Cooking with Jas

What is capstone you ask? Well at the Art Institute the Associates and Bachelors program are required to do a “senior” project or portfolio review (as some call it outside our program) that displays the knowledge that they have learned throughout the course of the program. For the culinary program the general idea behind it is to come up with a restaurant (or hospitality) concept and bring it to life. At the end of the quarter all students come together displaying their concept and idea at the Embassy Suites in Anaheim. Just like all the other tradeshows.

This is actually something I have been waiting for since I first started the school. I knew as soon as my dad put the image of doing an Asian fusion restaurant that I was going to make this super sexy.

Here it is in bits and pieces!

Name: TBA I have it but I’m not ready to give it to everyone.
Concept: (in short) Asian Bistro with Jazz Bar
Vision: Taking the idea of Cantonese (what some call California) Cuisine, utilizing fresh and seasonal ingredients, predominately Chinese, and using classical techniques and modern plating styles. Part of it is really taking all the different regions of of China (and other parts of Asia) and giving it a new flare as well as new look, but something the American public will eat and accept.

Display Menu (at show):

Bean Curd Egg Roll (I think I need a new name):
The concept behind this dish is the egg roll & spring roll concept. At the show we will not have any cooking time, therefore egg & spring rolls won’t work. However using bean curds will hold up like an egg roll and will also give a very unique look and feel to it. The final product will be steamed and then served cold or room temp.

Drunken Chicken & Asian Bean Salad w/ Muscat Jelli:
When I saw this recipe I knew I had to do it. Drunken chicken is just so Chinese, and to be able to portray it in a modern way is just way sexy. The Asian salad is made up of ginko nuts, edamame and a couple other things. The original recipe called for Shao Xing Wine granite, but because of the there is nothing to hold the ice, it will melt. The muscat wine will also be a nice sweet finish to compliment to the chicken, and will be scraped like the granite.

Sweet Ginger Rice Wine with Royal Pearls:
There is no alcohol in this shooter! Sorry to disappoint. This does utilize a Chinese technique, but a Korean dish. I don’t know about you, but I know some Korean restaurants serve up some tasty rice water at the end of the meal. It’s very refreshing, but also a great palate cleanser. The little pearls will be made like tapioca balls, but with some natural food coloring. This will give the shooter a very unique look, but also kicks it up a notch or two.

I wrote this because I was inspired by you. Some people tell me I’m kissing someone’s ass, but I am letting you know I’m genuinely thankful. I truly believe that each and everyone that has surrounded me at one time or another has been part of what influenced to who I am today, some more than others. Anyways I hope you will take some time I read through my thoughts in the last few weeks.

One year has come and gone so quickly. Exactly a year ago I was looking at the culinary schools around me in South California and now I am only 3 months from completing the Associates program at AI of Orange County. I can only say that I have been having an amazing time in my life. Some may think that culinary school is fun in games, but I have taken every step very seriously because I knew since I stepped in my first kitchen class, that was it. I knew I wasn’t going to turn back, and definitely wasn’t going to have second thoughts about all of this.

I consider myself very lucky. Without the support of my dad (parents) this would have been rather difficult. And if my dad hadn’t suggested going into culinary I wouldn’t even have thought that I would never have thought to step foot in this industry. I still wonder how he knew this was where I belong. What I do know is this was where he and my mom didn’t want me to be. My dad was basically the Executive Chef of a well known Chinese Restaurant here in San Francisco, but when my great uncle retired he took that as an opportunity to leave the industry. I know he still misses it, but sometimes you take sacrifices for the whole.

I remember very vaguely of the adventures I had at the restaurant. I was 5 (wow almost 24 years ago) years old when my family stepped away from the restaurant business. There are some old memories that still live with me. My brother and I were always in the prep area because we couldn’t afford a babysitter and we were just taken care of in the back of the restaurant when m mom started working as a waitress at the restaurant. I remember playing with the commercial can opener all the time, of which people still don’t know how to use in culinary school after 3 quarters. I remember my grandfather making his famous potstickers from scratch, grinding the meat, making and rolling out the dough and then assembling it. As I continue to think, I can already remember everyone around me telling me that I had an amazing palate for flavors even at that age. Today people just tell me it’s in my blood to be working in a kitchen, but perhaps that’s why I feel so comfortable and at home in the kitchen.

Here I sit in the New Year with 3 more months and I will be done with culinary school. I am certainly very excited that school will soon be over and done with, but my excitement doesn’t end there. Everything is finally falling into place, as if it were to belong there to begin with. The energy that I once had back in high school is now back with me and maybe even two times as strong. All I can say is I’m ready to see the rest of it. I’ll do whatever it takes because this is one battle I can’t afford to lose.

