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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
E-Journal I
Ejournal is such a ____ thing. It is now compulsory for me to update my blog. Hah.
HELLO MATES! HELLO MS CHOI! How's everyone? Gosh, it's been 3 weeks since internship started, and it's been an awesome awesome 3 weeks I must add. Less than a month till our departure to the sunny island. I can't wait! (:
As mentioned by many of my fellow coursemates colleagues at the FS property, I've spent my first 3 days at the Regent going through the FSITP - a highly comprehensive orientation programme specially designed to help new staff familiarize themselves with the hotel. During the orientation, we were introduced to the company's culture - a very strong one at that - and I was secretly amused when I realized that most of the stuff that the Learning Manager was incoporating into us (READ: Go the extra mile, meet and exceed expectations, etc) looked awfully familiar - as if I've seen it somewhere in my LSO lecture notes. ;)
The real excitement of my internship begins with my first step into the kitchen. Having heard truckloads of stories on the horrors of the kitchen, and watching one too many episodes of Hell's Kitchen, I approached the Main Kitchen with batted breath. I mentally prepared myself for the Gordon Ramsay moment that never came. Instead, I was greeted by warm smiles and even warmer welcomes. Chin and I were assigned to Basilico's kitchen, the newly opened Italian restaurant that replaced Capers as Regent's flagship restaurant.
The Basilico kitchen crew is is headed by Chef Claudio Rossi (the Executive Chef), Chef Angelo and Chef Carmine - all of them authentic Italian from different provinces in Italy, and whom specializes in different elements of the cuisine. We were entrusted to the care of Jesse, the Chef de Partie of Basilico, and I was truly amazed by the patience and willingness to educate of not just the people up there, but the entire brigade.
Being thrown into an Italian Kitchen means that all of the French culinary terms that I've briefly acquainted myself with gets thrown right out of the window. I cannot even begin to guess what goes into a dish just by looking at the Italian name alone. Porcini Mushroom? Fortina Cheese? Agnello, Branzi, Baccala, Maltagliati, Insalata, Fegato Grasso, Calzone, and these are just some of the many menu items that will show up on the order chit during dinner operation. It is an entire different set of knowledge that I have to familiarize myself with, and I feel myself soaking up the new knowledge like a piece of dry sponge. 3 weeks into the internship, and I am unbashedly proud to say that I have managed to comprehend what the customers are ordering at least 95% of the time. (:
I remembered someone once told me, that it is very important to have a curious mind. Ask, and you will receive. I vividly remember, on my 2nd day, being amazed by the wide array of cold cuts on the buffet table. What is the difference between Parmaham, prosciutto, salami and coppa? I am glad the question made it out of my mouth, because otherwise I have never known. "Taste it," says Chef Angelo. And I did. Right in the middle of dinner service Chef Angelo took a minute to explain in great details the difference in their curing, the parts of the animal, and how they are typically served I tried to commit the taste of the cuts to my sensory memory. The same goes for the cheeses, the pasta, and all the Italian glorious produce that I've came across in the past 3 weeks.
They must have had great faith in us, for I was hurled right into dinner operation on my second day in the kitchen. Chef Jesse believes that the most efficient way for learning is hands-on. I was put on the pasta station, and for the first hour, exposed to the 7 different pastas that we serve on the menu. On my second hour, I was making my first risotto for a guest, followed by a maltagliati, and the list goes on. I must say that it is truly an effective way of learning, for I am now as familiar with the sauces and ingredients for the various pasta as I am with the back of my hand.
There was a particularly memorable episode from my first few dinner operations. It was unusually busy, and I was caught up at the plating station. Having little clue on how the typical plating is done, I was unsure of my actions and I guessed it showed. Later when operation slowed, Chef Bobby, who was the aboyeur for dinner at the passe, came up to me.
"Be confident," he said. "Do you think that the guests know that you are a trainee? Are you wearing anything to tell them that you are a trainee? Do you think that they will know that it's your first time plating?"
