Day Two, Garde-Manger Setup: I was kinda ready for this, as I had done a twelve-hour cold production in Chicago a few years back for Team USA tryouts. I wrote my list of priorities as to what I thought was good, I broke down the pork and started browning right away in the pan, also had a brine on to use with pork and tongue, broke down a pheasant for galantine, which would be cooked in a stock later in the day … the tongue was going to be en gelée, lined with Savoy cabbage. I was in my zone, pouring chemise by 5:15 p.m. and we were told a 7:00 p.m. departure. At the end of this day, we were assigned our Classical Cuisine assignments. A menu and requisition was due by 6:00 a.m. the next day. We had the ability to pick the recipes from Le Guide. This took some calculated time. Then, we needed to write the requisition and menu and send it via email by 6:00 a.m. This, plus all of the other things needing to be accomplished, put us in bed at 2:30 a.m. Wake-up call was at 4:45 a.m.
Day Three, Garde-Manger Service: At 6:15 a.m., Chef Giunta walks in and makes a statement regarding the chicken consommé. Many of us were going to use the ground chicken for the clarification, but he clearly stated that following the recipes is what the segment was all about. The recipe calls for lean ground beef for the raft. This put many of us in a situation where we were climbing out of a hole for the day, mentally. Chef Leonard walks in and gives all of us a stern talking to, that we did not do our research, etc. They did make the concession of making it available; however, we all would lose some kitchen points for not fulfilling the requisition correctly, and making a late “addendum” will be a reduction for the remainder of the exam.
Start of the second Garde-Manger day, I began with my plan: warm my gelatin and begin slicing. Upon unwrapping my pheasant from the cheesecloth that had cooled in the stock all night, it looked nice, tight … until the first slice. There was a giant hole. The inlay of the breast had moved … OMG bad. I knew I was in trouble by the look on my face. All of the floor judges were now looking as well. I did stay composed, and did my best to have twelve correct facing slices in order. On to the next one, the en gelée: the first slice was okay, but upon slice five, the gelatin between the tongue and mushrooms was separating … shit … shit, I am thinking, but still in control. Now I know I have to do some major repair, painting this together with gelatin to have it stay and make a forcemeat paste to fill in the holes on the galantine. The Tasso-spiced pork loin was good, but brine did not penetrate 100 percent. Craftsmanship of two pieces that were barely hanging on is going to cause me pain. Chef Giunta came over and spoke to me about a hyper-fast curing agent he has used in the past. He also told me to take a deep breath and focus on finishing plating the platter that I had done all the right processes for, the day earlier.
My platter did not make the 70 percent, but my kitchen work overall made my score a 70.2 percent for the day. I scored an overall 69.91—not enough to pass the day … still in the game, but now staring down the barrel of Classical Cuisine. Chef Kevin Storm failed Day One and Day Two and is out. The trees start falling in the forest. We knew this would happen, but so soon is hard to swallow….
Day Four, Classical Cuisine: I had a commis who was green and nervous, so I made the changes early on as we were told to do: you need to teach, but work them on tasks and push them. I started with the plan for this day and butchery—took off a single filet of sole per side, breaking down the chicken and such to start the stock to have my consommé cooking long enough. I planned to sauté the fish and keep warm, while the tournedos were cooked in my window, but I rushed the reduction to finish the sauce, the emulsion broke, and my sauce separated on my plate during judging. Consommé had good taste, but a bit of fat on the surface … crap.
Upon receiving my kitchen critique, Chef Leonard said, “Do you think you cooked at a mastery level today, Chef?” “No, Chef.” He agreed, and we spoke of the errors in the following meal—all things that Chef said over and over, in the years of training … ATTENTION to the tiny details. Upon review in the judges’ room, I scored 69.89. This was my second fail. I am going home.
