Coordinating chef demonstrations at The International Culinary Center has introduced me to a number of chef’s and food professionals who’ve kept me on my toes and constantly learning, but never has that been truer than when Rob Bleifer, Executive Chef of Food Network Kitchens (and my former boss!) visited the Amphitheater for a Chopped-style cooking challenge.
Photo courtesy Nicole Ruiz Hudson
Chef Rob is one of the mischievous masterminds behind the challenging, and sometimes scary, mystery baskets on the popular Food Network reality cooking show Chopped. My team and I thought it would be fun to turn the tables and challenge Chef Rob to stand in the competitors shoes for a change, so we created three mystery baskets featuring everything from octopus, Japanese eggplant, seaweed-wrapped rice puffs, and the strangely sweet Yakult yogurt drink.
Photo courtesy Nicole Ruiz Hudson
He had 90 minutes to prepare three dishes for a panel of judges, which included Ed McFarland of Ed’s Lobster Bar, Melissa O’Donnell of SaltBar, and Dean Andre Soltner. I had the pleasure of playing the role of both moderator and sous chef to Chef Rob and enjoyed every minute of watching him sweat and think on his feet. It was not an easy challenge by any means, but he was a great sport and created three very interesting and tasty dishes, all while letting us witness how a chef’s mind works under pressure.
One of our students, Nicole Ruiz Hudson, author of Nibbling Gipsy, has all the details on the challenge, including a play by play of each dish and Food Network scoop, over at the FCI Hot Plate blog.
It feels like only yesterday that I was packing away my winter coat and gleefully welcoming the spring season and all the gorgeous produce and light sweater weather that it brings to New York. And now here I am, at the (unofficial) beginning of summer, sweating my butt off and looking back at the madness that was the season of renewal.
After the fanfare of graduation wore off and I took a much needed (albeit short) break, I had the pleasure of running all over New York City as a shopper for the Food Network throughout the month of April. This was exciting for a lot of reasons. First, this was my first gig as a “freelancer”, meaning I was no longer an intern and finally got paid like an adult again. But more importantly, exploring the city on foot as I shopped for ingredients to supply the Food Network Kitchens and their culinary productions proved to be a fun adventure, and a great workout!
Each day brought about its challenges—finding 10 picture perfect lemons at Manhattan Fruit Exchange, fighting afternoon traffic in a taxi to make it to Kalustyan’s spice shop for berberi spice, or visiting every bodega and drug store on the west side of Manhattan in search of green fruit roll-ups. Did you know that they don’t sell plain old Fruit Roll-Ups anymore? They all come in strange colors and shapes, sometimes you can find strawberry, but green, forget it! Some gross bodega fruit leather had to do, and as it turns out, the 20 I purchased were never needed after all (I’ll spare sharing the talent’s name on this one )
A lot of the things I bought ended up being giveaways at the end of shoots, but in the moment, you are on a mission and you must do whatever it takes to get that product back to the studios as fast as you can. By month’s end I was ready to move on to the next adventure, but I enjoyed every moment, and mostly working with the coolest sidekick ever, Ms. Vivian Chan. You rock girl!
I had a bittersweet farewell at the Food Network after a very fulfilling and educational four months, but as luck would have it, a new job was waiting for me round the bend. I happily accepted a full-time position at the French Culinary Institute (or as it’s now referred to, The International Culinary Center) working in the Culinary Programming department.
The past 30 days have been a complete whirlwind. Every day has been different than the one before, I have gotten some quality time in the kitchen prepping for events, have met and worked with some incredible chefs, and am working with students to increase their culinary knowledge and passion through demonstrations. My job is to recruit and work with chefs to welcome them into the ICC family, whether it is sitting on one of our culinary final jury’s, hosting a demonstration in our theater, teaching a recreational class, or any other creative way we can get them involved. Eating, networking, and constantly learning are how I spend my days, not too shabby!
I’m very excited about this new chapter in my life and I have strong faith that it will be a wonderful step in my culinary career. The downside to working full-time again is that I have less time to experiment and test in my kitchen to share recipes with you on Fun Fearless Foodie, but rest assured, I have been and will be chronicling my experiences at the ICC and will be sharing tips and tricks from culinary greats as much as I can.
