What you knead

And so the journey ends.

18 months ago I enrolled in the Baking and Pastry program at the Chef’s Academy.  18 months ago I traded in the shirt and tie for a chef’s jacket.  18 months ago I embarked on a new journey; one that would change my life forever.  

During that time I have had the privilege of working with some amazing people at some amazing places.  I have had some extraordinary mentors that have taught me so much from the science of baking to genuinely appreciating the early morning hours of the bakery.

Today, I started my new job as a pastry chef at the Meridian. Today started the next chapter in my life and, as such, closes the door on whatyouknead.  And after 18 months, and countless entries, it is time to say thank you to everyone that has been involved in my little blog world…..all three of you.

I am so excited to embark on this new journey.  I will still post images on Flickr, so be sure to check now and again.  Thank you for letting me share my little adventure with you, and if you have time, be sure to stop by the Meridian here in a few weeks to check out the new dessert menu. As this chapter has come to a close, a new one is just beginning…

Back home again….

Finally after 17 hours in the Jeep with Dad, I am back home.  We had such a fun drive together, but now there is so much to do, so much to catch up on.  Unpack, update formulas, create a new dessert menu, test out that new dessert menu in my own kitchen (which I missed so much!) and of course, get the herb garden all set.  I typically like to plant everything from seeds, but last year I bought some herbs that had a head start and they were amazing.  It was for a Lab-rescue fund-raiser, so how could you not?  This year was no different.  It does take a little fun out of planting the seeds, but I like helping the doggies that much more.  The back patio is now a garden filled with the standards; sage, rosemary, thyme, basil, mint, lemon balm, and oregano. Because they had a head start they are all ready to go and so am I.  I miss Denver already, but its good to be back home where I belong.

That much closer

There was a lot happening today, so please, stay with me.  Hopefully it will all come together in the end.

One year ago today, I posted a blog that had the following, “He defined what a chef should be and defined what I hope to become one day.”  That was how I ended my blog when I found out Chef Joseph passed.  I only knew him for a very short time, what a huge influence he was on me in the kitchen.

When I packed up the jeep and headed west to Rioja, I had two goals.  The first was to be offered a job.  I wanted to work harder than ever, learn more than possible and really focus on desserts, becoming better in the kitchen and if possible become that much more passionate about desserts.  Hopefully from this, they would see this passion and dedication and want me to stay on as part of their team.  Well, goal one accomplished.  They are opening a new restaurant early summer and they offered me a job at Euclid Hall.  I was beside myself.  It was a pretty exciting moment when they asked.  At the time I needed to focus on the daily tasks, but inside I was jumping for joy.

The second goal was to have a dessert special for the night at Rioja.  I have seen what Chef Eric creates, and I really wanted to have the opportunity to present something that he would be equally excited about.  Last Friday when I was filling out all my school paperwork with him, I asked about presenting a special before I left.  My idea was an orange bread pudding with candied walnuts and whipped cream to garnish.  I knew we had left over candied walnuts and brioche from Mother’s Day, and was hoping to use them as a starting point.  He liked the idea, but we continued on without discussing it further.  Sunday, being the busy day it was, Eric decided to make the amuse bouche; a walnut cream filled croissant.  It was beautiful and delicious, but the only problem, they forgot about it.  At the end of the day we had a few sheet trays of these and I just wanted to cry.  I asked him what we should do with these, and his reply, “Save them for your dessert special.”  I must have looked like a fat kid about ready to enjoy his chocolate birthday cake, smiling from ear to ear. Yesterday we sat down and started planning the dessert.  This was truly a great collaboration.  I had an initial idea for the special, but being the good teacher and mentor, Eric took the dessert to the next level without really changing the original concept. We both had so much fun talking about it and creating it.

Today at line up, Eric said the evening’s dessert special was a collaboration between Adam and I.  As he was presenting it, the staff was eating this warm bread pudding (and by the way, it’s currently 30 and snowing here in Denver). Being able to watching their expressions as they were eating dessert made goal number two a success.  Almost every single person there made it a point to stop by and tell me how much they enjoyed the dessert and congratulate me on a job well done. 

Tomorrow is my last day at Rioja.  It will be really hard to leave such a great group of people.  They really have adopted me into their family, and for that I am eternally grateful.   I have learned so much in such a very short time.  I have made some very good friends and more importantly I have learned that much more about what it takes to make a really good dessert, something I will have to do here soon at my new job. As my classroom education is about done, it will be time to stand alone and hopefully do what it takes to becoming that much closer to defining what a chef should be.

