Earlier in the day, in addition to our usual prep list, we had a prep list of things to make for the party.
The dinner was to be served buffet-style, and it consisted of tacos, yam or pulled pork, and kale salad with various toppings. We butler passed little shot glasses of pickled veggies, miniature poutines in a cup, and meatballs with aioli. Since Val had to fill a spot on the line, the meatballs and a lot of the other prep fell to me! We decided together that he bison balls should contain feta cheese and bacon jam, but Val left the rest of the ingredients up to me. I was excited that she trusted me to do this, and I made approximately 200 of them! I par-fried them for color, laid them out on sheet pans in the walk in, and we popped them in the oven to temp and finish them right before service. I have to say that people really loved them and they've even been talking of putting them, my recipe, on the menu!
I'm quite pleased, and very proud. I think they were actually some of my better work.
Val is really good about showing me, teaching me things, but is also very open to letting me create, and to let me be a part of that process. She welcomes my input, and seems to value my opinions. I thoroughly enjoy this, as creating good food is what I truly love to do. I really don't mind preparing other people's recipes, especially if I think they're good, but making up my own is something I really enjoy.
Another new thing is that I worked out on the line for the first time today. We had a row of tickets across the counter and the front was short handed, as they tried to maneuver the Saturday crowd. The other person in the Prep kitchen had only worked at Aslan a few days, so I stepped up! It was a bit hectic, but I had good support from my teammates, lots of praise for my work, and I think I did Ok.
Over all, I feel like I'm doing a good job ( Val tells me I am, and one day even jokingly called me an over- achiever when I alphabetized some sauces, lol) and I'm learning a lot. I really enjoy the great people I work with,
And I'm even having fun. I love that a lot of the people I'm working with have been through the program, and we can talk about various things, people, classes, etc. I also feel as though their work is of a higher caliber than I've experienced with people I've worked with in the past, who haven't been through a culinary program; they know a lot!
I'm going to include some pictures here, of the infamous meatballs (Paul now calls me the meatball master) veggie cups and some various others!
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