Stagerie

I moved to the Bay Area in Spring. I wanted to do all of 6 months internship at Chez Panisse but unfortunately, they have interns lined up for the next 9 months and they can no longer accommodate me. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise anyhow because I found another 3 month internship in the area where I learned so much too.

Staging at Chez Panisse was the first on my agenda so I prepared for it. I came early so I can get my tools and and be ready to go. I arrived nearly in my whites with my hair pulled back. It was
a busy day.

My tasks were:
1-Bake the Custards
2-Cut and Bake-off cookies
3-Slice or Chop food condiments
4-Help the Cafe Cook for other projects
5-Juice 5 Gal Bucket of Mayer Lemons and Pit 18 lbs of Cherries in the afternoon

It didn’t seem like a lot but the challenge was finding my way around, making sure I was grabbing and using the right containers and doing the right thing. Space was a huge constraint too. It was a very small kitchen. At some point, I had to put a tray on top of a garbage bin so I can set up my workstation.

I had a great time and learned so much just from staging. I just have to pick up on speed that hopefully with more familiarity, I will be able to improve on it. I worked for Aqua since April while waiting for my turn to work at Chez Panisse in June.

Oh and I had the best family meal I ever had! Oven roasted Salmon, Rocket Salad, Roasted Beet Soup, Pasta and Sardines and Honey Ice Cream. We made our own coffee on french press pots and had sparkling water the whole day.

At the end of our shift, we were offered to get a drink from the bar too!