James Beard Award 2010

Yes, that is Kelly Choi from Top Chef Masters. Yes, I look like a bloated fat midget next to her.  Yes, I was a total dork who ran up to her and chirped ‘I’m a Choi too! Can I get a picture with you?’.  And finally, yes, the James Beard Award Ceremony was totally the most amazing and inspiring event I have been to yet.

Should I start name dropping now or what?  Actually, I’m not even going to go there.  Check it out yourself: Photos.

What an inspiring event.  I can not believe I had the luxury and opportunity of actually assisting one of the chefs at this ceremony.  I mean seriously, I don’t think people realize what this is.  Well, I guess I should say I didn’t realize it until I was there.  When they say ‘the Oscars of the food world’, they REALLY mean it.  Not only did I get to be there and be around all of the world’s most famous chefs, I got to actually assist one of the chefs.  Meaning- the famous chefs ate the food that were assembled with my hands!  (Okay, I sound like a total crazy person freak who is a complete LOSER- but I don’t care.. I get REALLY star struck. hehe).  I remember at one point while it was total nutso and chaos trying to assemble food and get them ready to go, I look up and Thomas Kellar was right there eating what I just put out.  It was quite something.

I don’t think anyone would really understand why I am so utterly swooning about this, unless you are exactly ‘me’.  Me- a culinary student who is still totally new in the industry, passionate about whatever I am trying to become and do.   It’s just hard to explain it.  I have never given so much thought, breath, energy, and willingness and passion into anything before.  And to see someone who has that and who has done all that, who has the respect and name for a reason, actually eat the food I touched?  Amazing.   I can’t even imagine how it will feel if these chefs try the food I actually made one day.  It will come, I believe it.

Okay, enough jibber jabber.  I have what everyone wants.  Photos of course.  I mean, what would a blog be without photos anyway?

This is how our station looked.  We were assembling “Hiramasa Sashimi with crispy ricecake, marinated cucumber and soy ginger vinaigrette’.

So this is what our station look liked, and when we turned around it was like this:

Yea, I know it’s not the exact image you were thinking, but basically it was chaos.  A million people coming for the hiramasa, us in the back assembling away like machines.. Twas crajee.

These were the ones that I was assembling. ‘House-cured Duck Pastrami w/ Pickled Rhubarb and raisins in Pretzel wafers’.  Little duck pastrami sandwhiches.  Can we say, delicious?  Seriously, I think I had it really lucky because these were one of the best there.  Chef Eric Klein from Spago Las Vegas Everybody. *Clap Clap* Cheers!  He was amazing.

I have a million pictures from the event, which I know you all are DYING to see.  Haha, well I mean, it’s food from chosen chefs all over the States so aren’t you a ‘bit’ curious to what was there?  Well, here goes.

I tried looking for the description and Chef for this, but I can’t seem to find it for some reason.  It’s not on the menu!  But all I remember is, that this was amazing and the chef said something along the line of “like an orgasm”.  HAHA yes, he actually said that.  It was a bone marrow gelatin.  Honestly, do not remember more than that.  All I know is that it was bone marrow, melt-in-your-mouth fatty and decadent.  Andy Chan if you are reading this you would have swooned and I would have had to hand you a lot of tissues.  ^^

Deconstructed Margarita.  Best shot(s) I had in my whole entire life.  Never knew a shot(s) could be so complicated (and so delicious. it was like food).  And yeah, you guessed right- I had about 4.  (Oh calm down. I had mojitos and champagne too.  I couldn’t get plastered ok??)

“Basil Tofu with Uni Basil Puree and Uma-Dashi Sauce” -Isao Yamada, Upstairs at Bouley.  Pretty self explanatory, loved the uni puree.  I wanted to add a pinch of salt though.. but maybe that’s because I’m studying french right now and everything needs a ‘big-girl pinch of salt’, as my Chef professor would say..

I’m not going to name what everything is here.  I’ll just try to describe it to you.   Basically, there were different types of sparkling water, and you would taste the bitter, sweet, sour, or salty, and then cleanse your mouth with a certain kind of sparkling water.  So you eat the bitter, which was a grapefruit mousse, then drink some type of water.  Then you eat the sweet, which was a chocolate panna cotta, then drink some other type of water.  Then so on and so forth.  Bizarre and complicated much?  Yes.  Why can’t life be simple?

“Scottish Salmon Tartare and Smoked mousse with Yuzu and Trout Roe” – Chef James Kent, Eleven Madison Park. One of my favorites.  Literally melted in my mouth and there was absolutely no fishy taste at all.  Such a young chef too.. amazingly accomplished.  Props to you chef!

“Marinated beef short rib pastrami with Nori Brioche”- Chef Noriyuki Sugie, Asiate. This was reaaaaally something.  The bread was really interesting- Nori brioche.  So I thought, wait.. is the bread made of Nori (seaweed)!??! But then when I asked the Chef he said it was made from squid ink.  To be honest, I’m still a little confused.. did he name it nori brioche after his name, and the bread is squid ink bread?  Or it IS made with nori and used squid ink to further give it that deep black color…?  I’m regretting not clarifying this.  What do you guys think?  I tried googling it but can’t seem to find anything.. Ugh this is going to bother me!!!

“Bacon Soup with Scallop, leeks, tomato, and oyster cracker” -Chef Kevin Binkley.   This was amazing, not only the beautiful presentation but the idea was amazing.  So he served raw scallops on a tiny spoon.  The idea was that when you stir the spoon into the hot creamy bacon soup, it slightly-ever-so-gently cooks the scallops into perfection.  And you know bacon wrapped scallops are a traditional combo.  Very cleaver and honestly, soooooo delicious.  I literally gulped it down- I totally just drank that shit.. I didn’t even use that teeny spoon other then to stir the scallops in. AH~ why is food so good.  WHY IS BACON SO GOOD.

“Roasted white chocolate mousse with poached cherries” – Pastry Chef Bill Corbett, Anthos. Okay, this sounds simple but only if you knew.  Seriously, only if you KNEW!  My first question was, what makes it ‘roasted’ instead of baked?  Well, the answer was quite simple.  Low temperature, about 200°, slowly roasted and every so often turned and turned.  So, I get the idea which is pretty darn cool, why are people so freakn creative?  I need to go visit this guy.

Anywho, these were some of my favorites.  It is sad to say I did not get to try half the things there, only because I was tied up and very busy helping Chef Eric out.  I dream about this night on a daily basis.  Sigh~ I love it!  One day, my name will be on that program… just one day………~

By the way, you are looking at a new line cook at Ilili Restaurant!!!!! Yes damnit!! I got the job.  I am so very, very, very thankful to God.   I prayed before and after the two interviews that I had and I really gave it my all.  I feel very fortunate that He blesses me with such great opportunites and strength.   Why am I so lucky?  I feel amazingly happy at the moment.. like I am going to fly away~.  I start a week from now, and I get butterflies thinking about it.

I love it because the food is SO different than regular fine-dining cuisines.  Seriously, I don’t know more then half the menu, let alone the ingredients.  Alepo, sumac, zaatar, burghul… say what??  It astonishes me that there is still soooooooo much to learn about.  Different ingredients and different cultures.. how cool is that?  I get to learn about a whole different type of food, culture and ingredients.  Freaking exciting as hell.  I am ready to work my ASSSSSSSSSS off!   Time to show the world what I got……………