* * *
Percy Whatley, CMC Candidate, Exam Journal, October 26–November 2, 2014
Kevin and I drove down to Pasadena on Wednesday, October 22, 2014, from Yosemite. He had never been to Yosemite, and I think it was a good thirty-six hours or so for him to wake up in the serenity of the mountains and be able to breathe high elevation air for a little while. The condominium in Pasadena was close to perfect: plenty of space and a two-car garage for organizing. We shopped at the local supermarket to sustain ourselves without having to go out to eat all the time. This would save in overall expenses and time, as well. The condo had enough room for Chef Roland and also Chef Ambarish, who arrived at the beginning and provided moral support.
The days leading up to the exam were the most intense amount of stress—all of it being mental, as we truly did not know what to expect, although we were constantly reminded of it by Chef Roland. Chef Ambarish joined us on Thursday and stayed until Sunday morning. He assisted in keeping the condo clean and making us coffee and breakfast, when needed. It was a pleasure to have him around as I was constantly spinning in my own mind. He is a calm presence, and this was good to have around.
Pre-Day One: Kevin and I were given our basket of ingredients via email Wednesday evening. This allowed the ability to theme out the menu, write skeleton recipes, and extrapolate the nutritional information. We sent it off to the registered dietitian to use her software, accurately extrapolating nutrition and then signing off on it via letterhead from her company. All of this is needed within twenty-four hours of receipt of the basket.
Day One, Healthy Cuisine: It was both a good day and a bad day, as the adjustment to the slightly different setup made for some fast decisions. I need to adjust the thinking of the timeline to make everything fit. Fifteen minutes’ setup at the beginning is taken up by unloading your small equipment and tools, sanitizing the station, setting up the station, gathering the china you need, polishing this china, and putting it away, and gathering your first few pots and pans for your kitchen.
At your cooking window time (chefs begin cooking in staggered fifteen-minute increments), your food cart comes with what you requisitioned, along with your assigned proteins and other ingredients. This needs to be sorted and adjusted. Before you know it, ten minutes is gone from your cooking time, and you need to start hustling and readjusting. Timing has been my nemesis, the biggest hurdle to overcome for all of my days. We were informed early on by Chef Roland that our biggest weaknesses would shine brightly at the exam, and it was ever so true. I was assigned a commis from China who could barely speak English, so culinary sign language was used to get the tasks completed. I cooked okay considering all circumstances and received a 76.58 for the day.
Day Two, Garde-Manger Setup: I was assigned yet another “English as a Second Language” student—a polite and professional Iranian, but awful English. I took a deep breath. We began our twelve-hour day at a good pace, getting all the tasks done, yet by the time I was in my gross piece building time, I was already a half hour behind schedule. The added time needed to explain expectations slowly to the commis ate away at my time.
I made a couple of very bad mistakes. I should have used the calamari in my en gelée piece instead of an inlay in the scallop terrine. When I did the inlay, I did not poach the calamari tube or the small dice of calamari meat that was stuffed inside the tube. The calamari released so much water that the forcemeat did not have the binding effect I had hoped for. I struggled with the gelatin in the avocado mousse and had to reintroduce more aspic into it for the proper setting consistency. Other than these, there were a bunch of other minor mistakes until the end of the night … I poured my chemise and had a good pour. The box-cover was ready to go. After covering, we got the station nice and tight, cleaned up and put away for the next day. After this, we had to place the platter in the walk-in refrigerator. As I took the box off of the platter, I noticed that the box had “wilted” and an edge had scar
red the chemise. OH NO! I had to put it away and plan on re-pouring it the next morning in my timeline. I also did not get as much accomplished as I had hoped for, so there was still a lot of work to be done.
Day Three, Garde-Manger Service: Arrived to the candidate room at 5:45 a.m. for preparation to get through this day. I was assigned a different assistant—wow, he spoke English! At 6:15 a.m., Chef Giunta walks in and makes that statement regarding the chicken consommé. I focused on my three-hour window. I was in at 7:30 a.m. again and needed to put that out of my mind for now and concentrate. I jumped into the window on full throttle and had a good sense of urgency through the three hours. However, slicing the scallop terrine was crappy; the inlay was still almost liquid. I should have tempered the mousse and the en gelée piece for a half hour prior to doing my platter lay out. The tasting judges were not happy with the outcome. Critique from Master Chefs David Kellaway and Fritz Sonnenschmidt below:
• Barquettes were overfilled. They should be level to the crust and not heaping.
