In July of this summer and with support from the Kilbourne Summer Enrichment Fund, I had the opportunity to study at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. This program allowed me to hone my passion for cooking through all its fun and exciting elements. Each day, I learned from incredible professional chefs, cooked amazing food, and experienced New York City!
For six hours each day, we studied on various techniques and cuisines. I learned many rules about working in a kitchen and collaborating with other chefs to make a dish. Through many lessons on presentation, plating, flavor, and substitution, I was able to become a better chef and adapt in the kitchen. Working in a commercial-grade kitchen with teens my age was amazing. With fresh produce and a world of ingredients at my fingertips, I used this opportunity to the fullest. With many different tools, ovens, and chefs to help, we all worked together to make amazing dishes to enjoy.
With so many skills to learn in a short amount of time, our focused was on the fundamentals. On the first day, I was tasked with breaking down a whole chicken. This was at first scary, as I had never done that before. But with a quick demonstration and instruction from the chef, I was able to separate the chicken into the wings, drumsticks, breast, thigh, and carcass. Now, I can confidently do this at home without hesitation. We soon moved on to chopping techniques like julienne, batonnet, and brunoise. I used these techniques to cut many carrots, celery, and onions throughout the week. The array of chopped vegetables and chicken combined to make a perfect chicken noodle soup.
Another highlight was learning how to fillet whole salmon and tuna. After I carefully broke down the fish, we used it to make fresh sushi. This was a learning experience for me, but as I put together more rolls, they came out sharper and neater.
On the final day, I participated in a Chopped-style cook-off, where teams were tasked with creating an appetizer and main dish on their own. Right before we started, we were given frozen broccoli and cheddar quiche and challenged to incorporate them into our dishes somehow. After some thought, we decided to create a creamy lobster pasta with a spicy kick. After I used my skills from the past days to make fresh pasta and break down a blue-shelled lobster, we then began the cooking process. The intensity of the competition strengthened my love for cooking. As we shouted “behind” and “corner” to avoid collisions, all of us were invested in making the best possible dish. Once we had plated our pasta, I toasted the crust of the quiche in some butter to make a crunchy crumble to garnish the dish with. Paired with a deconstructed burrata salad and grilled shrimp, these dishes amazed the judges and fully captured the theme of Christmas in July.
Not only was I able to cook a lot of food during this summer program, but I was also able to explore the vibrant New York City. Each day after we finished our cooking, we were able to travel around New York City. I tried new foods, watched the amazing Broadway show Death Becomes Her, and shopped at many vibrant stores in SoHo. This one-week experience allowed me to not only meet other teens who share my passion for cooking but also to sharpen my skills. Since this experience, I have been able to experiment with many more dishes and share them on my social media!
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Established by John Kilbourne, Class of 1958, in memory of his parents Samuel W. and Evelyn S. Kilbourne, the Kilbourne Summer Enrichment Fund provides students with opportunities in the summer to participate in enriching programs in the arts.