Foundation Dinner

Trista and Jeremy

The Foundation Dinner was a great experience for me. It was full of lots of hard work and fun. It was a stressful event for everyone at the MICA Campus, and it did not get any better until the night was over and clean up began. Not only were our chefs stressed all of the first years had no idea what to expect with the dinner. It was our first dinner event of the year.

I was in the cold appetiser group where there was only myself and another student. We both worked very hard trying to make sure that everything was perfect for the upcoming event and to make sure all of our pairings went well together. While the garnishes were being made we realized that there was something not right about them and they were changed the morning of the dinner. We ended up deep frying about 200 potato shells to garnish the scallops that were being served as the cold appetiser. That was probably the most tedious of jobs that I have ever done before in my life.    

    

James, Trista, Chef Matt, and Jeff

Having this kind of an event really showed us what a high profile dinner would be like. We all learnt that an event of that size takes a lot of teamwork and dedication to succeed. The Foundation Dinner that Assiniboine Community College Culinary Arts and Hotel Restaurant programs hosted was very much a success. It takes a lot of hard work and communication with a large team of people to pull something like that off.

            I think it was an excellent experience for not only my self but the whole 2008 2009 Culinary Arts class!

 

n  Trista L. Hearn

What’s there to wine about?

 

            What I have come to love about this school is the way in which we learn, everyday it’s slightly different than the day before.  Of course there is the classroom work that we must “suffer” through, food theory, a little bit of history, but then it starts getting fun.  Menu planning for the day and what’s in the fridge that needs to be used?  What can we do with it?  What time is plating?  And then we are off to the kitchen, something new to learn and create, rarely have we had the same day twice.  It’s such a great way to learn, getting your hands dirty (that is a metaphor of course, we practice food safety and sanitation in our kitchen!), however we sometimes become so focused on the food that we forget there is more to the picture.  Beverage selection, in particular wine selection, is just as important to the customers overall impression of the meal as any ingredient in a dish. 

Christopher Sprague and his students

It’s a good thing we have instructors and administrators who have taken this into consideration, and on January 20, 2009 the MICA students, as well as Hotel and Restaurant Management students were treated to a guest speaker from right here in Manitoba.  Christopher Sprague from 529 Wellington in Winnipeg was kind enough to pay us a visit and impart upon us his knowledge of wine, all that he could fit into an hour anyway, and the care that must go into selecting wine and food pairings that work the best together.  There are many factors influencing such choices, for instance the type of establishment and wine availability make a great difference.  What I also found interesting was how much consideration he gave to the back of the house, how the food is prepared and with what.  Does the Chef cook hearty, heavy dishes or are they light and sweet?  Are the meals heavily seasoned or have an exotic side to them, finding the perfect wine to compliment or contrast with these preparations may mean the difference in repeat business or customers who walk out the door never to be seen again.

 

 

 

Christpher Sprague of 529 Wellington

As for Mr. Sprague himself, he showed us all what it is to be passionate about one’s vocation.  The recipient of Wine Spectator Magazine’s Best of Award of Excellence, he brought along with him a bottle of Tolanii Al Passo 2004 to sample, and who better to learn the proper way to sample wine than a man who has made it his life’s work?  To do so one must engage all the senses, there is first the sight.  The look of the wine is your first indications of the experience you are about to embark upon.  It must be clear, cloudiness could indicate spoilage or mishandling, or perhaps a dirty glass; none of which are appealing.  Next comes the smell.  Swirl the liquid around in your glass, make sure the oxygen can get in there and lift every possible aroma up to your awaiting nose, and breathe deep.  Is it sweet? Earthy?  Fruitful?  If you can smell it you will taste it.  And then… the sip.  Swish it in your mouth and if possible there is a sort of inhaling, gurgly thing, you suck the air in with the wine still in your mouth, which enhances the taste even more.  I advise practicing at home first before you whip out this little party trick in public, as it is probably clear how this could go wrong.

