Sotiropoulos

Name: Katrina Sotiropoulos

Guiding Question: Would I want to be a professional chef?

(optional) Use this space to list possible activities, tasks, experiences. Remember everything you do should help you answer your Guiding Question.

-learning knife skills -learning basic baking skills -practice chopping (of foods) -how food need to be prepared for cooking/how recipes sometimes need preparation before cooking -various "food cultures" (i.e. the art of preparing sushi; how food may be prepared differently depending on culture)

(Required) This plan is a “best guess” as to what you and your mentor think you will be doing. It is not meant to be a hard and fast schedule for your Exploration. The plan should illustrate how you intend to complete a minimum of 80 hours.


 * = Date ||= Location/Activity ||= Number of Hours ||
 * = 5/6 ||= sushi class ||= 6 ||
 * = 5/14 ||= grilling class ||= 6 ||
 * = 5/15 ||= rolling spanakopita & tiropita with my grandmother for a party ||= 4 ||
 * = 5/16 ||= marinating & grilling vegetables (for practice) ||= 1.5 ||
 * = 5/20 ||= chopping/slicing vegetables (for practice) ||= 5 ||
 * = 5/20-5/21 ||= prepping for a party/preparing foods (salads) ||= 10 ||
 * = 5/21 ||= BBQ class ||= 9 ||
 * = 5/24 ||= grilling class ||= 6 ||
 * = 5/26 ||= fish class ||= 6 ||
 * = 5/27 ||= macaroons &whoopie pies class ||= 6 ||
 * = 5/29 ||= french culinary basics class ||= 10 ||
 * = 5/31 ||= party food for families ||= 6 ||
 * =  ||= reading //Kitchen Confidential// by Anthony Bourdain ||= 9 ||
 * =  ||= reading //Service Included// by Phoebe Damrosch ||= 7 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 91.5 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 91.5 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 91.5 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 91.5 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 91.5 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 91.5 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 91.5 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 91.5 ||

Journal: 5/6- I started the first of many cooking classes today. The theme was sushi and the class started at 6pm but I went in early (around 4pm) to help prepare the food and set up. I didn't see my mentor but I met two of the chefs, chef Martin and chef Mike and they helped to show me what needed to be done before each class. The class was full so I did not personally get to make my own sushi, but I got a recipe packet and followed along. I helped to peel and slice the shrimp as well as make Miso soup, a traditional part of many japanese meals. I also helped the spread and cool the rice for the sushi because once cooked, the moisture and glutton in the rice causes it to stick together and become almost like a thick paste. So chef Martin and I spread the rice out on cooking sheets and "cut" through it with a large, paddle-like spoon to prevent the pieces from sticking. We even had to use a fan to speed up the cooling process! It was an incredibly cool experience because sushi making is viewed as an art by many, and by learning the basics for creating a sushi roll, I now know all of the steps for how to successfully make some pieces. As the class drew to a close, we had to begin to clean up which was a long process but obviously important because raw meats and fishes can carry harmful bacteria. We spent quite some time cleaning, but in the end everything was spotless and ready for the next day.

5/15- Yesterday I assisted a grilling class (italian grilling) where pizzas were made on a grill and pears were grilled (they had a very smoky taste but were delicious!). To help prepare for the class, I helped to grill vegetables for a antipasto with a caper sauce (that another assistant made while I was grilling). This recipe was a sample recipe from the recipe handout that all students get and it was challenging because I had never grilled anything on my own before but also very rewarding because the vegetables ended up looking good to me and the students ate almost all of them! For the rest of the class, I mostly just hung around listening to instructions from Chef Andrew who was really funny. I also helped to clear dirty dishes and bowls and such as well as put away the clean items. Sometimes people don't show up to classes so the food that is prepared for, say,12 people is all used, but then there's leftovers. So once the class ends and the students are eating, us workers and staff get to try the food that they prepared (with our help). So I had the chance to try the grilled pizza and the grilled pears which were incredibly smoky (because the cooking school uses an ingredient called 'liquid smoke' which is just a bottle of a smoky flavoring produced from wood chips that are smoked on a grill- super cool!) and I also took a recipe packet home with me.

