Into the Fire

Ever since the start of my interest to get into the food world, I've always had a fascination with the lifestyle of chefs and those working the line behind the scenes of the world's greatest dining destinations. And when I say lifestyle I mean the hours they keep, the long days and nights on their feet hovering over flames and opened doors of hot ovens, and ending each shift wiping the sweat from their brows and heading home - or to a neighborhood watering hole - smelling like the evening specials. What is it about this industry and these kitchens that attract so many to want to jump into the fire, get dirty, greasy, and beaten up by the onslaught of never-ending tickets demanding more plates of graceful-looking seared duck and artistically marked filet mignon?

I had heard about it for the past couple of weeks and couldn't wait for it to air. Last night, the Travel Channel showed the episode 'Into the Fire' with Anthony Bourdain. After 28 years in the industry, Bourdain decided to write a book that in his words "I thought no one would read" about what really goes on behind the scenes. The book led to a series on the Travel Channel that he thought "No one would ever watch". His new life of traveling the world and publicizing his kitchen memoir led him out of the kitchen he ran eight years ago in New York City; Les Halles (pronounced la hall). Last night he returned, partially to prove to a few nagging bloggers - and admittedly to himself - that he could go back and handle working it on the line again.

I thought the show was brilliantly done and really took viewers through what happens once a table sits down, orders are taken, and the ticket is placed. They did a beautiful job of basically showing a visual aid of the layout of the kitchen and I was quickly taken back to my quick run at restaurant Bleu a few months back to finalize my training at school. They showed how the line is set up: the grillardin station (grill), saucier (sauces), and garde manger (cold plates and appetizers). Tony has always paid homage to the line cooks, which he often calls out to be mostly Hispanic, whipping out those classical French dishes. He is so respectful and of course followed the kitchen brigade (hierarchy) system with much respect and even responding to the executive chef with a "yes, Chef!". The man who now has Tony's former job of executive chef organizes and runs a kitchen that serves what he said today could run 700 covers a night! One cover is one patrons full meal from appetizer, to salad, entrée, and dessert. Even Tony was shocked at the amount of traffic Les Halles now works through. Back when he was running the restaurant, Les Halles had 80 tables. It now has well over 100.

You could see in his face that he was actually getting quite nervous for the double shift he was about to embark on. There were times when he missed plates on tickets because, as he learned, his eyesight isn't what it used to be. He literally couldn't read the tickets! He was constantly hammered on by the executive chef to move quicker, or to brown the cheese on the French Onion Soup longer. There was even a time when a few of his dishes were sent back to the kitchen from customers!

It was truly an adventure and highly entertaining. I obviously don't know Tony Bourdain personally, but from reading his work and thoughts on him, I know he didn't just do this for himself. In fact I think the bigger reason, if anything, was to show respect to those in the back of the kitchen who are putting in the long hours for virtually no pay day in and day out, without the big celebrity chef name, without the big network TV show, but with the true talent that keeps them rockin' the line and whipping out fantastic cuisine everyday.

As most Travel Channel shows do, this one will air again. If you're a fan, I'd highly recommend checking it out.

Cheers,

~JF

The Perfect Pic

One of the fun things about exploring a new world is learning from the pros. A couple of weeks ago we were in the test kitchen gathering items for what would be the day's photoshoot. I was delicately frosting the luscious chocolate ganache cupcakes and Linda was preparing the crowd-pleasing seared scallops that would go along side an elegant pile of mixed greens dressed in a meyer lemon vinaigrette when Mike Davis, photo editor, and John Givot, photo intern, walked into the kitchen. Mike wasn't technically participating in the shoot for the day, but he wanted to get John in on the action. The day's photographer would be none other than Martha Holmberg, editor of FOODday and Mix magazine. At times she escapes from her desk saturated with topic ideas, articles to review and edit, new products to test that will either pass or fail, and a general list of to-do's for both publications to spend time on another one of her many skills; food photography.