• Tuiles need a flat surface to sit on when “holding” a garnish.
• Gelée and mousse were not tempered long enough; therefore, the mouthfeel was not good.
• Avocado mousse was too acidic.
The platter did not make the 70 percent, but my kitchen work overall made my total score a 70.2%.
I passed this day, but was now in a situation where I needed a decent score to offset this day. When Kevin went in for his critique, I figured he had a much better day than I had. When he came back in with the defeated look on his face and stated he did not pass, I was shaken to the core … NO WAY! I thought …
Day Four, Classical Cuisine: There is only one word for this day … DISASTER.
I had a solid timeline and wrote a “safe” menu, but this day will be the day of reckoning for me and the exam, overall. Time got completely away, and I was in quicksand the entire four hours. I processed the protein pretty well. The judges weren’t around for much of it, indicating I was “okay.” I marinated the beef and fish pretty quickly, but somehow an hour of my four disappeared completely. At the 1:45 mark, I finally made my raft for the consommé and got it going. Where did the time go? Somehow, I feel like I didn’t cook much; it is weird looking back on it. I would like to forget this day. It will plague me for quite some time….
I did not make my service window. I was able to get the consommé and the fish out, but the beef accoutrements were incomplete. I did not manage my commis with a correct priority, and this left me with some tasks that were not needed. When you miss your window, you go to the back of the line and are given the chance to put the rest of your food out. Since I was three hours away from having the ability to complete it, I had to put all things into the refrigerator for safety. This meant I needed to deal with cold tenderloins, already an obstacle to overcome. We cleaned up our station and walked out of the kitchen to wait.
I found a corner of the candidates’ room and had an emotional breakdown. This was something that was too much to bear and hold in. It was enough to make a grown man cry, that is for sure … but the release felt good, and I am certain that this is where I turned a corner in the exam process. After going back in and presenting the beef to the judges, I knew I would not pass but would cook stronger and better in the following days.
When I was critiqued and given the 67.5 for the day, I thought this was a gift. I lost five points right off the top for not making my window, but this meant that my food actually passed? I was surprised, honestly … and will take that news as a positive thing, which I am certain made it even more plausible that I will continue through the exam … but I had a LOT of ground to make up in points. It wasn’t going to be easy. We were handed the Global Cuisine assignments at the end of the recap day, requisition due at 6:00 a.m., but the menu was already written, so no need to brainstorm.
Kevin went in for his critique and returned with another defeated look on his face. He was done, he did not pass the day, and two failures meant the exam is complete for him. OH NO!?! I could not let this bother me, but that is easier said than done. We came so far together, and it was hard for me to get it together, especially after the day I had just a couple of hours earlier. We went home with some pretty heavy hearts. Kevin was taking it okay, however. He is a strong person. He was extremely supportive of me and my continued pursuit. I will forever respect him for this show of strength. I did my requisition and gathered all necessary small tools for the next day. Bed at 11:30 p.m.
Day Five, Freestyle Cuisine: After a little more sleep (five hours, versus the three, nights prior), I felt pretty good. Still disheartened that Kevin was not going to be there, I continued to put this out of my mind and prepare to cook. I had a good timeline and was now writing my cooking timeline in for three hours and forty-five minutes rather than four hours, due to what I have learned over the last couple of days. Kevin had coffee ready by the time I came downstairs at 5:00 a.m. We had a cup and gathered all the things I needed for the day. He drove me to the school and said his parting words: “Just cook your food. Don’t worry about me.” Off I went.
I finally felt the magic of full speed cooking, something I hadn’t since the exam began. Although many things were not accomplished with the finesse of a Master Chef, I hit that “gear” in my sense of urgency; it was surreal.
