime, my mom and I went out for our usual gastronomical exploration with my sister's fam.
This time, we went to Frida Bistro, a Latin American cuisine restaurant.  We've dined here before, and mom, who normally doesn't care for Latin American food, really liked it.
For an appetizer, we got the Ceviche.

Tuna tartar, radishes, mango, cilantro, with lime and chili dressing, in a cucumber slice cup.  Very nice presentation, pretty spicy, yet flavorful.
Mom got a calamari appetizer for her lunch, since she figured she won't be able to eat a whole lot.

Calamari, breaded with seasoned blue corn crust, deep fried to crispy morsels, served with spicy lime mayo-based sauce (maybe it's lime aioli?)  The breading had good blue corn flavor, and although quite spicy, paired very well with the creamy sauce.  It was an appetizer, but mom still couldn't finish it and had to take some home.
My brother-in-law, who loves Latin American foods, ordered the tamale.

Veggie tamale, black beans, radish-cucumber slaw, and pepper sauce.  Very flavorful, the tamale had nice corn flavor.
My sister ordered fish tacos.

Gotta love that cute rice 'pyramid'.  Maybe to pay respect to the Aztecs and the Mayans?  I also like how they had three small slider-sized tacos instead of a single gigantic taco sitting on the plate.  Breaking down the portions like this makes the presentation more refined/sophisticated, and also helps in the actual eating of it (i.e. no knives required to cut food into smaller pieces)
And this is what I ordered...

Ensalada Otono.  Basically a Caesar salad with Latin American twist.  Crisp romaine, hard-boiled egg, bacon bits, marinated red & orange bell pepper slices, Mexican cheese, and house dressing.  Very good, just the right amount of dressing.

Everyone enjoyed their meal!  With presentation and food quality like this, who can resist?  Frida is the only Mexican restaurant we'll ever go to.  Granted, mom still haven't tried the Red Iguana, which is another highly reputable Mexican restaurant.  Oh so much to taste, so little time...