My first scholarship win!

I arrived early to school today to meet the head of the school's Food Writers' Club to discuss my involvement in the club. I was absolutely ecstatic when she told me that I had won the school's "I Have a Dream" scholarship contest. This is the first scholarship I've ever won! I've pasted it below. Cheers, JF

My Culinary Dream
By JF

I remember it like it was yesterday. I was shopping at my local Whole Foods market and found my way over to its impressive selection of wines from around the world. As I do love good wine, being faced with a multitude of varieties is still a bit overwhelming to me. I am no expert on wine by any means, but am always looking to improve my education on the internationally adored drink at any chance I get. Much to my surprise and sheer delight I found the latest edition of Food & Wine’s Wine Buyer’s Guide. Upon arriving home, I quickly restocked my pantry and my refrigerator with the goodies I had purchased and made my way over to my living room sofa to be enlightened on the famed publication’s recommendations for selecting the best wine, as well as its top choices from around the globe. What I wasn’t expecting was to read something that would have an impact on my life from that moment on.

As I began to read the guide I was intrigued by the writing within the introduction. It was much more than just listings of countries, grape varieties and ratings. The person who wrote the introduction and compiled all of the information for this year’s guide, I thought, had to know what they were talking about. He, or she, had to be an expert in the field and be well educated on the information that got included into the guide. At that moment I stopped and thought about how much I enjoy not only wine, but also the world of food. A Journalism major, a lover of a good read and one who’s always had the desire to grow my skills as a writer, it was that moment that I realized that this is what I wanted to do. I would enroll at a culinary school in my area, go through the training that professional chefs go through and use my knowledge to explore the culinary world, and most importantly, write about it.

Exactly how many varieties of salt are there in the world? How does one know which variety to use for each dish? What is the difference between a $6.99 bottle of extra virgin olive oil from Italy and a $37.00 bottle, also from Italy? As my mind opened and my curiosities took hold, I knew I had found something special; a calling. I immediately ventured out to my neighborhood Powell’s bookstore and absolutely fell in love with my new favorite bookstore section; gastronomic literature. Reading excerpts from famed food writers such as: Anthony Bourdain, M.F.K. Fischer, Julia Child and Ruth Reichl had me completely hooked. A deep passion for food and a talent for communicating their passion with words on paper were apparent within their pieces of work. It’s the caliber of these writers, and more, that I look up to and hope to join the ranks of in the future.

Today, I’m embarking on my dream by first, enrolling into an accredited culinary diploma program; second, writing about the findings of my curiosities in the culinary world on a blog I recently created; and three, researching the market to pitch story ideas to local and national publications to, in hopes, become a published food writer. As I continue on this adventure it amazes me how extensive the world of food really is. In my quest to become a published food writer, I want to not only find answers to my own curiosities, but explore other topics that range from the importance of buying organic foods to the affects global warming could have on the quality of our food. Food is a commonality shared throughout the entire world. Everyday we might not go for a swim in a pool, or take a drive in a sports car, or a hike through Multnomah Falls, but everyday we eat. It is an act that is sometimes taken for granted. Through my writing I hope to bring curiosity and education about the culinary world to the masses in hopes to inspire everyone to savor every bite that’s taken.

...Check!

It's the evening before the first day of school. I can't believe the time has finally come; it's a bit surreal. Tomorrow evening I'll be heading downtown to Western Culinary Institute (http://www.wci.edu/) to begin my 30 weeks of professional training of the Le Cordon Bleu Program. Like a good little student getting ready for her first day of school, all pieces are good to go with just a few items I'll need to class.

Kitchen Uniform and dress code:

• White chef's jacket with all buttons attached (since it's brand new I'm crossing my fingers that I have not lost any buttons so far)...check!
• T-shirt worn under the chef jacket must be white in color with no patterns, words, designs or hood...check!
• White cravat (or neckerchief)...check!
• White commis hat...check!
• Student photo ID badge to be worn and clearly visible...check!
• School-issued black and white checked pants. Pants must be neatly hemmed and properly worn around the waist. Rolled up pants will not be permitted. Properly sized school issued checkered pants are the only pants allowed. (Got it)...check!
• School-issued kitchen shoes (these aren't your mother's Jimmy Choos)...check!
• Clean kitchen apron and two kitchen towels...check!
• School-issued hats, aprons, and side towels are to be worn in all kitchen classes...check!
• Aprons and side towels are not required in lecture classrooms or the library...check!
• Chef jacket, hat, apron, pants and cravat are to be wrinkle free, neat and clean with no stains, at the beginning of each class...check (well, assuming I can get them there clean and wrinkle free)!
• All hair must be clean, properly restrained, worn above your coat collar and under your hat. If hair extends to the collar or below, a hairnet must be worn...check! (And yes, I will most likely need to wear a hair net...perfect.)