As the scallops were perfectly seared and I was slathering my fourth cupcake with ganache, Martha walked in ready to get moving with the shoot. Linda plated up the scallops with their golden brown edges and carefully piled a small bunch of mixed green leaves next to them. The two walk over to the far side of the photo studio and I quickly followed. Martha appeared to be getting frustrated with the outcome of her shots as she would 'click,' 'click,' 'click,' and then check her camera on what she had captured. There was just something she wanted - an angle, a lighting aspect, a focal point - that wasn't coming through as she expected. Just like clockwork, Mike and John walked back in. With an apple in one hand and lanyard-laced glasses, Mike gently stepped in, carefully positioned a white styrofoam square next to the plate and calmly began talking Martha through the shot. Over the past year, one thing that has caught my eye about the food world is the photography itself. Photography is something I've never understood, nor do I think I really have the patience for it, and because of that I respect it so much. How do photographers get that perfect shot? How do they know what the right lighting is, what the correct angle should be, and what focal point they want? We were all sort of mesmerized to hear his thought process outloud of what he's thinking in his mind when he's shooting. As the veteran photo editor was coaching the veteran magazine editor, John the intern decided to snap some shots of the scene.

photo by John Givot

As we moved on from the scallops, the delectable cupcakes were next. We first began by testing out some shots of me holding the cupcake; sort of an offering if you will. Again, the shots just weren't coming across as Martha had hoped (she assured me my cupcake holding skills were perfectly intact and that I wouldn't be fired). We then moved on to sitting the cupcake on the table. Mike had to depart by this time, but John hung around. He wasn't shy about trying his hand at teaching Martha a few tricks of the camera. It was one of those moments where the student had an opportunity to show his skills in the profession he hoped to grow in, and it was fun to watch. Martha was all ears and open to hearing his thoughts on tweaking the lighting this way or angling the cupcake that way.

A friend once told me that if you're really passionate about something, you're never truly an expert at it because you continue to have the drive to learn more about it. I think that day in the studio was a perfect example. After years of food magazine editing and being involved in food photography, Martha was still open to suggestions about getting that perfect picture. On the flip side, I saw Martha's willingness to listen to the intern as a way for him to grow and teach what he knew thus far in his education to someone who many would consider to be an expert in this field. And in the end it made an exciting learning experience for all of us.

If you are somewhat of an expert in what you do, make sure you nuture those around you who are trying to learn a little bit more. Yes, sometimes you're too busy and just want to get the task at hand done, but if the opportunity presents itself, teach. The outcome is you will have given a little extra spark to someone that may take them a bit further in their life's accomplishments, and at the same time, you'll reinforce the knowledge, expertise, and most importantly, passion you have within you.

Cheers,

~JF

If it wasn't for my mother...

On Thursday evening I had the honor of joining 14 other aspiring food writers at the home of Diane Morgan. An award-winning cookbook author and freelance food writer, Diane resides in Portland and hosts a yearly six-week course on The Art of Food Writing. I was lucky enough to jump at the opportunity when a former high school classmate and fellow food blogger, Keith, put the bug in my ear that Diane was registering attendees. The first night proved to be interesting, entertaining, and inspiring as the group did the classic round table of who we were, why we were there, and what we wanted for our paths to becoming food writers. We also received an in-depth, live biography of Diane's road through the industry. I am eager to embark on the remaining five classes of learning and developing and watching as all of our skills grow.

Diane wasted no time with a few exercises. One was focused on the art of recipe writing, which was an assignment due for the next class. But the first was a five-minute, free-writing exercise. I've done free-writing exercises in the past and for some reason always seem to forget how helpful they are when my mind is stuck or I'm avoiding my laptop surrounded by books and an abundance of topics that I could write about. Pick a topic, any topic, and with the five minutes that follow, write whatever comes to mind without stopping or critiquing any possible spelling or grammar errors. Diane gave us a topic, 'If it wasn't for my mother...' and then started the clock. Below is what I wrote...

If it wasn't for my mother, I would have never received the wonderful attention I received today at FOODday for bringing in her famous peanut butter chocolate chip cookies. I remember Allen asking me last week what my favorite childhood recipe was. I told hm it was probably my mom's, her "Mrs. Fields", cookies. I promised Allen I would bring them in. Days past and I finally gathered all of the ingredients I needed. Last night I composed the batter, but waited until this morning to bake them. I wanted the cookies to be fresh and in their absolute best light; for this was their day to shine, and in a sense, my mom's day to shine at one of Portland's most well-respected authorities on food. So I popped them in the oven at 9:15am and carefully stood by for the nine minutes of baking. They were each perfectly uniform and looked like heaven. (End of five-minute free-write, but I decided to continue on this morning...)