 

 

 

 

This lesson became about more than having a glass of wine, it was about engaging the senses and expanding your mind to be creative, which is what we all came to school for.  There is a wrong way but there is no one way to create and be inventive.

 

By Erin Nichol

Culinary Arts Year One

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Visit from a Sommelier

pro wine taster Christopher Sprague

 

 

 

students learning about wine

On January 20^th 2009, the Culinary Arts students, together with the Hotel Restaurant Management students, were very lucky to have been visited by Christopher Sprague. Christopher is an award winning sommelier from 529 Wellington Restaurant in Winnipeg. His wine lists have been published in The Wine Spectator, and he is one of only fourteen people that are certified sommeliers in Manitoba. Christopher also has one of the most extensive, and celebrated wine cellars in the province.

 

 

 

During Christopher’s visit he spoke to us about what a sommelier does and what it becomes to be a great one. He taught us how to see and taste wine from an experts view, and explained to us the art of pairing wine with food. As a novice wine taster with an inexperienced palate, I found this seminar very helpful. Before this session I had been to a few wine tastings in Brandon, and have tested different kinds with friends, but really didn’t know the proper way of getting all you can out of a sip and a sniff of wine. Now, thanks to Christopher I have a better understanding of what I should be looking for. Being in the culinary industry, this is a very important skill to posses as everyday we are creating, and we love to cook with wine.

 

Cooking is not all we do with wine, pairing wine with food has now become an important part of the culinary world. Here at MICA we hold annual wine tastings, where we have multiple tables from different countries, with different wines and vintages, all paired with something delicious to eat,  that complements the wine. This is now common practice throughout the industry. Christopher taught us that not only can you pair wine to complement the food, but to contrast or cut some of the flavors of what you are pairing. For instance, red wines are full of tannins, which go excellent with the bold, rich flavour and the marbling of red meat.   This information will come in handy in our school career, and all of our future endeavours.

 

Below is a quote from a second year Hotel & Restaurant Management student that attended Christopher’s seminar:

“An hour spent in the presence of greatness always is a treat. Christopher Sprague offers a local attitude with a global perspective on wine.  A flamboyant reminder that no matter what the price, it is still ‘just rotted grape juice’.  Demonstrating amazing value, he generously shared a definitive Pinot noir from Burgundy.  His excitement and energy transferred into our wine-loving hearts and we were able to analyze what made this wine so exquisite.  We not only appreciated this tremendous opportunity, we savoured it, to the very last drop. ”  -Amy Bonchuk

 

All of us here at MICA would like to thank Christopher for coming here to share his knowledge and passion of wine with us, and we all look forward to working with him again in the future!

Amanda Gray

Culinary Arts Student    

                                                                                                               

IRON CHEF MICA

 On Friday, January 23^rd, 2009, the second year Culinary Arts Students participated in an IRON CHEF competition.   They were paired in groups of two and given one hour to complete a minimum of six plates.  The secret ingredient was fresh Atlantic salmon.  The kitchen was a buzz of energy, excitement and tension.  Three 1^st year students were chosen to judge the event, Kendall Jason, Amanda Gray, and myself.    

Kristina starting to plate

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the hour was up and the dishes plated, the second year students presented their dishes in the Grey Owl Dinner Room, with pride.  A multitude of flavours and smells filled the room.   As a judge, I was very excited to taste the salmon creations the second year’s had made.   Amanda, Kendall and I made our way to each of the six tables.  Each group provided an amazing variety for their plates.  We tasted the classic salmon dishes with lemon and dill and a few groups created a wonderful twist on the traditional “fish sticks”, with breaded salmon and tartar sauce.  One group consisting of Jeremy Rintoul and Robyn McNarland, with a total of nine dishes, made a salmon stir-fry.  A few groups seasoned pieces of salmon and grilled them.  One group chose to make salmon shish kebabs, which they grilled on the char broiler.  The students also paired the salmon with a variety of sauces, such as relishes, salsas, and aioli. The second years were able to create many different dishes with many different flavours.  “I never knew you could do salmon in so many different ways.” Amanda Gray.  As a first year culinary student I was also amazed at the creativity and skill the second year students have.