I will say this once and only once; over the next eight months I will give up my usual ensemble of the latest clothing styles for one that is uniform, rigid, but most importantly, respected. Being covered from head to toe in a white cap and hair net, chef's jacket, chef's apron, black and white checkered pants and steal-toed black, leather shoes wouldn't be my first choice, but I will wear it all with pride. From the beginning of time in the culinary profession, many great culinary students and chefs have adorned such outfits and I'm happy to now be among them.

Oh, and I cannot wear nail polish - not even clear. They take enormous precautions of anything unwanted getting into the food and that includes chipped off nail polish. This will be a first for my nails since...oh...high school?

And there are 18 steps involved in tying the cravat; the 18th step being a repeat of step 17.

Here we go!

Cheers,

~JF

Finding Inspiration

For the past two weeks my motivation has slowed a bit. I'm unsure if it's the infamous Oregon weather switching back and forth from perfect to perishable, the lag in the kick off of culinary school, or having too much time to think about what's next. I am a thinker, I will admit. An analyser, really, and I can get caught up in spending an extended amount of time getting stuck in the act of just "thinking", which in turn halts "doing". In any case I can finally sense that I'm moving beyond the funk after a weekend of finding renewed energy and excitement with what lies ahead in a few pieces of literature, an always-entertaining Cable TV show and some renewed connections with some past colleagues.

I have an abundance of cookbooks. I used to belong to a cookbook book club (say that five times fast). If you've ever belonged to a book club then you're probably aware that the club will automatically send you a title of its choice unless you respond back saying "no thank you". I'd often find myself ignoring the deadlines for responding and as a result I've ended up with a vast number of books that I didn't necessarily order. A few days ago I decided to bring out all the cookbooks I own, set them on my sitting room coffee table, and go through them one by one to decide once and for all which titles were worth keeping, and which could be a new addition to the bookshelves of my local Goodwill. The first book I picked up was one that I didn't request; one that the company chose for me. It's titled A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider. A hardcover at roughly 760 pages in length, the book never really caught my interest from the get go. Why, you ask? It has no color photographs. Yes, I am one of those individuals who often judges literature by its cover and cookbooks by the amount of color photos that are inside. Regardless of the lack of eye candy, I set the book on my lap and began to skim through. On the inside flap was an introduction of how the book came to fruition.

An excerpt from the introduction:

"Sally Schneider was tired of doing what we all do--separating foods into "good" and "bad", into those we crave but can't have and those we can eat freely but don't especially want--so she created A New Way to Cook."

"Her book is nothing short of revolutionary, a definition of healthy eating, where no food is taboo, where the pleasure principle is essential to well-being, where the concept of self-denial just doesn't exist."

Oh wow, I thought, I'm going to like this girl. I think one of the main reasons why I've signed up for the professional training of culinary school is that I want to learn the fundamentals of how good food is really suppose to be prepared; how to use real ingredients as opposed to all the "substitutes" that are becoming the norm these days. As I continued to read through Sally's introduction my ears continued to perk up and I couldn't put it down. Having spent 10 years in the food industry as a food writer, food stylist and professional chef, Sally has developed a philosophy of which is all about using real ingredients: yes, real butter; yes, real cream; and yes, real sugar, and to learn techniques that allow a cook to pair down the amount of the ingredients in a way that allows a dish to remain full of flavor and satisfaction. I enjoyed reading her insights and thoughts on different types of ingredients, whether to buy organic or not and even her recommendations of must-have tools for every kitchen. Her recipies begin with roast vegetable variations. Ok, now I'm really hooked. I'm a huge fan of vegetables and believe they CAN be delicious--one just has to know how to cook them. Needless to say, Sally has inspired me to try out her philosophy and recipes. I plan to test out each and every recipe in the book. And, I'm headed to a farmer's market tonight to buy some fresh, local veggies. Oh...and I have yet to pick up any of the other cookbooks still sitting on my coffee table.