The smell was just as I remembered when my mom used to make them; warm semi-sweet chocolate chips, brown sugar, vanilla, and creamy peanut butter. What more could you want on a cold winter day? And still today, just as when I was a kid, it's incredibly tough for me to refrain from nibbling on the remaining cooking dough sitting in the bowl, waiting for its time in the oven. I tell everyone that, in my opinion, the dough is the best part. By the time the cookies are done, I've had so much of the decadent cookie dough that I have no need for an actual cookie. And lucky for those in the newsroom, that was the case yesterday. I did two-and-a-half sheet pans, yielding 35 cookies. For some reason, three came out a bit more toasty than the others so those stayed behind, about five went to my good friend and artist of my freshly sculpted eyebrows, Ingrid, so that left about 27 for the paper. I placed all 27 on one of my new, white, square plates with the rounded edges and carefully wrapped them with two layers of plastic wrap. The plate slid perfectly inside my Culinate cloth grocery bag and were ready for the trip to the transit center, a ride on the Max, and the walk from Pioneer Courthouse Square up Broadway to 1320 SW Broadway.

When I arrived in the kitchen Allen was heating up his lunch in one of the microwaves. "Allen, I have something for you today," I said and carefully placed the bag on the counter. I was a bit hesitant to bring them out too quickly, though. Why? The day prior I had chatted with Mike Davis, photo editor for the Oregonian. Mike often times doubles as the actual photographer and shoots many of the shots featured in FOODday and MIX magazine. I had an idea. "How cool would it be for my mom to have a couple of stylized photos of her famous cookies?" I asked him with a look on my face that most likely resembled that of a five-year-old little girl asking her father for the doggy in the window. Mike immediately agreed the idea would be a great one. So before announcing the arrival of the cookies to the newsroom I was glad when Mike walked into the kitchen for another photoshoot planned for the day. While Linda and Danielle discussed the recipes for the "real" photoshoot, I asked Mike if he wanted to "warm up" and shoot some photos of the cookies. He, of course, said yes, and we snuck into a corner of the studio to shoot. It is amazing what the magic of a camera, and cameraman, can do. The cookies are delectable on their own, but with a few clicks and minor adjustments to the cookies, Mike took them to a new level of stardom.

And one for the dunkers; catching the actual drop coming off the cookie...go Mike!

And I'm glad Mike got the shots. Once word spread that they were in the kitchen, they were being gobbled by the second, and after a quick walk through the newsroom, they were gone for good. And Allen nearly lost his chance, too, but snagged one just in the nick of time.

Now as most food bloggers always supply recipes for their sweet and savory creations, I must refrain. This is my mother's recipe and it's always been her wish that it stays in the family...sorry. Maybe someday she'll decide to send it out to the rest of the world, but that will be her decision. For me, it's not my recipe to give out; I guess I'm just lucky to be in the family!
Thanks, mom, and all the mom's out there who create those special, one-of-a-kind goodies that last from childhood and beyond.

Cheers,
JF

Hail the Parsnip!

As you may have guessed by now, Tuesdays are my new favorite day. Well, Saturdays will always be first, but when it comes to weekdays, Tuesdays are now it. I've gotten out of my late-night routine of slaving away over hot, gas stoves in the kitchens at school and not hitting my pillow until the wee hours of 12:00 or 1:00am, to now rising at 5:00am for a 5:30am spinning class. The mornings prove to be cold and dark, but I love the feeling of being able to hear a pin drop as I go out to my car and head off to the gym. The sense of being up before the rest of the world and getting that much-needed workout done before 6:30am is always worth getting up for. And greeting my fellow spinners in class is an added bonus.

My other reason for loving Tuesdays? When I get home from class I know I'll be able to open up the paper to find recipes I've helped cook for shaping stories in the day's FOODday. My favorite recipes in today's edition? Parsnips! They're my new favorite vegetable. A root vegetable, parsnips have a visual appearance of white carrots and carry a sweet flavor to them. Linda and I couldn't get enough of the Roasted Parsnips with Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary. Wow. They were a delectable surprise hot from the oven as Mike so gracefully shot for the photo on page FD3. And let me tell you, they were even delicious cold out of the refrigerator the next day! It may be due to the cold weather, or maybe it's the fact that it really is easy to make at home, but soups are hot on my list of favorite foods to curl up with right now. The Parsnip, Carrot and Ginger Soup concoction is another hit. The sweetness of the parsnips with a little punch of the carrots and sherry vinegar make it a savory bowl to carry in your palms on these incredibly chilly days we're experiencing in Portland. Lastly, the Heidi's Parsnip Muffins were a sweet treat for skeptics out in the newsroom. When a few voices in the photo department heard I was testing muffins made with grated parsnips, their faces became covered with looks of disgust. "Well, think of a carrot muffin, or carrot cake," I told them, and their faces came back to normalcy. Like Linda and I were with the roasted parsnips this group was with the muffins. They're perfect, and like everything else, are just delicious. And you can still feel good about them as they're made with vegetables! I stopped by the store on my way home from work last night to pick up my bunch of parsnips, and I highly suggest you hop to it and get yourself a bag as well. If you try any of the recipes, let me know what you think!

