A day in the life…
Yesterday I started my externship at Rioja in Denver, CO. I am not really sure where to even being with this entry as I have been waiting for an opportunity like this for some time now, well since I first enrolled in school. I guess I should just go through the day and let you live a day in the life of a pastry student intern. Hope you enjoy.
The day started later than normal, having to be in the kitchen at 7:00a. It is about a 30 minute walk downtown Denver, so watching the morning unfold in a busy city is something that awakens me. Headphone on, coffee in hand, the crisp clean air, I am ready to tackle the world. I arrive and meet the chef. We are one of the first ones there, so the turning on the lights, ovens and of course, the coffee machines. Cooks start to come in getting their daily prep lists and mise en place, deliveries bang on the back door and it is time to get to work. Pastry Chef Eric has been at Rioja for five years now. He is a graduate of Johnson and Wales, a damn good pastry chef and an even better person. His desserts are a thing of beauty, and taste even better. He looked at me and said, “This is your externship. I want you to learn as much as you can and enjoy every moment of it. If there is something specific you want to learn, let me know and we can try to make it happen.” I knew I was in a good place. I know I am working with a good chef. Now it is not going to be play for the next ten weeks. There are prep lists, new formulas and techniques to master, long hours (and yes, I am the intern, so I have the worst schedule ever…) and just so much to do and learn. I spent most of the day getting to know the people and the kitchen, more of a free-pass day. Wednesday it will be all business. As we start you can slowly smell al the different aroma in the kitchen, from our Port-wine reduction with figs to the stocks and sauces. Each corner gives you a new smell to enjoy. We work thru a few formulas and then it’s time for family lunch. Once the kitchen has everything prepped, they make a family dinner for everyone to sit down and enjoy. A time to take a break and enjoy each other company around good food. After we eat, it is back to work finishing the daily desserts. We check and there are 90 covers for the evening, a Monday evening, in a place that seats maybe 100. The people here are excited, but more proud. Busy on a Monday means the week will only get busier and better. As the day winds downs, I am given a Rioja hat. This is my uniform and I will wear it proudly. Only important people get chef’s jackets with their name on it, but no worries, I will have mine soon enough.