Below is today’s dessert special at Rioja. The photo unfortunately was a quick snap of a quick test plate in the back.  I am not sure it does the dessert justice, but hope you enjoy.

And I am spent…

I am sorry for the delay in blogging, but it has been a little crazy around here.  Thursday at work, I glanced at the clock and then caught eyes with Eric as he said, “What’s wrong?”  Here is how the rest of the conversation went:

It’s 4:30

And?  We still have a few things to do before we are done.

I’m done.

What?

I’m all done.  18 months in the making.

What are you talking about?

I just completed all the required hours for my externship.  Technically, I am all done.

He smiled at me with this hint of pride, understanding completely what I was feeling and simply said congratulations.  Then it was back to business as we finished up everything for the night.  I still have until Thursday before I am all done at Rioja, but for now, it’s a nice feeling.  I completed my packet and reports, received good evaluations, printed out my photos, and if all goes well, this Thursday I will be all done with school.  What a feeling.  It has been a long journey, but a good one.  I still need to have the Chef’s Academy sign off on everything before it is official, but for now, just a nice deep breath and a smile.

Sunday is Mother’s day, and the busiest day of the year for us.  We will do about 350 covers just for brunch and that doesn’t count the patio or bar.  Then it’s prep for dinner.  Should be a very busy and crazy day, but a good day.  As I was prepping today, Chef Jen came up to me and said, “Well Adam, I am leaving for vacation tonight, so this is our last shift together.”  That really hit home with me.  I am glad I was able to get her some Upland Wheat as a thank you (which by the way she loved and wants to have in the restaurant as soon as possible!!).  Before I left I stopped by Chef Jen and thanked her for everything.  Her response.  A huge hug and said you will always have family in Denver.  Please keep us updated, visit often and above all, make us proud.  We will miss you.  Then it was back to business for her and a nice walk home for me.

Yes, Chef.  I will visit often, stay in touch and do everything I can to make you proud. 

Move aside Buster, it’s my turn.

Finally after 18 months I have decided to hijack my husband’s blog, why tonight you ask? Because I don’t think he could describe our dinner experience this evening without bias. As some of you may know, I grew up in the restaurant business, so I have had a good meal or two behind me to objectively describe tonight’s experience. Tonight we dined at Rioja in Denver, the famed restaurant that Adam has written about a few times in his blog, and it was, in one word, unforgettable. Our dinner started with some bubbly and an amuse bouche, an upscale take on a corn dog with black currant compote. Words alone cannot begin to describe the delectable tastes that followed each one more amazing than the one before:

Tuna tartare on crispy apple chips; hand made mozzarella wrapped in smoked prosciutto, grilled bread, oven-dried tomatoes, arugula and green olive pistou; cardamom spiced Kurobuta pork belly with a Madra curry scented fresh garbanzo bean puree; artichoke tortellini, with goat cheese and artichoke mousse stuffed pasta in an artichoke broth with truffle essence and a queso do mano cheese and chervil, and that was all before we ordered our main entree.  Our entrees were even more amazing than the starters; braised baby goat with pasta and roasted pine nuts; ricotta gnocchi caprese with heirloom tomatoes; blue marlin with calamari, roasted red peppers and chili peppers in a white wine and caper broth with spring greens; and of course the most prized bites of the evening: the lemon sabayon tart with pine nut brittle ice cream and limoncello granita; the beignet filled with fig and goat cheese and the never-ending supply of rosemary goat cheese biscuits, all made with Adam’s love and care.

The food and the appreciation for Adam’s talents and hard work never stopped tonight. I met so many wonderful people who made sure we had a wonderful dining experience from start to finish, including the finale of candied sugar mint leaves. We started the evening with a wonderful glass of sparkly and now are ending it with the champagne of beer. I apologize I do not have any photos to share with you, Adam is the photographer, you know, but as most know, in spite of the admiration and love I have for my husband, I tell the truth and I am pretty straightforward with my opinions. Despite the obvious wonderful company I had at my table this evening, the amazing atmosphere of Rioja, the food made it truly one of the best dining experiences in my life. I am so proud of Adam and all he has accomplished and seeing the appreciation and respect his co-workers have for him makes me even more so proud of what he does and where he is.  So, if you ever find yourself in Denver, make sure you head down to LoDo and visit Rioja, your palette and stomach will thank you. 

— Shelby Siurek