it’s finally over

2 Oct 2006 at 12:12 am

Fine Dining: À La Carte was a class I never thought I would celebrate ending. It was long, challenging, and frustrating. It began with one of the worst starts ever, one that made me want to quit cooking. I can’t say that the course alone was responsible, but it was a huge mess.

Something happened to me in that first week: I fell apart. I was defeated, absent-minded, clumsy, forgetful, and practically incompetent. I wasn’t myself. It’s kind of scary how quickly I fell apart, but thankfully, it lasted only three days. On day four, I recovered.

Chef was stressing me out, and the kitchen bothered me. It was deceptive: at first it seemed so digestible, so familiar to what we’ve done before, that it should have been a breeze to excel in. The trouble was this course was fundamentally different in a way that didn’t make itself apparent for almost a week.

But time passed, I adapted, and finally, I excelled.

My group put together a fabulous tasting menu, and it went off without a hitch. Our last week in the kitchen was focused and with purpose, and my last day was one of my best. In the end, I realized the fabulousness of Chef Louise, and I understood her approach. I have mixed memories of our time together, but I respect her greatly, and I’m grateful for what she taught me.

There’s so much I’ve learned form this class, most of which I don’t immediately recognize, but it will surface later, probably without thought or recollection.

I’m thankful that 60-hour weeks are over, that I get to have a life outside work once again.

For the curious, images of our tasting menu are showing up on Flickr.