hey guys, just in case anyone hasn't noticed….there hasn't been any new blogs up lately. Thats because tsp has moved to tumblr! we have posted plenty of new vlogs and blogs and even added a blog for a more latin view on food. so go check it out!
The Pantry Stache:
www.thepantrystache.tumblr.com
El Pantry Bigoteo (the pantry stache en espanol):
wwww.elpantrybigoteo.tumblr.com
twitter:
@thepantrystache
Facebook:
Facebook.com/thepantrystache
email:
thepantrystache@yahoo.com
much love! hope to hear from you soon!
Sincerely,
the pantry stache brigade
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Culinary school graduates: eager cooks or snobbish "know-it-alls"?
As you may or may not know, I attend the venerable french based culinary school: Le Cordon Bleu. I do not say "venerable" as kudos to myself or any other person that goes there, I say it because of the simple fact, the school has history and has helped some great cooks in some way; i.e. Julia Child, Giada De Laurentiis, Mario Batali (partially), Aida Mollenkamp, etc. But a few months ago, while applying for some jobs, I encountered some negative feedback on Le Cordon Bleu for a couple of reasons: 1. the tuition cost 2. alumni students giving current students a bad rep. Interviewers would explain a negative experience with another former LCB student or just describe a general disgust with the tuition amount. I WILL ADRESS BOTH……
1. Tuition Amount:
I will not beat around the bush or generalize with you…the tuition is steep. For both school years, uniforms, books, knife kits, food costs and club fees, the tuition will cost you around 35k-45k. I'm just being honest. Now I did my homework and johnson and wales runs about 35k and the Art institute or America will cost you about 54k. So LCB is NOT the most outrageous thing ever. And you get what you pay for. i have met many people who attended community colleges for culinary arts and they couldn't give me technical names for knife skills. i mean, thats basic. And other non specialty colleges run almost 25k a year and to obtain their degrees, it takes 4 years. so its not too bad considering that 40k will get all you need and you will not pay more as time goes on. Its just back and white. take it or leave it.
2.Graduated "Loser Students":
Many people I have spoken to say the same exact thing, "you pay a ton of money to go there but the people who graduate are stupid. so its like the school takes your money and doesn't teach you crap." I cannot argue the fact that there are some idiotic people who ruin it for the good students. I'll give an example….
I spoke with an LCB graduate a few days ago who was just a total dud. He was peeling and cutting potatoes for mash. Not to brag but if you give me a peering knife and a whole case of large yukon gold spuds, I can finish peeling and cutting the whole case in under 10-12 minutes. This dude was using a ceramic peeler taking about a minute for each spud, just to peel them not even adding the time to cut them. i said "why don't you use a peering knife and just tear through it?" and He said "trust me, I know what Im doing." after I walked away (i could see him from a distance) he pulled out a peering knife and started trying to cut the spuds down. He was moving even slower than before and before long he sliced his thumb pretty good. He later had to make asparagus and didn't know he had to peel them for plating….now none of this would bother me until he tried to convince be that He recently turned down an executive position job and that all of his best friends were master chefs. he also continued to tell me how he should be able to wear a "bigger and taller" chefs had so people had to acknowledge that he is now a "chef" just because he graduated culinary school. I, instinctively, wanted to open-hand smack him. It was annoying.
Now imagine thousands of people like him going around and telling people that he is from LCB, that would successfully ruin it for future LCB alumni, like me. Its not the coolest thing ever. I cannot speak for potato boy but i can tell you this… I am not going to culinary school so that when i graduate, i can brag and tell people that i am a chef. I am going to culinary school because I love to cook, I love art, and I love the reaction I see when people are eating and sharing great food that is made with passion and love and care for each ingredient. I know that even after graduation, I will be a student in the kitchen. always being a "sponge," taking in all that i can and always trying to innovate and create creative, inspiring, passionate, delicious food. If you are a cook on any level, don't get caught up in status or bragging rights. no one likes an arrogant cook who really doesn't know as much as he/she thinks they do.
