Shake & Bake

I must say my classes on Tuesday were super busy than usual, and I had the opportunity to cook a dinner for seven people. The day started with my salad and vegetables classes; we prepped appetizers for the Association of Commerce event serving 200 people at Moraine Park Technical College in Fond du Lac. There were about twenty options for people to choose and eat from ranging from fruit trays to bit sized canapés. My friend Chelssie and I worked on two fruit trays. Our job was to cut, carve, and design a layout for the fruit display. Chelssie carved four melons shaped into eagles and swans; she also cut some of the fruits into shapes. I worked on making watermelon balls, and the letter carving. Although it seemed like a simple process the small letters are difficult because I wanted to make sure the words were clear, and didn’t look messy. Afterwards we finally started laying out the two fruit trays, this took longer because we wanted to make sure the colors were in a good pattern and make enough fruits for people to eat and for backups. You can look at the pictures above to get an idea how everything turned out. Everything was put out on time for the event; I could tell everyone was enjoying the food and having a good time. I didn’t stay long because I had to start my dinner for seven, and I was running out of time.

Afterwards I quickly prepped some food at school before heading over to the Motherhouse. This dinner started when I attended a golf outing over the summer for a live silent auction. My offer was I would cook dinner for anyone who bid on me and the highest bidder would win. The winner was Sister Joann of Sister of St. Agnes. I was delighted and she gave the date when she wanted to have the dinner. Once I arrived at the Motherhouse located next to St. Mary Springs High School in Fond du Lac, I gathered my food and kicked off the dinner. Afterwards I introduced myself to the Sisters and told them about the menu I planned out for the night. I started with wine and a cheese tray, followed by an autumn salad and butternut squash soup. For the main course I served a lemon chicken with wild rice and steamed broccoli, follow by the grand finally of apple crisp. The Sisters enjoyed every item on the menu; they said nothing but good remarks about my food. This dinner showed me I have the potential to be successful in the culinary world. Doing events like this helps me to learn new techniques and keep networking with people. Like I tell people all the time, if you ever want me to cook for you let me know and I will do it in a heartbeat. That’s all for now but on my next blog I will talk about my wacky Wednesday.

Ciao,
Lee IV