I chose to grill the whole turbot and filet it at service time. It was the biggest mistake of the day, unfortunately, but something I will try again, because it is a neat way to do a big flatfish. The basket was a mix of Asian and Western ingredients, so my theme was East-meets-West. I am confident that the flavors were following this theme. The judges were complimentary overall, but the mistakes were glaring:
• Too much garnish in the coconut soup with rabbit and veal tongue.
• Grilling of the fish was not visible, due to the way it was grilled. The poached oyster cuisson was not reduced properly or mounted with the appropriate amount of butter.
• The salad was a disaster: just beans, artichokes, endive and poached pears; no color, crunch, or texture difference; all one color and a hurried presentation that looked like crap.
The beef course saved my day: braised bacon and soy-seared flat iron with herb couscous and vegetables, truly at the Mastery Level. This gave me the 73.6 for the day, despite all of the shortcomings. The beef course was truly a winner, in my mind and the judges’. I needed to attack the rest of my menu in the same level of concentration to hit those high marks. It is starting to make sense to my tired, fatigued, sleep-deprived mind … do good food, simply and tastefully, and you will pass this exam. We have talked about it so often with Chef Roland: It is not sorcery. It’s not that complicated … all quotes from our mentor stating the true nature of the exam.
Chef David Daniot was eliminated for two failures after this day. Then, there were seven.
Day Six, Global Cuisine:
Menu Assigned:
• Jerk Pork Tenderloin, Cuban-Style Black Beans, Fried Plantains, Pineapple Salsa
• Paella Valenciana
• Potato Samosas, Warm Cabbage Salad, Tamarind Chutney, Tomato Relish, Cauliflower Curry
Although there is a lot to do in this four-hour cooking window, I was able to get it all done. Unfortunately, I started my paella a little too late. The rice was inconsistently cooked and the flavors were not entirely homogenous. I nailed the samosas; the judges stated that I hit the authenticity of them the best of the whole group of candidates. The jerk seasoning on the tenderloin was vibrant on its own, but dulled by the meat. Coming out of the oven, I should have basted it with more marinade. All said and done, 73.2 for the day—a pass, yes, but not what I was hoping for. I wanted 78 or 79 for the day. Shake it off, and come out on fire for Baking and Pastry!!!
Chef Tim Recher was eliminated after this day. Then, there were six.
At 9:00 p.m., Chef Randy Torres, Chef Jonathan Moosmiller, and I had a conference call to strategize the menu the three of us were assigned. Although we d
id not have the same accoutrements, we discussed the methodology of the final product in the center of the plate. We wrote our own requisitions and tried to get some sleep. I turned in at 11:00 p.m. Wake up, as usual, at 4:45 a.m.
Day Seven, Baking and Pastry: My commis, a strong young man, quickly scaled all of my recipes, accurately. The biggest mistake of the day was dealing with my puff pastry—a school-made product, something I had not dealt with in quite some time. I placed the wire grate too low, and the fluffy rise did not happen. The result was a hockey puck of puff pastry, somewhat disastrous.
The other products were quite good. Small details would have added a point here and there: pumpkin-shaped tuiles, a little too big for the dessert overall; quenelles were not beautiful and shiny; gelée of apples were not tempered correctly, the texture challenging to cut through cleanly. The focaccia and olive oil quick bread were acceptable, although one judge stated that the basil did not come through in the bread. I ended this day with an 81.7 … a good score, and was expected to have a high score for the overall day.
After all critiques were given to the remaining candidates, I was pulled in and given the news that I did not have the 75 percent average score for the combined seven days, which was needed to continue cooking, for Day Eight.
My experience was coming to an end.
The True Legacy of Roland G. Henin
We learn from our mistakes, ten times more, than from our successes.
—RGH
Out of the eleven CMC candidates originally enrolled in the 2014 CMC Exam, two passed (one chef withdrew before the testing began). The newest Certified Master Chefs are: Jonathan Moosmiller, CMC, executive chef at Southern Hills Country Club, Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Daryl Shular, CMC, director of education/executive chef at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Atlanta, in Tucker, Georgia.
Roland G. Henin: 50 Years of Mentoring Great American Chefs Page 35