So where do I go from here? The obvious choice would be to keep working hard and keep climbing to the top as quickly as possible. I think one of the most important things at this point is to better understand where I came from. No I don’t mean where I was born, but deep in the roots of where my family, culture and ethnicity are from. This is where many of the answers for my quest to find what I consider the fusion of East with West, back to where it all originated. In this quest I hope to be able to spend some time in the Southern part of China to better understand the ingredients and methods of preparation of food. I also expect to have to learn to read and write Chinese which I know speaking fluently no longer means anything. It will be a long process, but hopefully I can find it in myself to push through it fast.

Although I am no expert or professional I know that having a mentor is always very important. As part of my entrance essay to the Art Institute, it would eventually be my goal to be able to give back to the community, but as well to eager students or even ones just looking for direction. I will never forget the one time I had a chance to coach a group of 16 girls, back at my high school. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I had and to this day I still miss teaching them about the sport, but as well about responsibility, discipline and team work. My cousins also give me a great pride in why I should educate people about food. I know that every time I spend time cooking and teaching them about the food they are about to eat, they have a better appreciation for it. Food brings people together.

I stand here today because of those that have surrounded me with great guidance and faith. I have been blessed to have many mentors, instructors, and friends that have invested their time in making me a better person as well as guiding me down the right path. Today they are my inspiration to keep pushing forward because I know I can’t let them down. I can’t let all that time and energy they all put in me go to waste. No matter how little time they spent with me, or even if they said one thing that made me realize something greater, it is enough to give thanks to all of them.

Thank you for all of your support!

Added updated Resume

Additional Pictures have been added to the portfolio section.

Logo for the new site is done, and should be up in a couple weeks.

New look for the actual website should be hopefully also up for the new quarter.

Exciting stuffs!

Happy Holiday Everyone!!!

Jas

I had one of the most amazing quarters at culinary school. I was enrolled for 5 kitchen courses. All I knew was all eyes were on me when I told other students and chefs. I even at one point have someone ask me if I was “smoking” something. My response, “Nope, that’s why I can do it.” I actually ended up taking a 6^th kitchen class to help enhance my skills, ending in 35 school hours not including the recipe cards, journals, and papers. By the second half of the quarter I was also approached to help resurrect the culinary club, and so I jumped on board.

I’m not sure if any one student has done such a thing before, nor am I asking for an award. I believe this only made me stronger mentally. My speed increased tremendously including in utilizing my knife as well as multi-tasking. I started utilizing equipment in the kitchens to my advantage, especially when I couldn’t find what I needed. I just made it work for me. My plating jumped up to a whole different level. I started utilizing colors and flavors like I never thought of before.

Beyond enhancing my skills, Chef Vuu, (big bro), really helped me realize a few things being Chinese. I really looked deeper within to figure out who I really am, and how I wanted to proceed with my culinary skills in the future. Although I am fully American made, I am very proud Chinese and I believe it is part of my destiny to represent my culture and heritage to the rest of the world, in whatever manner I can. The first way would be through food and the second is giving back to the community.

I know the same question kept coming up over and over, was why I was hanging around the Grade Manger kitchen. No, I didn’t take the class over. This quarter I was also very blessed to be given an opportunity by Chef Wagner to work with him while he was teaching one of his classes. I took full advantage of this special opportunity to try different things and enhance myself in the kitchen.

After many sleepless nights, and 5 or 6 day weeks at school, I still wouldn’t give these 3 months back. I took what I could from it. All I can say is thank you to all the chefs that have put time into helping me grow. I don’t plan to disappoint. I love you guys!

Currently I am working on getting an actual website up, and then having the blog as a section of it.  After this quarter in classes I have released I will soon be getting some great opportunities.  That only means I have to step it up.

Hopefully this is something I can get up and running really soon.

When I first came to culinary school all my family expected it to just be a full on hands on program.  Just like any other courses being in class you have homework and papers to do.  As you progress through the courses, the harder the kitchen classes the more work you begin to encounter.  The work takes time, but it is certainly worth it.

I must say that I am quite lucky to have picked to attend the Art Institute of Orange County.  So far every chef I have met have really helped me look at this industry in a whole different light.  Some of it is coming from assignments, some of it from class, and some are just rather inspirational.  These chefs have become part of my drive.  I know have set a certain pace in their classes, and a certain level of respect in their mind, and no way do I even want to disappoint them.

But back to the topic of papers.  Who would have ever thought I would be writing at least one or two papers per class.  Then I have this one chef that is giving us a two page single space paper to write each week.  There is a lot of work, but there are also a lot of hidden things she is trying to get out from us.  Our first paper was on Jacques Pepin.  I grew up as a young kid watching Sesame Street, Julia Child, Martin Yan and Jacques Pepin.  I even had family members that met Chef Pepin.  But it was this paper that I wrote last week that was probably the most inspiring to me.

