Blog 7: Independent Component 1 Approval

1. For my Independent Component 1, I plan to host a series of dinner parties (serving between 6 and 8 people at each). I will plan three parties total, spending 10+ hours preparing and cooking for each one. My goal will be to create a four course meal (appetizer, entree, main course, and dessert) using in season ingredients for each dinner party. Each party should show an increase of skill based off of the recipes I prepare. I will be following the intense steps outlined in Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook, which includes proper preparation and selection techniques, as well as what Bourdain calls the "Three Stages of Wisdom." My goal will be to treat each party almost as if I were a cook in a restaurant. Even though my guests will not be selecting the menu, everything else should work similarly. I aim to have the food between 80% and 90% done before anyone walks through the door, but not finish any part until immediately before serving. There should be no more than 10 minutes between the finish of one course and the service of the next. These last points, especially, should help me answer my essential question, "What is the best way to deliver a meal to a guest in a timely manner," as I will be working on a similar time crunch as that of a kitchen chef during this time. In theory, I will be having a mini-dinner service within my own home during these dinner parties.
*Note: This is a "draft" plan that I may alter after further research and after my first party.

2. To show evidence of the time I take during the Independent Component, I will be keeping track of all lists I make before shopping trips, save receipts and take pictures at markets, during preparation, and of the finished results. Some pictures will also be taken of the physical party. At the conclusion of each party, I will ask each guest to fill out a short survey about their meal and experience. These surveys will be kept as both evidence and resources.

3. Choosing this as my Independent Component will help me understand my topic more thoroughly by allowing me to explore different recipes among the four courses I am preparing. It will help me break down meals into various stages, as far back as research into what is in season in Southern California this time of year up to the actual cooking itself. The setting, a dinner party, will also force me to work under a time crunch that restaurant chefs deal with on a daily basis. The fact that I am planning three parties, each of which will end with a survey, will help me recall what went well and what didn't at each previous party and work to improve for the following one. My skill should increase through the four months I have to complete the project and therefore be present with each party I plan.

4. I have updated my Mentorship Log so that it is now Senior Project Hours, located on the top right of this blog or right here. This link contains the log for my Summer Mentorship Hours, my Mentorship Hours, and my Independent Component 1 and 2 Hours.

A New Mentor

Ever since I finalized my project as Cooking, I have been searching for a new mentorship. My summer one was not in a real kitchen, but rather for a fundraiser breakfast that only happened twice a month. Once the year started, I knew this would not be intense or detailed enough for my project. I started emailing, calling, and talking to kitchen and restaurant managers, as well as owners. Most places did not respond at all, or gave me a vary straight forward no. It would be hard to find a kitchen related position as a minor.

In addition to the indoor seating, there is also patio and garden dining areas. It really
gives you the sense of a arm, summary trip to grandma's for lunch.

Then, about two weeks ago, I response from Shelly Biggs, owner of The Avocado House. This restaurant is a quaint breakfast and lunch place (which closes at three pm) on Central Ave. in Chino, Ca. When I finally met with her last week, she said she'd love to help me with my project by employing me as kitchen help. e talked for close to an hour about her The Avocado House, the project, and what I could do at the restaurant. In the end, we came up with this plan:

• I will work Tuesday and Thursday after school for two hours, and a full shift on Saturdays.
• One of her head cooks, Chris, will be my mentor.
• I will do simple prep and assembly work, possibly cleaning and dish washing.
• Shelly prepares two person dinners Tuesday-Friday. Since I will be working close on Tuesday and Thursday with Chris, Shelly will allow us to create the menu for that night's dinner.

A view of the open kitchen from close to the entrance. The kitchen is
about 1/3 of the restaurant, but still cramped and crowded with people,
ingredients, and appliances.

This is a basic plan that may be altered, but is what I will be working with in the beginning. I have not yet started my mentorship here, but my first day is next week. Because Shelly wants to employ me, the process is taking a little longer, as I had to wait until today to get my worker's permit to her. However, I can't wait to start my position there. The atmosphere is very friendly, and the style of the restaurant is homey and warm. I think I will do well at The Avocado House.

Blog 6: Second Interview Preperation

1. My mentor is Ramona Jackson. She works at  the West Covina Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8620.

2. Questions I plan to ask my mentor:

1. When did you first start cooking?
2. Where did you learn to cook?
3. Where was the first place you held a food-related job? What were your duties there?
4. How long has this service been in business?
5. Can you see this service expanding?

Blog 5 - Mentorship and Research Reflection

1. In looking for a mentor, I have had to make a lot of emails, and talked to multiple managers. I quickly realized I'd be unable to obtain an internship or job shadowing at a franchised restaurant so I have been researching independent restaurants in the down town Pomona and Covina areas, along with restaurants in Ontario and West Covina. I've spent time carefully composing emails and researching the websites of restaurants I send them to. I've also been editing my resume so that it is up-to-date and ready to be given out or emailed to the businesses I am applying to. Whenever possible, I look for the email of the head chef of the restaurant I am applying to, as well. Along with trying to find restaurants on my own, I have asked for suggestions from family members and friends to see if they know of any good restaurants. In doing so, I have been unable to find a mentor but have found a professional chef who would be happy to give me an interview.

2. The most important article I have read so far would have to be the introduction to "Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen." This introduction gave insight on how to tell what instruments would be helpful to a person in a kitchen, and how the tools relate to a person. It gives tips on cleaning out your kitchen's toolbox and how to stock it with what you really need. These types of tips are very helpful, because (as I learned from another article, Design Fundamentals by Richard Keyes) kitchens are often cramped and full of people, equipment, and food. This means everything in a kitchen needs a specific purpose, and maybe two or three more besides that. Brown gives great insight in deciding if an instrument is worthy of your kitchen.