Even instructor Chef Matt Otten was impressed with the second year students.  “The Fresh Atlantic Salmon Competition for our year two culinary students was their grand finaly for our Fish and Seafood Chapter for 2009.  They had a one hour time limit, no prep time, and prior to five minutes before, an unknown team member.  This made these young chefs produce food based on instinct and solid skill.  In my opinion these were some of the best salmon entrees I’ve seen in many years.”  Chef Matt Otten. 

Speaking to some of the second year students I got the impression that they even surprised themselves.  “I think it was interesting how we all met our goal of accomplishing six plates with in an hour and with different cooking methods.  It felt great achieving that goal.”  Melissa “Missy” Berry.  Out of the six groups most completed the required six plates but some were able to go above and beyond and completed more delicious dishes.

With over 40 different salmon dishes to taste, I felt that it was going to be a daunting task.  Kendall, Amanda and I wandered from table to table, tasting dish after dish, our mouths were filled with a bouquet of flavours.   I’ve never had such a unique experience before.  I am very thankful to have had the opportunity and I’d like to congratulate Melissa “Missy” Berry and Bettina Cunanan for taking first place.  Their variety of salmon dishes won us over.  Great job girls, I loved the pineapple relish.

Bettina and Missy's winning plates

 

 

 

 

“Wahoo we won!” Melissa “Missy” Berry.

 

 

Posted

by Haley Kuhl

Culinary Arts

Culinary Salon Competition

            Here at the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts campus along with our regular classes, a group of twenty students, consisting both of year one and year two students, are assembling show pieces to attend a culinary competition; our culinary arts students combined will be entering twenty five pieces for competition. The Culinary Arts Competition is to be held at the Red River Community College’s Voyager Dining Hall, on March 8, 2009, admission is $3.50; children under 12 are admitted free.

            The Competition consists of over a dozen categories in both student and professional categories; we will be competing in two of them. Mica Students have quite the line up of pieces which should impress the judges, from every girls fairy tail of Cinderella on her wedding cake of pillows, and for the tough guys out there we also have a wedding cake in the theme of a poker table. Our team will also be competing in the fat sculpture category, which we will be displaying such pieces as Batman’s Bat Mobile, to Star Wars character, Yoda.

            A few students gave their thoughts on the competition:

Amanda Gray

Year one Culinary Arts Student

 

“Just seeing the creative talent that comes out of everyone, while they are doing their fat sculptures and decorating their cakes is amazing. I can’t wait to see everyone’s finished products!”

Jeff Moore

Year one Culinary Arts Student

 

“As a previous competitor of the competition, but not actually attending the show, I am really excited to attend this year and see all the talent that Manitoba chef’s have to showcase in both professional and student categories!”

 

Michelle Horn

Year two Culinary Arts Student

 

            “The competition means a lot to me because if we didn’t have the competition then I would not be able to showcase my skills with what I can do, or to show off the creativity that I do in all of my pieces. Most of my ides come from pictures I see and then when I put them on a piece they become my own piece.”

 

            Pieces are judged in four categories; a competitor may score 10 points for first impressions, 10 points for technique and skills, 10 points for presentation and service, and 10 points for nutrition and composition for a mark total out of 40. A competitor is given a medal on how they score on a personal level, not in the whole group. A score of 36 – 40 is awarded gold, 32 – 35 silver, 28 – 31 bronze, and 24 – 27 diploma.

            To attend the competition Mica students must transport competition pieces from campus to a hotel room overnight and then from hotel to competition room at 6am of the competition morning. The Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts heads to the Manitoba capitol to compete this year in hopes of defending the title of winning the Travel Manitoba Trophy for best school in Culinary Show, which Mica students won at last years competition.

