Catch up...

So briefly, life is good and bad.

The house front is too depressing to discuss.

The school front is good, but stressful because the job front is great. I have almost no time to schedule classes between my two jobs now, since the "dream job" begins September 1st.

Working at Lifehouse has been mostly fun and a great experience. I can't wait to begin at SCC. I am meeting with one of the other staff tomorrow to go shopping so the kitchen has what i need. I plan to bring a lot of my own things out there as well, at least to begin with.

I have been hanging out with Jor a bit more regularly, stopping by after classes to share my food and make dinners etc, which has been really nice. Which reminds me-- his new girlfriend Carla is going to give me a massage tonight, so I am out of here!

Summer Semester Ends.

I haven't had time/energy to update this so I will just copy and paste a letter I sent to the department heads in praise of my baking teacher. It expresses how I feel about the semester, more or less. At least it expounds upon the good stuff and that's all that's fit to print, as the saying goes.

In Praise of Shelly Kaldunski

Dear "SuperChefs",

Summer was my first semester at SRJC and my first time back in school in nearly 20 years. I enrolled in the entire first block of Culinary Arts classes (knife skills, pro cooking basics, safety & sanitation, survey and intro to baking).

I have had some amazing experiences so far, and look forward to many more in the future.

I don't want this praise of one to overshadow the brilliance of the others, and I will have to take time to write my thoughts on both Chef Evelyn and Chef Christine later, but since this letter about Chef Shelly was started the second day of class I was able to finish it with relatively little effort, and I do need a break!

Briefly, I must mention that both Evelyn and Christine were amazing and spectacular in their very different ways, and I am so very grateful that they were my instructors. They are both PERFECT for the classes I took from them, without a doubt! The major difference between their classes and intro to baking was that I have always wanted to take a knife skills class and cooking classes, but I began intro having no interest or experience in baking and absolutely NO desire to take a baking class. It came as a huge shock and surprise when I found myself loving it.

I enrolled in Intro to Baking only to fulfill a requirement for the culinary arts degree. I had no idea what to expect when I started, but by the second day I had already composed most of this letter. I decided to wait until the end of the class to send it, so I could add to it, and since I intended to send a copy to her, I didn't want it to seem insincere or loaded with ulterior motive.

I think there are three basic types of people in all of my culinary classes, so far as I can tell this early on. The people looking for a quick certificate to get them started on a new career; the people who want to be famous or gain some sort of notoriety and think this might be the path (chefs are the new rock stars, don't you know?); and the foodies who have a passion for the art and science of food and the amazing power it has to really affect people, in so many ways. I rest comfortably in the last category.

My passion for cooking has been with me pretty much all of my life, however, I have always been very intimidated by baking. I have perfected a cheesecake that I really like and enjoy making for my friends and family, but aside from that I am clueless. I have also always felt that baking was somehow more rigid and unforgiving than cooking, and so I have really shied away from it, for fear of failure and disappointment.

I am a very instinctual and experimental cook, and my tastes run to the bold and exotic. I cook mainly curries and sushi, with a few other regional exceptions. I am not a fanatic about French cuisine, but obviously I appreciate the contributions and especially love the pastries, breads and cheeses. Actually I couldn't live without the cheeses, truth be told. And the sauces. Oh, who am I fooling, if I could do it with confidence I would probably love French food. It's probably another case of intimidation and I should jump past it.

I really think it is important that I let you know what an amazing thing Chef Shelly (Kaldunski) has done for me. In just two short days she showed me that baking is not only an exacting science, but that it has another side. That side offers all the leeway and experimentation I could ever need to express my creative and artistic side, and then a whole lot more! It may seem so simple to some, but to one who has spent 20 years afraid of baking, her friendly and exceedingly patient and kind demeanor is exactly what was needed to open the door to a veritable wonderland of scrumptious delights!

I am inspired, educated, directed and encouraged. I am now excited to continue exploring this incredibly diverse and rewarding area of culinary arts that until now was just a mysterious vault of arcane secrets mastered only by kindly old grandmas with all the time in the world, and trained pastry chefs (read: fanatically focused morning people).

Shelly introduced me to the accessible side of baking, and every single item she instructed me on came out not only beautiful to look at, but so delicious I really had a hard time believing I had created it! Shelly has definitely done for me, what I believe is (or should be) the goal of every teacher, and it doesn't get any better than that in my mind.

Baking (desserts in general) has one glaring advantage over "normal" cooking. When i make a really great meal for my friends, the may ohh and ahh over it, proclaiming their undying love and devotion to me, marveling at my genius and talents, but not once in my entire life has someone taken a bite of (or even one look at) one of my savory dishes and exclaimed in an incredulous and even accusatory tone, "No way! You actually MADE this?!"
That has happened several times when I brought my class results home or to share with friends after Shelly's class. That's pretty darn rock star, if you ask me (and I'm not even looking for stardom)!

Chef Shelly deserves my heartfelt thanks for broadening my horizons and sweetening my life.

Sincerely,

Rupa van Gelder