As always, thank you for supporting and following me on this crazy journey. Stay hungry!
Bonjour! 2011 has been off to a great start, so great that I haven’t had time to share my adventures with you on Fun Fearless Foodie because I’ve been working nonstop. But it’s all good, no complaints here. Here’s a recap of what I’ve been up to in the Big Apple:
Interning at the Food Network
I kicked off the new year with a new job, working as an intern in the culinary production department at the Food Network. Working with the FNK (Food Network Kitchens) team has been a once and a lifetime opportunity. My first assignment was assisting the lead food stylist on Sunny Anderson’s show Cooking for Real. For ten days we filmed season nine of her show, which focuses on no-fuss comfort food for the home cook. Sunny was great to work with, and I learned some valuable lessons in culinary production from the crew.
Behind the scenes of Cooking for Real
As soon as we packed up the CFR set it was on to the next show. We changed gears completely and began production on Desserts First with Anne Thornton. It was all things chocolate, butter, and sugar for the last two weeks as I worked with the FNK team. We’re the magical elves that work behind the scenes to make the food look good at every take. It was almost like an intensive pastry program, giving me an opportunity to bake more than I ever have and learn valuable skills that will be sure to benefit me from here on out (and you too!)
A peak at our amazing prep kitchen for Desserts First
In between filming I also had the pleasure of catering a launch party for Debi Mazar’s new show on the Cooking Channel, Extra Virgin, and assisting our executive chef Rob Bleifer (an FCI alum) on teaching none other than Liz Lemon (aka Tina Fey) how to work with phyllo dough, making spanakopita and baklava. Never a dull moment in the kitchen!
I’ve loved my time in the kitchen, but it’s on to new things starting tomorrow as I join the editorial team for the rest of my internship. Excited to report on the experience soon.
Weekend Warrior on Marcus Samuelsson
If you’ve been checking out the site lately you’ve probably noticed my Weekend Warrior posts, which is a column I’m writing for chef Marcus Samuelsson’s website. I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to reach a new audience and grow my writing and recipe development skills. Be sure to check out the recipes I’ve been posting, which include the kind of food you want to try out on the weekend, when you can enjoy your kitchen and take your time, not rushing through the weekday dinner routine.
Babble.com and mommy bloggers
I had my first real freelance writing opportunity come my way and was tasked with writing bios for the mom’s selected as the Top 100 Mommy Food Bloggers for Babble.com, a parenting website. While not exactly Saveur or Food & Wine, it’s a start, and something to put on my resume. Spending countless hours reading food blogs written by moms was an interesting process, some of them are really stellar, others, not so much. Regardless, I’ll be sure to post the list once it gets published so you can judge for yourself.
The Nate Berkus Show
OK, so the show doesn’t have much to do with food per-se, but Oprah’s latest spin off, diy design guru Nate Berkus, stopped by FCI a few weeks back to film a segment where one of his viewers got a personalized cooking lesson from one of my favorite chef’s, Tim Shaw. Never one to turn down an opportunity, I volunteered to appear as a student in the class and stopped in on my day off, which was great fun. Watch the clip below and see if you can spot me, my long brown ponytail seems to get the most airtime
The final stretch of culinary school
I can hardly believe this as I write it, but I only have 4 weeks left of school! It really feels like only yesterday that I was posing in my chef whites for the first time, full of nerves and excitement, but on March 16 (as long as I pass my final) I will be a graduate of the French Culinary Institute. I’ve been working in the school’s restaurant, L’Ecole, for the past few months and am still enjoying the experience. If any of you are in the New York area and want to stop in for dinner, make a reservation for any Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday and I’ll be there cooking for you.
Check out the nightly specials I came up with while working in the pastry kitchen:
Peanut butter banana cream pie
Trio of tart tatins: pineapple, sour cherry, and apple
What’s up next
The next month is going to be all about finishing culinary school strong, learning as much as I can from my internship, and trying to line up work post-graduation. My goal is to work freelance assisting food stylists and/or culinary producers, writing more, updating the site, and trying to build the Fun Fearless Foodie brand. Not sure where this adventure will take me next, but I can’t wait to find out!