 

Posted by: Jeff Moore

                 

Year one Culinary Arts Student

Yoda

Bat Mobile in progress

Everyone working Hard

Beer Festival 2008

Trista Hearn,Chef Matt Otten,Leigh Foley, Naz Babych

 The Best of the Beer Festival

 Just to let you know about one of the groups food pairings:

A Taste of Denmark

 

About Danish Cuisine

Danish cuisine features the products suited to its cool and moist northern climate: barley, potatoes, rye, beetroot, greens, berries, and mushrooms are locally grown, and dairy products are one of its specialities. Since it shares its climate and agricultural practices with the other Scandinavian countries, and some of Eastern Europe, Danish cuisine has much in common with other Scandinavian countries. Nevertheless, it has its own distinguishing features, which were formed by a variety of influences during the country’s long and difficult history.

Before the widespread industrialisation of Denmark (ca. 1860), small family-based agriculture formed the vast majority of Danish society. As in most agrarian societies, people lived practically self-sufficiently, and made do with the food they could produce themselves, or what could be purchased locally. This meant reliance on locally available food products, which form the basis of the traditional diet: cereal products, dairy products, pork, seafood, apples, plums, carrots, potatoes, onions, beer, and bread.

In the new Danish cooking style, dishes are sometimes lighter, smaller, more nutritious and generally offer more focus on fresh vegetables. This mode of cooking is increasingly international, highly influenced by French, American and Asian cuisine, especially the cuisine of Thailand. Despite this, the buttery traditional cuisine is still very popular, especially in the young generations.

 

Menu

DENMARK

 

Carlsberg Light –

Panko Flake, Rosemary and Thyme Incrusted Haddock,

Sweet and Malty Rosemary and Thyme infused vinaigrette drizzled.

 

~*~

 

Faxe Premium Lager -

Faxe Strong Lager -

Cracked Green Peppercorn incrusted Pork Tenderloin,

Pan Sauce oju, deglazed with a hit of the Faxe Lager.

 

 

Many distinct flavoured beers, or beers that have a strong smell, seem to me as though it would be very difficult to find food pairings for them. As I found in the reality, it makes the pairing much easier if you try the beer independently, taste the food alone, and finally combine the beer and food. It is easy to see if they complement each other, if the flavour of the beer or food is enhanced.

 

Carlsberg Light

            The taste is Dry, sweet, very hoppy.

            Many different low fat dishes/ seafood dishes bring out the best.

 

We chose to make Panko Flake, Rosemary and Thyme Incrusted Haddock with a sweet and malty Rosemary and Thyme infused vinaigrette drizzled.

The soft texture of the fish, with the crunch of the batter, flavours of the fresh herbs and aroma matched well with the Carlsberg Light Beer. Each flavour presented itself in a whole and individually in the tasting. When having the fish lighty salted, it improved the taste of the food when sampling the beer.

 

Faxe Premium Lager

            Lager a light Carmel taste, mellow characteristics smooth texture

Faxe Strong Lager

            strong smell, malty, sweet and peppery taste

 

For all of the first Yr. students this was our first event of the year at MICA:

Here what some of us thought!

 

“Up until the point that the Doors Opened and all the guest began to pour in, I was SHAKING in my chef shoes. I had so much fun! it went of without a hitch.”

Leigh Foley

Yr1 Culinary Arts Student

 

The two Faxe Lagers (the Premium and the Strong) were very similar to the nose, initial taste and to the palate. Our food pairing choice was Cracked Green Peppercorn incrusted Pork Tenderloin, with Pan Sauce oju, deglazed with a hit of the Faxe Lager. The beer very much enhanced the flavour of the pork, while the spicy hot flavour and the crunch of the peppercorn rub had a team effort in the all around combination in the mouth. There seemed to be a pleasant lingering burn on the tongue from the peppercorns, while the lager cleansed the palate quite well.