5/16- So as a follow-up from the class yesterday and my newfound skills with the grill, I decided to grill some vegetables for my family for dinner! As Chef Andrew says, grilled vegetables are the #1 under-rated food! So as I did for the class, I cut the vegetables (red peppers, cherry tomatoes, yellow peppers, zucchini; you can really use any fresh veggies you would like) and drizzled olive oil over them and sprinkled salt, ground black pepper, ground rainbow pepper, and ground seasoning all over and using my hands, I mixed the vegetables and mixture in a large bowl. Then, with help from my dad, I went and turned the grill on outside and started to grill them, some of the vegetables taking longer than others. But my family LOVED them which was awesome and I felt quite accomplished :)

5/21- Today was the BBQ class and it was incredibly long (a 5 hour class) and we had so much to set up for I had to be there at 8am! But the food was phenomenal- the students made fall-off-the-bone baby-back ribs with an incredible sauce and homemade potato salad and grits. The theme was southern cuisine which was a lot of fun because I love southern foods (I really love any kind of food and trying and tasting various cuisines) and would some day like to live for a bit in maybe charleston, sc. I wish they had made hush puppies, but I can't have everything! To prep for the class though, another assistant and I had to measure out ingredients for the students because there were so many components to the recipes. We collected the ingredients for the 'mop sauce' which is another viking cooking school favorite- its a mixture of apple cider and apple cider vinegar and brown sugar and other tasty and tangy ingredients that are then literally //mopped// onto the meats with a little mop brush!The other assistant and I followed along in our recipe packets and helped to placed the apple crumble (MMM!) in the ovens for dessert as well as heat trays for the potatoes in the potato salad. I also just helped to put away the cleaned bowls and utensils because since this class was so long and there were so many recipes, many bowls had to be used over and over as did spatulas and plastic brushes for sauces and the like. And since the class was so long, we had to put out two snacks for the students, so I helped to find cheeses and pepperonis and breads for that as well as keep the water and iced tea pitchers filled and cold. There was a student in the class who was a senior in high school as well and he was taking these classes for his senior exploration as well, although he didn't go to a Friends school. He was nice though and it was interesting to get his perspective on the class and how it was helping him. I am EXHAUSTED right now, but this class was awesome although it was long. When the class ended, the other assistant and I got to taste all the food and the ribs really were falling off the bone! Everything was so good- definitely my favorite class so far.

5/25- Last night I actually got to take the grilling class instead of assist with it because my mentor (Terry Park) wanted me to get more experience with it. So last night seemed to be picnic-themed, and we grilled vegetables (again) with a rosemary infused olive oil and parmesan cheese, we roasted a chicken in the oven and made a grilled corn and sweet potato salad which was SO GOOD as well as skewered and bacon-wrapped shrimp with a plum and wasabi bbq sauce. For dessert, we made a pina colada and brown sugar crusted pineapple with a candied walnut ice cream. The hardest part was definitely de-boning the WHOLE chicken that we were given (we worked in teams of 4) as well as not lighting our shrimp and bacon skewers on fire! Cutting the pineapple was also difficult because we had to slice it into four pieces, but a pineapple is very slippery and the knives we used were very sharp. So not losing a finger was a difficult goal! Since I had been there before and knew where items were kept as well as how the class worked, it was difficult for me to not take over and do everything myself. I'm also very impatient, so there were times when I knew what to do and wanted to boss other people around (haha!), but I had to give other people the chance to learn this stuff because only about a wek ago I was also in the same position. But I am definitely getting much better at chopping foods, such as green onions, which I can do in a speedy and efficient way. I also know the best ways to chop vegetables and the basic anatomy of a chicken (not something I really wanted to know but...). We used more //liquid smoke// last night which is probably the coolest ingredient I've ever heard of or used. All in all, last night was a lot of fun and I definitely plan on using the corn and sweet potato salad recipe again! Yum.