After my short but oh-so-sweet stint working over at the Food Network on Iron Chef America I’ve been itching with excitement to get another opportunity to work with the FN team. When I departed last month I made sure I told everyone who needed to know that I wanted the chance to interview and test for their official intern program and was stoked when a week later I was greeted with an email inviting me to do just that. So for the last month i’ve been anxiously awaiting the big day and trying my best to keep the whole thing quiet so that in the event I didn’t get the internship I could avoid the awkward letdown, or at least publicly. Well friends, I’m excited to announce that the interview went great and I have been offered a 3 month internship at the FN starting in January!
I know this doesn’t make me the Next Food Network Star or anything, but getting an internship at FN is a very cool opportunity and can open a lot of doors down the line in terms of career potential so I plan on taking advantage of it to the fullest. The whole interview process was more of a practical test than a traditional interview. When I arrived at the studios last Friday I was given a worksheet with a variety of tasks that I needed to complete, showcasing my knife skills, cooking skills, and practical knowledge of recipe writing and editing. I won’t reveal my assignments in an effort to maintain the mystery and competitiveness of the process but I will say that my culinary school know-how and the fact that I had worked there before were advantageous. This simple technique was also handy.
I felt pretty confident throughout the interview, but to make things more nerve-wracking they were also filming an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay in the test kitchen at the same time I was completing my test. Lookout for the back of my head in an upcoming holiday episode!
My internship begins on January 4th, 2011, a great way to kick off the new year. I will be working at the studios located above Chelsea Market full time for 3 months at the same time I finish up my last 3 months of school at FCI. It’s going to be a hectic time, but everything I’ve been wanting all at the same time. I’m not sure what shows and projects I’ll be working on during my stint there, but I will get the chance to rotate throughout different departments, working with the test kitchen, product development, production, and research. My goal for this whole process is to hone in more on what it is I truly want to do when my “life as a student adventure” ends and make some great connections that will hopefully lead to bigger and better things.
Until then, I’ll be working in my own test kitchen whipping up delicious dishes to share with you here on Fun Fearless Foodie and look forward to a beautiful and bountiful fall in NYC!
My new favorite food magazine at the moment has to be Food Network Magazine. It has everything from facts about your favorite chef’s and tv show’s, must have gadgets and tools, recipes for the weeknight and weekend, plus monthly challenges that encourage reader’s to get involved and share their results. The last page of each issue feature’s the Secret Ingredient Challenge, a la Iron Chef, and ask’s reader’s to submit a unique and inventive recipe featuring the secret ingredient.
A few week’s ago I was driving back from Charlotte, North Carolina with my best friend Julie and she was reading FNM aloud to keep me entertained during the 8 hour drive. When she read out that this month’s secret ingredient was peanuts I was instantly intrigued and since I had so much time on my hand’s the brainstorming session began. Peanuts themselves may not seem that unique, they find a way into so many dishes in some form, but I was determined to come up with a way to incorporate their flavor in an unexpected way. The first thing I think about when I think peanuts is the classic PB&J. There is something so comforting and soothing about this classic sandwich that always brings a smile to my face. Now my brain was running, how can I incorporate the flavors of a PB&J into a unique dish? Dessert seemed too easy and wouldn’t make me stand out, so I started to think savory.
The recipe I decided on was a play on the PB&J with an Asian twist. Yellowfin Tuna Steaks were on sale at my local grocer and the birth of Peanut Crusted Ahi Tuna with a Strawberry Soy Glaze was born. I marinated the tuna steak in a simple peanut and ginger dressing and coated it in a chopped peanut and cornmeal mixture to create the perfect crispy crunchy crust with just the right amount of peanut flavor. Adding the jelly component was easy too. I simply reduced some strawberry jam, soy sauce, and water to create a smooth glaze that beautifully coated each slice of seared tuna and added the perfect sweet and salty balance to the dish. Not one to waste anything, I reserved some extra dressing and added it to mixed greens to make a delicious bed for the tuna.
This dish turned out to be so simple, fresh, healthy and delicious that regardless if I win or lose will be one I make again. Plus, it was just as good if not better than it’s restaurant equivalent and half the price! Thank you Food Network for inspiring me to try something new!