 Teamwork is important, all members of a group must cooperate or coordinated effort on the part of a group. Acting together as a team, in this event, people working together to get a job done, it is for a selfless purpose. If you are not able to talk about the need and value of teamwork you will not be able to complete the assigned tasks, get along or have a pleasant learning experience. Teamwork has benefits; it is very rare to see it being practiced truly in reality because it is over looked in the cause of any disagreement. A team however may possibly “clash” in the kitchen but in the Festival get alone very well. Some things cannot be accomplished by people working individually. Larger, more ambitious goals usually require that people work together with other people, such as our Beer Festival we all felt we needed to accomplish a common goal. Effective collaborative skills (knowledge) are necessary to work well in a team environment.

It was a very successful evening and all students enjoyed themselves and it was a very learned experience.

 

Kendall Jason

YR.1 Culinary Arts Student

Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts 

 

The MICA pumpkins!

This was one of our first experiences with sustainable tourism, and I think that I can firmly say everyone of us as MICA students, including of course the ever devoted Chef Joanne, Chef Matt, and Chef Bradley, enjoyed it immensly!  The auction following allocated funding toward one of MICA’s “Pet Projects”; our very own green house!

Many thanks to wood carver Val Pogson, for stepping a little out of her element to spend some time with us and show us some new tricks!

Creations For The Kids!

Kendall Jason                                       Jan. 14, 09                                                        MICA

 

Assiniboine Community College’s main campuses, Early Childhood Education Students in their studies help run the college daycare centre. We welcomed them early this morning to the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts. This institute is located at the college’s newly renovated historic campus.

Culinary Arts Students created a “hands” on workshop for the Early Childhood Education Students. There were 7 stations (Which were all named) that setup up with all kinds of fun ideas that can be incorporated with food… AND Be Super Fun For The Kids!!!

Station 1 The Quagmires

·         Carrot, Squash and Egg Plant “Mr. Potato Heads”

Station 2 The Cookie Monsters

·         Carrot Swirls and Twirls

·         Carrot, and Turnip Parchels tied with leek

·         Zest of, Lemon, Lime and Cucumber

·         Lemon Twists

Station 3 Pie R Squared

·         Onion Brushes

Station 4 Cookies and Cream

·         Champignon Potatoes

·         Pepper Triangles

Station 5 The Short Breads

·         Orange Baskets

Station 6 Little Miss Muffins

·         Beet and Turnip Roses

Station 7 The Danish Twists

·         Potato Fritters and Radish Mice

An enlightening Experience was definitely had by all who attended! We as Culinary Students were able to teach and have your pupils take in all we had to offter!

On behalf of all the Instructors and Students at MICA thanks for Joining us!

 

Making a difference

 

Group discussions about actions to take with respect to climate change

 

 

 

Climate change, Culinary & Experiential Tourism

With Celes Davar, Earth Rhythms, Inc.

Reporter: Kendall Jason

 Earth Rhythms talented facilitators (Celes Davar and his wife) and guides have years of experience in yoga, astronomy, science, song writing, outdoor adventures, teambuilding, innovative arts, farm production, or local cultural traditions. He travels across Manitoba to schools, business etc. to inform the public of the effects of global warming.

Hotel Restaurant management students and the Culinary Arts Students of the Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts had a great opportunity, to be informed of the effects of global warming, on the change in climate, human population and our planet. The hour and a half of information stated, just seemed to have everyone on there toes wanting to know more, wanting to know about the possibility of each individual and the goal that they can set in the first step of making a change for themselves, for the college, in their current work place.

These are a few statements collected in our group discussions:

“Three years ago I stopped using chemicals and pesticides on my garden, with a plan to become an organic gardener! My suggestion to all is to try to become Bio organic and home, find other means to enrich your garden, COMPOST!”