Savory waffles? No warm maple syrup, no fruit compote, no whipped cream? Yeah, that's sort of what we thought when Grant approached us to come up with some toppings for the increasingly popular food. Once we opened our minds a bit, though, Linda, Grant and I couldn't stop coming up with savory items to add to them. "Ok, so think of just about anything you can top a pizza with," I said to the two as the idea was beginning to make the wheels in my mind spin. Later that afternoon, Linda and I could have honestly sat at her PC for hours thinking of different items to top on the buttermilk and cornmeal-filled goodies. It's fun once you get going. I've promised more than one friend a Sunday brunch at my place for a while now. I must get it on the calendar, for now I have something unique to play with! A "Savory Waffle Sunday Brunch?" Yum!

Yes, it's cold out, but be sure to enjoy the gorgeous clear blue sky and bright sunshine welcoming the city on this Tuesday.

Cheers,
JF

Fun stuff at FOODday

Be sure to check out the FOODday section in today's Oregonian. I began my externship in the test kitchen at the paper a little over a week ago. On my first day, I was thrown into the middle of preparing fruit compote and measure out ingredients of some fabulous smoothies for a photoshoot. I have to admit, it's fun for me to see shots of both on the cover of today's edition!

Try the oatmeal, it truly is wonderful. I just finished my own bowl of re-heated steel-oats moments ago. I take the already prepared oatmeal out of my refrigerator and add 1/2 cup of it to a pot with 1/4 cup water and bring it to a simmer. For a little added flavor I add about one teaspoon of vanilla, and since I don't have anymore fruit compote left, I've been chopping up two dried figs and two dried apricots to throw into the pot at the end. The fruit adds such a nice texture and those figs are to die for. They add just the right amount of sweetness to the bowl.

Of the smoothies, I really enjoyed the Blackberry-Ginger-Green Tea as I'm a regular fan of both ginger and green tea-combined or not. The Peach Cobbler was a favorite of the taste-testers that day as well. Oh, and I did arrange the strawberries and sliced bananas in the blender for the photo on FD2! One of my favorite things during culinary school was plating and presentation, so working with food styling and being involved in food photography will be a fun part of the job.

Coming from a journalism background in school, I'll also say that it's exciting to be in the middle of all that's going on in a newsy environment. The test kitchen is located on the fourth floor of The Oregonian building on SW Broadway. When I ride up the elevator I usually take a right, then a left past the executive offices. Down the hall and another left and I'm in the middle of the FOODday section, where I first see Editorial Assistant Kate Leeper, then Assistant Editor, Katherine Miller and Copy Editor, Danielle Centoni. Across and diagonally to the left from Katherine is Editor, Martha Holmberg. No, she doesn't have an office, but rather a 10 x 10 desk space with low-standing walls just as the rest of the staff does. It's an incredibly friendly group of experts that really know their stuff and aren't afraid to voice their concerns when there's not enough salt or the soup isn't creamy enough or they can't taste the parsnips in the parsnip muffins (yes, parsnip muffins, and they are delicious!).

I was browsing through the latest edition of MIX magazine on Friday. I had already read the edition, but wanted to buzz through again to get some reminders of new venues to try over the weekend. It blew me away when I began reading the names of the contributing writers and photographers. Hey, I know all these people now, I thought! I'm working among the likes of Leslie Cole, Mike Davis, Freddie Joe, and John Foyston and see them on a regular basis as Leslie often stops into the test kitchen to taste, critique, and offer her opinions on perfecting the recipes that go alongside her stories, and Mike enters the kitchen to get a feel for what he'll shoot for the day.

I'm very excited to have the opportunity and will continue to share more of the adventures and a behind-the-scenes look from the Test Kitchen.

By now you should have had your oatmeal, so go get your smoothie ready for your afternoon snack!

Cheers,
JF