French Week

 Jeremy teaching a new group of Kid Chefs

 After a weekend at the lake, boating, tubing and lounging, it was time to get French week under way. It was early Monday morning and C’est si Bon was welcoming another group of Kid Chefs. Chandler (the other intern), Yvonne (chef), Trevor (once intern now returning chef), Dorette (co-owner and chef) and I set up the drinks, cutting boards and greeted all of the new kid. They got a tour of the kitchen and then a lesson in knife skills.

My return to C’est Si Bon: Italian Week

 Jeremy working with another "future" Chef.

Week one has come to an end but it feels that it was only just yesterday when I arrived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. If you haven’t read my previous blog about C’est Si Bon (C’est Si Bon, June 18th 2009), in the summer of 2007 I attended a one week summer Teen Chef program at a cooking school called C’est Si Bon in Chapel Hill, NC.  After a week of cooking fresh ingredients, farms and lets not forget the goat cheese, I wanted more! Dorette (owner of the school and a Culinary Institute of America trained Chef) had asked me to return the following summer as an intern. I would help out with the Kid Chefs day program and also help with the Teen Chef program at night. Fast-forward 3 years later and here I am back again for my fourth summer doing what I love most, cooking and inspiring other kids. The week started out on Monday, waking up at 7:00AM to a hot cup of French press coffee (if you like coffee, I encourage you to try using a French press). Dorette, Yvonne (chef), Trevor (once an intern, now returning as a chef), Tyler, Cydni (both interns), and I started the days prep before the kids arrived. Putting out cutting boards and knives, making the drink for the day, which consists of several herbs (usually mint, stevia, and lemon balm), lemon slices all steeped in water. It seems that every summer I return Dorette and Rich (her husband and co-owner) have a new and interesting herb growing. This year, besides their beautiful cabbage, they have a new herb growing called Stevia. You might think of it as something straight out of Willy Wonka’s factory. The taste is similar to candy yet it's all natural with no artificial sweetener, it’s a plant. The Kid Chefs start to arrive around 9:00AM, and soon Rich begins giving a lesson on taste and smell, and how to train your taste buds. From there the kids are sorted into 4 groups, appetizer, salad, entrée, and dessert. Each intern is assigned to oversee a group and then the day really begins. A lesson on knife cutting and safety prepares the kids for all the chopping, dicing and slicing they will encounter during the week. Recipes are given out to each group and the cooking begins.

Schools Out...Still Cooking!!!

Enjoying the feast!!

From my previous blog’s you may know that I really enjoy preparing dinner for my friends. Whether it’s Halloween, a movie night, celebrating Julia Child’s birthday or just because I love the idea of sitting down with my friends to a home cooked meal. This time however, I decided to switch things up a little. Not only would my friends come over and enjoy the dinner but they would come and cook it as well, and I’m talking completely from scratch. I decided to have an end of the year/ JeremyCooks dinner (since the one year anniversary of JC.com is coming up). The meal was inspired by summer, full of fresh flavors and the vibrant color. The menu was as follows:

Cherry heirloom tomato focaccia,

Watermelon, feta, and mint salad,

Spring Risotto

French vanilla ice cream sandwiches

    I sent a text inviting my 12 closest friends and I also asked who would be willing to cook with me (out of those who I’ve never cooked with before). The first 2 to respond were my friends Harris Fishman and Laura Costa. Harris is a bit of a foodie himself and Laura is a vegetarian. On the day before, I had to make the ice cream since it takes 24 hours to chill before you churn it. I made French vanilla cream, which is different from regular vanilla ice cream because it is made like custard with eggs and a vanilla bean (but I used vanilla extract). My first attempt at the ice cream failed since my eggs curdled (or in other words turned into lumps). I drove back to the grocery store and remade the custard, succeeding on the second try.