                        -Amanda Gray (Yr1 CA)

“Try to suggest a change in the work place. Start simple, utilize product to its full potential in the culinary industry. Recycle paper, plastic, cardboard. Buy locally grown produce- support local economy.  It doesn’t have as far to be transported- less emissions.”

                        -Kendall Jason (Yr1 CA)

“The Kitchen in the campus (MICA) has just in the last two years been reconstructed, however with the less energy efficient equipment. IT should be suggested to administration to have a trade in program to replace it with more energy efficient tools”

                        -Katie Russet (Yr2 CA)

“Lighting is a major factor in energy waste, is simple, light a candle, turn off the light when you leave the room, use natural sunlight when possible, and it is also possible to install motion detection lighting.”

                        -Robyn McNarland (Yr2 CA)

“At the college we are doing a lot to help reduce our waste in the kitchen, we are composting, recycling, ordering local produce, to help out the local economy, and are constantly fund raising in order to get the Green House that is currently on campus onto order so we can add to our local production and do it ourselves as well.  We have a garden and an orchid that we use seasonally as well”

                         -Jeremy Rintoul (Yr2 CA)

As you can see, the information presented was not only meant to inform, but it made each and everyone who attended leave with the thought, “What can I do to help put a stop to the alarming rate at which climate change is affecting our planet?”

Following the seminar we had a workshop, where the Hotel Restaurant Management and the Culinary Arts students interacted in the kitchen where together they prepared soup, biscuits, salad and dessert. In order for the Culinary Students to have an idea about the tourism industry, and the Hotel Restaurant Management students to understand the back of the house we had to all work together.

Each class was made into six groups consisting of both Culinary Arts and Hotel restaurant students.

“It is quite and experience to see how an actual professional kitchen is run. It is a great opportunity to be involved in the kitchen.”

                        -Keri Penner (Yr1 HRM)

“I feel very lucky to be attending MICA.”

                        -Trista Hearn (YR1 CA)

All for one – One for all

 

Tourism & culinary students prepare lunch together as a learning experience

 

 

Tourism and Culinary that is why we are all here today at ACC. Each of us has our own reasons to be attending class in our respected programs but for each of our reasons we each share a goal: To initiate a process in which others can follow.  In our industry that means buying local food, composting what we don’t use, using as much as we can and eliminating as much waste as we can. 

The presentation Climate Change, Culinary and Experiential Tourism was a big eye opener for myself, and to many others in the room today.  And hopefully we will all go home and act upon things that we can do to help reverse the effects of global warming. 

All for one, and one for all. This was a quote I heard today that at first I laughed at but then, once I began to think about that concept it really started to make sense.  Walking through the kitchen while each group was making there selected dished shows that when we are given a mission or a task all we have to do is put or minds to it and we can easily complete it. Working together we can complete it much faster than if we were all to it on our own. That’s were the Three musketeers quote comes in.  We can not successfully reverse and help with global warming and change the damages that are occurring in our world today if we in each of our own homes do not make the effort. Yes it is easier to do it at school because there are people here to help us and show us the right things to do. But when we get home our mind set is that its just one place what will that help, it will all help and we all need to be doing it. 

 Watching the presentation makes everything come into perspective, when you see the charts, pictures and stats, It really makes you realize what kind of trouble we are in. 

Kristie

It has come to a point were its one extreme to another, in some parts of the world there is so much water and so many storms that people are dying and have no way of stopping it. And in other parts of the world they are so dry and without water that just as many people are dying, and suffering.

Amanda

Buying local and from companies that are already green and environmentally friendly is a great place for us to start when we go out in to the work force after school.

Erin

 

As Celes said it is not just our generation but it is our parents and their parents and our children and grand children that are going to make the difference in the fight to end global warming. We in our, families, schools, businesses, communities, and countries that will make the difference.   Remember: All for on and one for all.

Sadie McConnell

Year 1. Hotel Restaurant Management 

Manitoba Institute of Culinary Arts, Brandon, Manitoba. Canada