My next order of business was to finish at least two of the three books I've been reading. The first one I chose was Will Write for Food by Dianne Jacob. A food writer who's been writing since 1978, Dianne also instructs and coaches individuals and groups on becoming successful food writers. As she mentions in her book, she used to tell students to go check out books at the library about food writing to gain perspective of the business outside of class. After students repeadedly came back to her stating there were no books out there on food writing, Dianne decided she'd be the one to write it. So I guess one could say this is the first book published on the nuts and bolts of becoming a successful, professional food writer. I found the book incredibly helpful, honest and no-nonsense. Dianne has a gift for mixing honesty (don't quite your day job right away) with pep talks (just keep writing, you'll get there). She delivers practical advice and covers topics from writing cookbooks to the art of restaurant reviewing, pitching food article ideas to magazine editors to writing memoirs, and getting ficiton and nonfiction pieces published. The book also features a number of exercises at the end of each chapter for readers to stretch their creative muscles, like brainstorming exercises that assist in developing magazine article topics, writing your own food recipe and researching food and book publishing markets. Finishing the book inspired me to march forward and capture all the ideas floating in my head onto paper to get them closer to being possible published pieces of work. This is a book I will refer back to regularly.

The second book I vowed to finish was an anthology of food writing of 2006. It's titled Best Food Writing 2006 and is edited/compiled by Holly Hughes. The book contains a myriad of great food writing from magazines, memoirs, and other pieces of gastronimic literature. I enjoyed many of the works from famed food writers such as Julie Powell, Amanda Hesser, Michael Ruhlman, Julia Child and more. One piece that I'm still in awe over today was an entry by Anthony Bourdain titled "New Year's Meltdown". I'm not certain if Anthony meant for this story to be absolutely hysterical, but, to my wide eyes, it had me rolling off the couch in complete shock that the evening he wrote about actually took place.

An excerpt from his first paragraph:

"...I have witnessed some pretty ugly episodes of culinary disaster...I've watched restaurants endure mid-dinner-rush fires, floods, and rodent infiltration--as well as the more innocuous annoyances of used Band-Aids, tufts of hair, and industrial staples showing up in the nicoise salad. Busboy stabbing busboy, customer beating up customer, waiters duking it out on the dining room floor--I've seen it all. But never have I seen such a shameful synergy of Truly Awful Things happen, and in such spectacular fashion, as on New Years Eve 1991, a date that surely deserves to live in New York restaurant infamy. It was the all-time, award-winning, jumbo-sized restaurant train wreck, a night where absolutely everything went wrong that could go wrong, where the greatest number of people got hurt, and the entire kitchen bowed its head in shame and fear--while outside the kitchen doors, waiters trembled at the slaughterhouse their once hushed and elegant dining room had become."

As an inspiring food writer, I appreciate well-thought prose and writers who can clearly communicate a scene, environment, feelings and reactions successfully with words on paper. Anthony Bourdain is a master. I was there. While reading his story I was there, on the back deck of the restaurant waiting for the delivery of lobsters, in the kitchen watching the next disaster unfold, and in the restaurant with the waiters who were scared to go back out to face their out-of-control customers. I felt like I was standing right next to Anthony watching the event with him. Reading such a story inspires me to continue to write and develop my skills as I go on. I finished off my day of Bourdain by catching an episode of "No Reservations" on the Travel Channel. Anthony and his crew were in Iceland. I will admit that I'm unsure what time of year it was, but I remember him stating that it was the time of year where the town he was in saw only four hours of sunlight a day. Being a lover of the sun and light, I felt for Tony as he awoke in total blackness with droopy eyes and a cranky attitude. Nevertheless, it was entertaining to witness as he explored what Icelanders do with only four hours of sunlight.

As lives get busy and time goes on, we, unfortunately, lose touch with people we were once close to or who were an integral part of our lives either at work or personally. Such is life, it happens, there are only 24 hours in a day and it seems as we get older the way we spend that time shifts with each passing year. While I attend culinary school I do still need to pay a mortgage and keep a roof over my head. I've decided to try my hand at offering freelance/contract services in public relations, writing and editing. I decided to go all the way and even came up with a business name for myself: Savor Communications, inspired by this very blog you're reading. With getting back out into the real world comes the need to begin the networking process. I've laid low for the past few months and emerged within the last week, reconnecting with long lost colleagues and missed acquaintances. I've heard back from so many and it's incredibly refreshing to catch up with old faces. In the process I've realized it's been beneficial for me to communicate to people what I'm doing (going to culinary school and looking at becoming food writer, etc.). I have to say I'm lucky to have such a supportive group of friends and old colleagues out there. Everyone responds with such excitement and intrigue and I've even received a few "I wish I would have thought of that!" comments. Support and knowing that there are people out there who are so excited for what I'm doing is incredibly inspiring and definitely gives me that extra push to keep trucking along. Hearing other's excitement gets me re-excited and energized to embark on my new path. So thank you to those who have expressed interest in my journey. Your encouragement makes a world of difference.