got anything to add? respond here. reply to the email: thepantrystache@yahoo.com or tweet back @thepantrystache
-TPS
1. Tuition Amount:
I will not beat around the bush or generalize with you…the tuition is steep. For both school years, uniforms, books, knife kits, food costs and club fees, the tuition will cost you around 35k-45k. I'm just being honest. Now I did my homework and johnson and wales runs about 35k and the Art institute or America will cost you about 54k. So LCB is NOT the most outrageous thing ever. And you get what you pay for. i have met many people who attended community colleges for culinary arts and they couldn't give me technical names for knife skills. i mean, thats basic. And other non specialty colleges run almost 25k a year and to obtain their degrees, it takes 4 years. so its not too bad considering that 40k will get all you need and you will not pay more as time goes on. Its just back and white. take it or leave it.
2.Graduated "Loser Students":
Many people I have spoken to say the same exact thing, "you pay a ton of money to go there but the people who graduate are stupid. so its like the school takes your money and doesn't teach you crap." I cannot argue the fact that there are some idiotic people who ruin it for the good students. I'll give an example….
I spoke with an LCB graduate a few days ago who was just a total dud. He was peeling and cutting potatoes for mash. Not to brag but if you give me a peering knife and a whole case of large yukon gold spuds, I can finish peeling and cutting the whole case in under 10-12 minutes. This dude was using a ceramic peeler taking about a minute for each spud, just to peel them not even adding the time to cut them. i said "why don't you use a peering knife and just tear through it?" and He said "trust me, I know what Im doing." after I walked away (i could see him from a distance) he pulled out a peering knife and started trying to cut the spuds down. He was moving even slower than before and before long he sliced his thumb pretty good. He later had to make asparagus and didn't know he had to peel them for plating….now none of this would bother me until he tried to convince be that He recently turned down an executive position job and that all of his best friends were master chefs. he also continued to tell me how he should be able to wear a "bigger and taller" chefs had so people had to acknowledge that he is now a "chef" just because he graduated culinary school. I, instinctively, wanted to open-hand smack him. It was annoying.
Now imagine thousands of people like him going around and telling people that he is from LCB, that would successfully ruin it for future LCB alumni, like me. Its not the coolest thing ever. I cannot speak for potato boy but i can tell you this… I am not going to culinary school so that when i graduate, i can brag and tell people that i am a chef. I am going to culinary school because I love to cook, I love art, and I love the reaction I see when people are eating and sharing great food that is made with passion and love and care for each ingredient. I know that even after graduation, I will be a student in the kitchen. always being a "sponge," taking in all that i can and always trying to innovate and create creative, inspiring, passionate, delicious food. If you are a cook on any level, don't get caught up in status or bragging rights. no one likes an arrogant cook who really doesn't know as much as he/she thinks they do.
got anything to add? respond here. reply to the email: thepantrystache@yahoo.com or tweet back @thepantrystache
-TPS
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentines Day! what did you eat?
Happy Valentines Day Everyone! Hope you all got to show love and get shown some love, in a good clean way of course! I realize that it is a very big holiday, maybe not big like Christmas or Thanksgiving, but it is big for the food industry...think about it! New couples, old couples, older couples...they all are making arrangements to make dinner or take their significant other out for some comida (food)! For example I, just for the fun of it, called 5 different restaurants this morning to see how many were booked out. All 5 were at maximum capacity. Small ma and pop places (like Orlando's own: Hue and Agave Azul) , all the way up to the optimus prime eateries (such as: Crave, Seasons 52, Cheesecake Factory). So all that to say, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE EATING SOMETHING TONIGHT! So let me know what you ate!
As for my fiance and I, we went to this humble little lake and dock by our houses (the place where we had hung out since we met and the same place I proposed) and ate a dinner I spent a little while preparing while she was at work. This was our menu:
Entree:
Hers: Chicken Cordon Bleu w/ Loaded Mash
Mine: Beef Wellington w/ Loaded Mash
dessert:
(Served tapas style)
we shared: Strawberry Cheesecake, Tira Misu, and Molten Lava Cake w/ cookies and cream ice cream
I am not one for shortcuts, so I had the time to make dinner and I used it. She liked it. So it paid off.
but in case you wanted to cook dinner but were afraid to touch your stove, I will be posting some user friendly recipes for future valentines days or even just sporadic date nights. So stay tuned and take notes!