Peanut Crusted Ahi Tuna with a Strawberry Soy Glaze
Makes one main course, or 2 small plates
Note: If you have never had seared ahi tuna before, please know that it is supposed to be served raw or rare. The only point of the cooking process is to give it a nice sear on the outside, but you want the center to be cold. If it is a quality piece of fish then it will not smell fishy at all and is safe to consume.
Ingredients
Tuna
1 5.75 ounce yellowfin tuna steak
1/4 cup peanuts (dry, unsalted)
2 tsp corn meal
sea salt
Dressing/Marinade
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tsp peanut butter
Glaze
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp plus 1 tsp strawberry jam
1/4 cup water
Mixed Greens
As much or as little you like, I used a mixture of spinach, arugula and baby romaine.
Directions
Prepare the marinade by whisking all ingredients in a small bowl until fully emulsified. Pour half of the marinade over the tuna steak and coat both sides. Place in fridge and let marinate for at least one hour. Reserve the rest for the mixed greens.
In the bowl of a food processor (a small one if you have it) pulse the peanuts and cornmeal until the peanuts are minced. You want them to be crunchy so don’t grind to be too fine. Reserve.
To make the glaze, add the soy sauce, strawberry jam and water into a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat until large bubbles start to form. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to simmer until it has reduced by half and coats the back of a spoon (about 10-12 minutes). Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a small bowl to cool. Once cooled, add to a squeeze bottle (if you have one) or do what I did and put it in a ziplock bag and cut off a small piece of one corner to pour onto the tuna when you are ready.
Remove the tuna from the fridge and coat all sides in the peanut mixture. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the tuna and sear on all sides for 1 1/2 minutes each, ensuring that the peanuts don’t burn. Remove from the pan and let rest on a cutting board. Slice the tuna into thin slices for plating.
Mix the greens with reserved dressing and place in the center of the plate. Plate the tuna slices around the greens and sprinkle with seat salt. Drizzle with the glaze. Use the reserved peanuts that fell off the tuna when cutting to top on the salad.
If using as main course, serve with steamed brown rice drizzled with extra glaze and chopped peanuts.
Here’s hoping my recipe is a winner! Want to give this challenge a try? Pick up the latest issue of FNM at your local grocer or bookstore and take a stab at cooking with peanut’s. Please share your submitted recipes with me, I’d love to hear what others are up to.
Ever wonder what it would be like to immerse yourself in a tropical location with your favorite celebrity chefs for the weekend to eat, drink, and explore some of the best the food world has to offer? I hate to brag, but I can now say that I do! The white sandy beaches of South Beach Miami played host to the ultimate Foodie Spring Break as Food Network hosted their 9th annual Wine and Food Festival.
One of my best friends and foodie partner in crime Julie and I drove down to Miami on Friday for a weekend we had been planning for months, it was like waiting for Christmas to come we were both so excited. Neither of us had ever been to this event before so we were definitely newbies and weren’t quite sure what to expect. Our first stop once we arrived in town was to get all dolled up and hit the art deco strip to attend the Mischieve in the Garden of Agave party sponsored by Hornitos Tequila at the Sagamore Hotel. The name alone sounded exciting and I love tequila, so we were pumped and ready to mingle.
As soon as we entered the poolside garden we were greeted by cocktail waitresses passing out tasty “Hornarita’s” and we could hear the DJ playing some fun 80′s music. Once we made it to the pool area we saw two mermaids swimming in the pool, not something i’ve ever seen before. While the tickets weren’t cheap ($85) once we entered the party we were treated to all we could drink creative cocktails like a Juan Collins and Hornipolitan and we made sure we got our money’s worth. Considering that the club we went to after the party was charging $20 for one cocktail, I’d say we got a pretty good deal!
It goes without saying that the next morning we were dragging a little bit, but we were both so pumped to start day one of the Whole Foods Grand Tasting Village that we found a way to push through. The Tasting Village was the main event of the festival and we had purchased tickets to both Saturday and Sunday. When we walked up to the entrance on Ocean Drive and 13th street I was stunned by the line of people waiting to get in. We stood in line for about 10 minutes before we realized that we had fast pass tickets and there was a VIP entrance! (I have to thank American Express for being such a great sponsor of this event and giving me the opportunity to buy our tickets pre-sale so we could get in so zippy). When we entered the welcome tent we were handed a reusuable swag bag filled with all kinds of goodies and coupons, and then the best part, a beautiful Waterford Marquis wine glass that we would use to sample drinks throughout the event. After walking through a line of cute french boys pouring us wine we climbed the hump over the sand and saw the endless line of white tents ahead. We both went “ahhh” like little school girls.