Even when the road ahead promises a bright, exciting and adventurous future, sometimes we get stuck with an elusive streak of motivation. It's normal; not everyday is picture perfect and we don't always feel 110% day in and day out. I'm glad I took some time and let my mind lead me to finding things that reminded me why I'm doing what I'm doing and delivered a sense of renewed energy in my upcoming adventure. School starts in just under two weeks and I absolutely cannot wait. Orientation is this Saturday.

Cheers.
JF

Ahh...Oregon wine season is here!

This week I received the Spring Guide to Oregon Wineries, part of The Oregonian's FOODAY. It took me back to just two Sundays ago to Mother's Day. No, I'm not a mother (although I have recently entertained the idea of getting a pet, and I keep having dreams that I've adopted a white rabbit...hmm.), but I do have a fabulous mother who loves a delicious glass of wine, or two or three. So, what better way to spend Mother's Day than taking a tour through one "wing" of Oregon wine country for some delectable tastings and outstanding views from the tops of our day's chosen wineries?

I heard the knock on my front door at 11:00am. As I opened the door I found my mother standing underneath my doorway overhang in black pin-striped pants, an off-white v-neck sweater with a turquoise lace camisole underneath, celebrity-style sunglasses and a huge smile. Peering over her shoulder, I could see a man sitting in the day's transportation wearing a black jacket and a wool Kangol hat. The man would be our chauffeur for the afternoon. He could also be referred to as the husband of the mother or, simply, my father. My mother and I joined him in the car and we were off.

For Portlanders, or any out-of-town visitors for that matter, who have not visited the wineries located in Dundee at all or it's just been in a while, I'll let you in on a little secret: In addition to great wine, Oregon has a wine country that's views and landscape rival any in the nation, in my opinion. And, just 25 minutes or so west of of downtown Portland, we have it literally at our fingertips. Of course I'll note that Dundee is just one small place outside of the Portland area that offers an abundance of enjoyable wine tastings and great scenery, but it is the spot we chose for our day to hop around. Here's a recap of the wineries we visited and one of my favorite eating stops in Dundee:

Our first stop was Duck Pond Cellars: https://www.duckpondcellars.com/index.php.
This is my mother's favorite, so it was a good kick off to her day. Established in 1993, Duck Pond owns vineyards in both Oregon and Washington. The vineyard is the first stop as you come into Dundee and sits directly off the highway. The grounds at Duck Pond are quaint and offer a quiet outside seating area for visitors to kick back and relax with their tasting glasses or newly purchased bottles of wine. Inside is an open, but cozy, tasting room with plenty of space for visitors to retrieve their samplings. I've learned that when it comes to wineries and tasting rooms, it's hit or miss with finding a winery that hosts a gift shop that holds an array of gifts for both wine and food lovers who like to shop beyond the wine bottle. Duck Pond is in the hit category. After sipping through the day's complimentary flight, I walked away with a bottle of the Desert Wind Ruah, a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc grown in the Columbia Valley, Washington. My mom walked with two bottles of Duck Pond's 2005 Merlot, which flavor's resemble a rich blend of dried cherries and chocolate.

One tasting down and it was already time for lunch so we continued into Dundee and stopped at the Dundee Bistro: http://dundeebistro.com. Obviously a hot spot for Mother's Day, the bistro was packed, but they were able to squeeze our party of three in on the patio. For lunch we didn't get too crazy and stuck with the basics: two Bistro Caesar salads and one Alaskan Halibut Fish-N-Chips. The caesars were an assembly of fresh, crisp romaine lettuce and tangy caesar dressing (I'd recommend adding grilled chicken or shrimp for those looking for a more substantial dish), and the fish-n-chips boasted three medium-sized, lightly battered halibut with french fries and coleslaw. The light batter was flavorful without being overpowering and the fries...well, I couldn't stop stealing them from my dad's plate.