Until then, Facebook search "the pantry stache," "like" us and then watch the valentines day video blog!
any suggestions? fast track them to thepantrystache@yahoo.com
and oh yeah! FOLLOW THE PANTRY STACHE ON TWITTER! @thepantrystache
much love and happy eats!
-Rich, TPS
As for my fiance and I, we went to this humble little lake and dock by our houses (the place where we had hung out since we met and the same place I proposed) and ate a dinner I spent a little while preparing while she was at work. This was our menu:
Entree:
Hers: Chicken Cordon Bleu w/ Loaded Mash
Mine: Beef Wellington w/ Loaded Mash
dessert:
(Served tapas style)
we shared: Strawberry Cheesecake, Tira Misu, and Molten Lava Cake w/ cookies and cream ice cream
I am not one for shortcuts, so I had the time to make dinner and I used it. She liked it. So it paid off.
but in case you wanted to cook dinner but were afraid to touch your stove, I will be posting some user friendly recipes for future valentines days or even just sporadic date nights. So stay tuned and take notes!
Until then, Facebook search "the pantry stache," "like" us and then watch the valentines day video blog!
any suggestions? fast track them to thepantrystache@yahoo.com
and oh yeah! FOLLOW THE PANTRY STACHE ON TWITTER! @thepantrystache
much love and happy eats!
-Rich, TPS
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Recipes?!
so next week i will be posting a new blog for each of our categories! as well as adding a new category, RECIPES! these are my original meals so some of them maybe be head scratching-ly odd. Some may be mouth waveringly savory. Some may be waist trimmingly healthy. You never know. But what I do know is, they will be yummy! So be on the look out for the new blogs and feel free to try the recipes and let me know what you think. Fell free to offer suggestions or improvements as well :)
p.s. i will also be posting videos soon too!
much love from my pantry to yours!
-Rich, TPS :{) <- (smiley with a stache')
p.s. i will also be posting videos soon too!
much love from my pantry to yours!
-Rich, TPS :{) <- (smiley with a stache')
Monday, January 31, 2011
kitchen shenanigans!
In case you didn't know, i work at the Country Club Of Orlando. I don't know about anyone elses job or where they work but I'm starting to notice a trend where I work. PRANKS! I work full time here in banquets/garde manger and I def. see my fair share of practical jokes going on. A few of the big ones are that "ball gazing" game where you make the "a-ok" hand gesture below the wait and if someone looks you say "GOT EM!" my fellow brigade member find this one particularly funny. Others include hiding knives or other tools and sticking obnoxious labels to each others backs. Make no mistake, we get our work done! but this was just a "mini post" if you will, giving credit to our in-the-kitchen pass times. Do you have anything like this going on where you work? Leave some feedback and let's laugh about it!
-Rich, TPS
-Rich, TPS
Monday, January 24, 2011
Reading Recommendations
It's late (12:35 am) here in Orlando, and I've got classes and work tomorrow so I must be swift! I just wanted to suggest a couple of cook books that I recently Purchased (one was a gift from my lady, so thank you Carmen!).
The first: "Latin Evolution" by chef Jose Garces. My fiancé, Carmen, got me this one for Christmas. I love it, the layout is very new and sophisticated along with a "basics index" where you can reference basic cooking techniques and ingredients to build upon in the featured recipes. Beautiful pictures and awesome recipes, inspired by Latin culture and cuisine, this one is sure to spice up your at-home-menu in no time!
The second: "Stirring the Pot" by chef Tyler Florence. This one is really nice because it is almost like an owners manual for your kitchen, pantry, tools, and knives. It also doubles as something akin to a coach's play book. Giving trendy looking diagrams and directions on how to do things like braise, suatee, bake, and fry. Simple right? Wrong! Tyler Florence does a great job at making this one appealing to novice and experienced cooks alike.
For this month, these are the Culinary reads I would recommend.
Experiment, taste new ingredients and most of all, have fun!