"No, Chef"
"Precisely. Do you know what are you in their eyes? A Chef. What are you?"
"A Chef," I answered softly.
At that, Chef Bobby looked me in the eyes and said, "Then, act like a Chef. Be a Chef."
I was so utterly inspired, and when the service staff approached the passe 2mins after that and announced that table IT11 sent their gratitude for a fantastic dinner, and compliments to the chefs, I was close to tears. It was the table whose food I had help plate.
Last week was F1 week, and Regent Hotel was one of the hotels catering for the many F1 functions that was going on. Chin and I were transferred from the Basillico Kitchen to the Main Kitchen's Garde Manger (Cold Kitchen) to help out for the week and boy, it was a crazy, crazy week. We had to prepare the mise en place and later assemble thousands of salads and sandwiches. A typical work day starts at 7am and ends at 10pm if we are lucky, with nonstop action in between. By the 3rd day, Chin and I look like zombies walking around in our chefs white. Of course, we took comfort in the knowledge that we are not alone. The entire kitchen is working their heads off for F1, clocking overtime hours like nobody's business. The buzz and energy in the kitchen were sky high. Of course there are bound to be some complaints from the crew, but the OT sessions are peppered with more jokes cracking and laughter that made time pass faster, albeit with gritted teeth.
When Ms Katheleen Taylor, Chef Operating Officer of the Four Seasons Group came to Regent Hotel for a quick breakout session during our orientation period, the few of us TP trainees were privileges enough to sit in and listen. During the session she mentioned a philosophy that I've always held on to - This, too, shall pass.
So, I just want to give a quick shout-out to all my dear, dear friends doing their SIP now: Cherish the good times during the internship and engrave it upon your memories; grit your teeth through the tough thumbs times because after all that is said and done, THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS! (:
Good day to all! (:
*** Other Episodes that Didn't Make It Into the eJournal that I Wanna Remember
1. On the 3rd day of the crazy F1 week, I woke up at 6.53am when I am suppose to report at 7am! It didn't help that it was raining like mad and there was no cab in sight. When I finally got a cab, the jam was CRAZY due to the road closures, and there was a knee high (for me at least okay!) flood right outside Regent at the junction between Tomlinson and Crusaden Road. The motherson (keekee) of a cab uncle REFUSE to drive me through the flood for fear that his lousy engine might stall and die and burst into flame and evaporate into thin air, so he let me alight across the road where I had to brave the flood in the pouring rain. You think that's bad? Wait till you hear the next part. Having lived in tropical, supposedly flood-free Singapore for my entire life, I stupidly waddled through the knee high flood in my pink havas. What followed was a series of rapid events.
My right havas slipped from my feet. I bend in an attempt to fish it out of the water. The second havas got stuck in the muddy waters. A strong current came, swept both havas down Tomlinson Street.
For 2 seconds I was shellshocked. Then I was secretly crying. The rain pouring hard on me, me walking barefooted across the flooded road, wincing everything I step on something foreign. It was such a pitying sight. I swear I've never been so pffted in my entire 18 years of life. I walked barefooted into the employee's entrance, past the security, into the lift, collect my uniform and into the changing room. All the time I had the image of my beloved pink haves drifting down the road in my mind. OL slippers leh! ):
Of course, every cloud has a silver lining. The best thing that came out of it was that the endearing GA pluck up the courage to step into the gay shop in an attempt to get me a new pair of pink havas. It's in the wrong shade of pink and a little too big, but it's so sweet of him. (: Having a GA rocks yo.
2. The tag line for the week is: F1 Fs Everyone.
3. I miss the BFF. We've settled for online conversations but it's just not the same as discussing the juicy, scandalous, bimbotic moments over good food dinner. ): Can't wait for you to be back baby.
WOO! SOP time. Blog entry abruptly stops here.
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