After our bellies were weighted down a bit, it was time for more wine...yay! We headed off to Archery Summit for our next visit. Well, ok. We planned to stop by Archery Summit next, saw the sign go by at 40 mph and quickly decided Sokol Blosser would be the perfect next stop.

Get ready for the views. We took a right turn off of 99W and onto Sokol Blosser Lane and started our climb up the mountain to some incredible views. Sokol Blosser: http://www.sokolblosser.com/index.html sits in the hills of Dundee and offers a spacious tasting room and a great deck that rests underneath some enormous trees and is filled with tables and chairs for guests to sit and absorb all the valley has to offer. After tasting Sokol Blosser's flight for the day I walked away with a bottle of Meditrina, which is, as the winery describes it, a perfect marriage of Pinot Noir, Syrah and Zinfandel that's juicy, rich and full of fruit and reminds some of a slice of Marionberry pie. Mmmmmmm. Try it! At $18 a bottle it's one worth savoring.

Oh, Archery Summit! Why don't we stop there? Easier to get to the second time around, we found our way up Archery Summit road to the prominent and picturesque grounds of the winery. Archery Summit: http://www.archerysummit.com has been producing Oregon world-class Pinot Noir from Dundee Hills since 1993. As the building is somewhat impressive, the actual tasting room is a bit small. And, no complimentary flights here. The day's tasting choices were a $15 flight of, I believe, a variety of four of the winery's least expensive blends, or $40 for a flight of the Rolls-Royce varieties. We decided on the $15 flight, and let me tell you...they were delicious. Our favorite was the 2005 Premier Cuvee Pinot Noir. So smooth and filled with hints of black cherries, currant and pomegranate with a touch of spice. The majority of Archery Summit's wines are not available in stores and require a trip up to the winery for purchasing. The Premier Cuvee, however, is offered outside the winery. (I found it at Whole Foods at Bridgeport Village for $47 a bottle).

Our last stop of the day was a spot I came to back in January for a dear friend's birthday celebration. It was cold in January and there was a bit of snow on the ground at the winery. Such a memorable venue for a special occasion. The spot is De Ponte Cellars: http://depontecellars.com. With an unpretentious vibe, great wine and an unbelievably friendly staff, De Ponte was our favorite stop of the day. Aaron, the winery manager, greeted us as we walked in the large tasting room, which overlooks the winery's oak barrel room. I remember Aaron from my visit back in January and much to my surprise he remembered me and the birthday dinner party guests fondly. I remember Aaron speaking to a group of us he took on a winery tour back in January. He mentioned the winery's excitement in welcoming its new winemaker from France. I asked if she had arrived yet and sure enough, she was on the back patio talking with some guests. We took our glass with our first tasting and headed out back. I have to say that the wrap-around deck at De Ponte offers incredible views of the Dundee Hills and a relaxing atmosphere for visitors. Once I stepped outside I remember thinking that I could go get my laptop, bring it back out to the winery and write all day long...with a bottle of wine to keep me company, of course. We were able to speak with Isabelle, the winemaker, for a bit and enjoy--as well as appreciate--the hard work that goes into making the finest wine. Heading out from our visit, my mother walked away with the Clay Hill Dundee Hills 2005 Pinot Noir. A very smooth, soft Pinot Noir for everyday drinking. It retails at $24 a bottle.

It was our first wine tour of the season and it made for a great Mother's Day. It was nice to see my mother enjoy all the different wineries and varieties. And a special thanks to my dad for driving. It's something many may not think about, but even if you're tasting here and there, a designated driver is a must.

I hope you get out and enjoy Oregon wine country during the Memorial Day weekend winery celebrations. If not this weekend, then soon. We have a great gift in the hills of the Willamette Valley that is too good to pass up!

Cheers,
JF

Curious: adj. eager to learn or know something

As I embark on the exploration of the culinary world there is a myriad of topics my curiosity is dying to dig deep to find the answers to. For example; Exactly how many varieties of salt are there in the world? Which type of salt do you use for what dish? What is the difference between a $6.99 bottle of extra virgin olive oil from Italy and a $37.00 bottle of extra virgin olive oil...yes, also from Italy? How many different types of mushrooms are there? How did the early discoverers know which types of mushrooms were poisonous and which ones weren't? Was it a game of mushroom Russian roulette or is there a way to tell just by inspecting them?

These questions and many more to soon be answered. I'm just so curious. Are you?