-Rich,
The Pantry Stache
The first: "Latin Evolution" by chef Jose Garces. My fiancé, Carmen, got me this one for Christmas. I love it, the layout is very new and sophisticated along with a "basics index" where you can reference basic cooking techniques and ingredients to build upon in the featured recipes. Beautiful pictures and awesome recipes, inspired by Latin culture and cuisine, this one is sure to spice up your at-home-menu in no time!
The second: "Stirring the Pot" by chef Tyler Florence. This one is really nice because it is almost like an owners manual for your kitchen, pantry, tools, and knives. It also doubles as something akin to a coach's play book. Giving trendy looking diagrams and directions on how to do things like braise, suatee, bake, and fry. Simple right? Wrong! Tyler Florence does a great job at making this one appealing to novice and experienced cooks alike.
For this month, these are the Culinary reads I would recommend.
Experiment, taste new ingredients and most of all, have fun!
-Rich,
The Pantry Stache
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Cravings: Ice Cream vs. Custard vs. Frozen Yogurt?
Yes thats right! In the first ever "cravings" section, we are having a throwdown handicapped match between 3 dessert icons!
In one corner: the classic treat thats been pumped out of factories and machines in diners (diners like the dining spot, not the person dining because that would be gross :] ) alike, topped with almost anything you can think of! I give you ICE CREAMMMMMMMMMMMM! *cue corny entrance music*
In the next corner: Weighing in at delicious and creamy! Being used in gelaties, gelatoes, and anything in between...CUSTARDDDDDDDDDDDD! *more stupid music and some pyrotechnics*
And last but not least in tastiness: The young star that's quickly rising up in cities all over the world...with taste that's not lacking but fat content that is,I give you.... FROZEENNNNNN YOGUUURRTTT!
*confetti and more tunage*
so here you have it: Ice Cream, who could hate on it? The treat thats been used in floats, brownies castles, milkshakes, and almost anything else associated with after-entree dining. Various flavors and volumes, toppings and titles (ben and jerry, we thank you). Ice cream is, without a doubt, a big contender.
Custard, the thicker, denser, creamier brother to ice cream. Out of the two, custard may take the cake (ice cream cake, that is) in my book. It's richer and seems to be more filling and capable of sealing the deal as far as belly-fullness is concerned.
and finally, Frozen Yogurt. Here in orlando, its the newest and biggest craze in snacking and after-meal goodies. With places like Froyos and Minchies, among others, springing up all over the city. Same great taste, but a considerably lower fat and sometimes caloric volume.
So what's your favorite? Why? Leave some feedback and let's talk about it!
any recommendations? thepantrystache@yahoo.com
or http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pantry-Stache/145136318873999
In one corner: the classic treat thats been pumped out of factories and machines in diners (diners like the dining spot, not the person dining because that would be gross :] ) alike, topped with almost anything you can think of! I give you ICE CREAMMMMMMMMMMMM! *cue corny entrance music*
In the next corner: Weighing in at delicious and creamy! Being used in gelaties, gelatoes, and anything in between...CUSTARDDDDDDDDDDDD! *more stupid music and some pyrotechnics*
And last but not least in tastiness: The young star that's quickly rising up in cities all over the world...with taste that's not lacking but fat content that is,I give you.... FROZEENNNNNN YOGUUURRTTT!
*confetti and more tunage*
so here you have it: Ice Cream, who could hate on it? The treat thats been used in floats, brownies castles, milkshakes, and almost anything else associated with after-entree dining. Various flavors and volumes, toppings and titles (ben and jerry, we thank you). Ice cream is, without a doubt, a big contender.
Custard, the thicker, denser, creamier brother to ice cream. Out of the two, custard may take the cake (ice cream cake, that is) in my book. It's richer and seems to be more filling and capable of sealing the deal as far as belly-fullness is concerned.
and finally, Frozen Yogurt. Here in orlando, its the newest and biggest craze in snacking and after-meal goodies. With places like Froyos and Minchies, among others, springing up all over the city. Same great taste, but a considerably lower fat and sometimes caloric volume.
So what's your favorite? Why? Leave some feedback and let's talk about it!
any recommendations? thepantrystache@yahoo.com
or http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Pantry-Stache/145136318873999
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