We were to chose a famous pastry chef.  I picked Elizabeth Falkner because I knew she had a shop in San Francisco, the city I grew up in.  I never knew much about her other than I saw her here and there on some of the food shows.  It wasn’t until I did some research where I found out I can have someone to relate to.  How so you ask?  Well Chef Falkner went to the Art Institute in SF, not for culinary but alas she went to an AI which I am now attending.  She has been in San Francisco for the longest time, of which I was born and raised.  That gives me some common ground.  But her most inspiring thing was how she started as a pastry chef and now has tapped into the savory side.  She not only is being part of it she is looking to expand it and blend the two borders.

This really allows me to think outside of the box big time.  Although I am not the biggest pastry or baking person, this gives me hope.  I am always looking for ways to broaden my horizon in anyways possible.  In any industry it is all about being innovative especially in culinary.  You can have a great place where people come to eat, but I think it needs to be more than that.  You need to be able to add the wow factor on.  Doing some research on Elizabeth Falkner really opened up my vision and my mind into being able to doing just one thing.

Well more so that food brings family together and closer.  I had a very interesting weekend and perhaps a bit enlightening.  My cousin Felix had come over from San Francisco with his parents to give his fiance a ride home back to San Francisco.  While they were out here I was invited to spend time with them for 2 days in a row, even though the drive out to see them was about 30 miles each way.  I figured why not, since I dont’ get to see much family on a regular basis anymore.  

I had a chance to share some very nice meals with my cousin and his new family, and actually the whole weekend was about food.  Perhaps it is our Chinese culture or perhaps its the hospitality, but it almost always seems appropriate to sit down and have some nice meals with people you don’t see often, but also those that are close with you.  When I wrote my entrance essay to the Art Institute I actually addressed something similiar.  Food is the common ground that brings people together, regardless of where you’re from and what your background is.  Food is an experience that you can share with someone close, but even a stranger.

Tonight was also my first experience having Cuban cuisine.  It was perhaps one of the most interesting scenarios to be in too.  I was experiencing this food with all these Chinese people that actually lived around this type of food before.  It was perhaps something I don’tthink I could ever imagine sharing with my own parents.  We all went into this dinner with open arms and open hearts and I think that was the beauty of it.  The food wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, but unqiue in its own way.  It was good, but it wasn’t something to go raving about either.  Whichever it ends up being I was glad to have been part of it.

I haven’t had much of a chance or time the last few weeks to do to much to this site.  You may have recalled two previous posts, which have now disappeared.  While I was updating the site I had saved the data improperly and lost those 2 wonderful posts.  Hopefully they will not be missed too much.  

In a short time I hope to get some new colors and perhaps even a logo up on the site, with the help of a few friends.  If you have any suggestions feel free to write!

I would like to take a little time to thank eLinkworld in helping me host this site.  This company has made it possible for me to track my thoughts and experiences in the times to come.  They have also provided me many tools to get this site up and running but as well as providing tools that I can soon put my resume and reciepe book up.  I am very appreciative of the service that they have provided me and would like to invite you to learn a little more about them as well.

You too  can own a domain like mine and have it hosted, at a one of the lower rates on the market.  Feel free to contact eLinkworld and reference me, or speak to me contact me and I’ll help point you in the right direction!

Thanks again eLinkworld!

 I have been thinking about studying abroad for a couple months now.  It’s one of those things where I don’t know what to expect or if I should persue.  I was actually hoping the school would offer abroad over to France instead.  France seems typical for a cuilnary journey, but it is a very important foundation to what we call fine dining and even the every so emergin casual dining with high class feel.  Thats all great and groovey but really I want to hone my plating skills and to be able to see it in France would be far superior.

I spoke with one of my chefs a couple weeks back and asked him how he felt about doing the abroad program.  He thought that it would be a waste, but he was referencing Switzerland and taking Asian cuisine there.  However another chance to think about studying abroad made another appearance this past Friday.  I volunteered to help the guest Chef Lorenzo Polegri, which he also happened to be the Chef instructor in Italy for studying abroad.  My baking Chef pushed me out there to volunteer to help cut pasta, then Chef Lorenzo catches it, and now of course I have to walk my way up to the demo station.  He asked me my name and I said Jasmine, but the Chef being European and all he had to do the whole accent thing on it.  It reminded of my french teacher in high school, who I did adore.  

As the demostrations continued I really thought about my position and what I want to do with food.  I have been thinking about fusion food and perhaps this is my opportunity to really learn the basis of another culture (nonAsian).  This just might be that opportunity thats been waiting for me.  Not only will I get to study there as a student and see the culture, the school set us up with jobs there, plus long weekends where there are no classes which we can travel to see other parts of Europe.  The only catch? The cost of this whole thing will be 3x what I am paying per quarter + anything else I spend while I’m there.  $15k, ouch!

Well I go into to talk to the director in charge of the whole program tomorrow to find out all the full details and classes offered.  Then I get to make the final decision with my parents.  Buongiorno!