In 1997, writer Michael Ruhlman attended the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and wrote about his experience in The Making of a Chef (reviewed here on April 7, 2000). Happily for us, his experience slinging very fancy hash merely whetted his appetite to learn more about the experience of professional cooking. In this three-part volume, he looks at the varying routes and marks of the excellent chef.
In Section One he attends the 10 day Certified Master Chef Exam given by the American Culinary Federation. Those few that pass (only 53 since 1981) can look forward to a higher salary and respect. Of course, there are many that think the test is next to worthless, with the weight of the test being on classical preparations rarely done in restaurants (or anywhere else, for that matter).
So, what does the ten days consist of? 5 major and 10 minor categories--fail two majors and you're out. Fail two, or maybe three minors (each minor is weighted differently), and you're out. And fifty per cent of the grade is on Day 10, when the testers are at their most exhausted and stressed.
The tests cover such items as Nutritional Cuisine (five hours to create a 4-course meal that is less than 800 calories), Terrines and Galantines, Buffet, American Regional Cuisine (where the ingredients are drawn from a mystery basket), Classical Cuisine, Asian Cuisine, International Cuisine (Spanish, Swedish, etc.). And Day 10, where the first half of the day is spent creating a menu decided by the judges (drawn from a stack), and could cover Classical or International again, and the second half is a mystery basket, where stressed out imaginations are allowed to go as wild as they can.
The second part of the book is a bit more cheery, and looks at Michael Symon (a 1998 Food and Wine Top 10 Chef), chef-owner of Lola Bistro and Wine Bar in Cleveland, Ohio. Fun food (lobster pierogies) and a casual workplace (no uniforms and unusually high support for staff) make for a happy atmosphere to be enjoyed by all--the customers are made to feel welcome, and the food is challenging, not threatening (and fairly inexpensive, as no entrée goes over $20). Ruhlman quibbles a bit with the straying from CIA teachings--Symon eschews sauces, and finds some mess acceptable. I found the whole idea rather charming, and hope to visit the next time I'm in Cleveland.
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