Random Reflections X: Attention to Detail and High Standards

I was volunteering in Production Kitchen yesterday, and I was sent upstairs to deliver some supplies (e.g. flour and other baking ingredients) to the pastry kitchen. It was early in the morning (around 7:15am, one hour before class starts), and there was no one around, so I took the opportunity to take a few photos of the practical kitchens (see photos below). I seldom see the kitchens in this state -- so quiet that you can hear a pin drop, so I couldn't resist it (by the way, I always have my camera in my pocket).


Room 2C: The Pastry Practical Kitchen


Room 2B: The Cuisine Practical Kitchen


One of the things that struck me as special about Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa is how clean the practical kitchens are. I know firsthand just how messy the kitchens can get after a practical class -- trust me, a practical kitchen can look as if a cyclone or tornado has just been through; you might find melted chocolate where you wouldn't normally expect to find chocolate -- but each morning the kitchens are immaculately clean again.

Of course, the chefs train us to clean really well after each practical class -- you will incur the wrath of the chefs if you don't do your part in the clean-up after a practical class. But the School also has commercial cleaners come in to clean the kitchens several times a week. I think it is important to stop and consider what we take for granted at School; it occurred to me that commercial kitchens in the real-world are seldom as clean.

It is the attention to detail and high standards that I really like about this School. We are supplied with good tools and equipment to practise with, and we work in clean kitchens. After we graduate and we go out to work in a commercial kitchen, it is up to us to pay attention to such details and to apply those same high standards.

Here's another example of paying attention to detail: During my practical class a couple of weeks ago, I was scaling (measuring out) the ingredients for making caramel. As is my habit now, in order to save time, I would scale the sugar and water directly in the same pot (instead of measuring the water and sugar in two different containers and then putting the ingredients into the pot). My mistake was to scale the sugar first, and then add water on top of the sugar. This is apparently a no-no here at LCB because the sugar could burn more easily when it is in direct contact with the pot. You should have seen the reaction from the chef when he witnessed me doing that (sorry, Chef!) ... The chefs here insist on the proper way to do things, because that little detail could be the difference between a great result or a mediocre result for the cake (or whatever). This is more so for pastry than for cuisine, I believe.

These are just some of the really valuable lessons I am learning, even though I am not always aware of them. When I reflect on what I have learned at School (which I do at least once a week), I realize this is all part of the rigorous training I wanted and expected from LCB, and that is why I know I will miss it when I finish my courses here.

However, the learning continues...