As soon as you enter the festival it is overwhelming. Our first stop was to sit down and catch the tail end of Bobby Flay’s demonstration so we could collect our thoughts and plan our strategy. The day was filled with demonstrations, sampling, and partying with a very eclectic and fun group of festival goers. I could write a novel about the entire experience, but I think my pictures tell the best story. Enjoy my photo essay chronicling my foodie spring break. Read more
AHH! I am so excited about my foodie adventure this weekend it is hard for me to even put into words. I will be driving down to South Beach Miami this afternoon for one of the hottest culinary events of the year, Food Network’s South Beach Wine and Food Festival presented by Food and Wine Magazine. My best friend Julie and I bought tickets 5 months ago and it almost seemed like this day would never come.
I am looking forward to this weekend for all the obvious reasons, but the chance to mingle with some of the best in the food world on the white sandy beaches of South Beach for an entire weekend sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime. Not to mention all you can eat and drink (which I plan to do quite a bit of). Here’s a run down of what we’ll be up to this weekend:
Friday Night: “Mischieve in the Garden of Agave” presented by Hornitos Tequila pool side at the Sagamore Hotel
“Hornitos Tequila welcomes late-night revelers to experience Mischieve in the Garden of Agave. Guests enter through a cloud of fog where they will be greeted by beautiful agave girls serving unique “Hornitails” beverages in which Hornitos—the 100 percent pure blue agave tequila—mischievously replaces non-tequila based spirits in classic cocktail combinations like the “Hornipolitan”, “Horni Wallbanger” and “Juan Collins”. Throughout the night artists, performers and dancers will help set the scene. While hundreds of adventurous night-crawlers show their moves on the dance floor, others have the chance to reveal their mischievous side in the privacy of the Hornitos Mischieve photo booth.”
Ya I know what you’re thinking, man that sounds amazing! I loooovvvee tequila so I will be in heaven, but I must remember to mischieve responsibly because starting Saturday Morning we will be up and attem to get to day one of the….
Whole Foods Grand Tasting Village presented by American Express
“For two blissful afternoons, shake off the blanket of ordinary existence and transcend the average. The American Express Grand Tasting is all about the unexpected, the rarely encountered, and the truly unique. Brought together in one astoundingly beautiful location, some of the world’s finest wines and spirits will accompany the best cuisine South Florida restaurants have to offer. Sampling stations will cater to your every fancy as you try all manner of delicious appetizers, signature dishes, and over-the-top desserts while from your glass you sip the perfect wines and spirits to send your taste buds soaring. Well-informed servers and pourers will gladly answer questions and provide you with additional information as you learn about hottest, hippest, and most happening trends, as well as the tried-and-true classics that inevitably come back around.”
Our all access pass gets us unlimited samples of the tasty nibbles and refreshing cocktails so we can really enjoy and let loose. But it’s not just about the food and wine, the tasting village is also home to culinary demonstrations from some of Food Network’s hottest stars. Julie and I have already selected the chef’s we want to see most, hopefully we will be able to get it all in! Here are some of our top choices:
Bobby Flay
Rachael Ray
The Neely’s
Paula Dean
Emeril Lagasse
Eric Ripert and Anthony Bourdain
Rocco DiSpirito
And if that’s not enough, we will be doing it all over again on Sunday!
This weekend is bound to be one of the coolest foodie experiences I’ve ever had and I can’t want to learn about new techniques, products, tools and more and share it with all my Fun Fearless Foodie readers. If you don’t already, please be sure to follow me on Twitter at FunFearlessFood to get updates and pics all weekend from the event!
I quit my corporate job in Florida and enrolled in the Culinary Arts program at The French Culinary Institute in NYC, graduated, and now work there full-time coordinating chef demonstrations, recreational classes, and culinary events. Food is my life and I couldn't be happier.
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Tara O'Keeffe