Oh the New Year, a time of resolutions and goals. Like many of you, I brought in the New Year drinking Champagne and gorging myself on amazing holiday treats. As 2011 creeped up ever so quickly I realized that my blogging plan had fallen by the wayside. fortunately, that time was not wasted. In the past year I have experienced so many things. I interned at Mark Joseph Cakes, learning all I could about the wedding industry. Then I simultaneously began two jobs in the restaurant industry and in a bakery.
Tabla's Chocolate Kulfi Pop
2009 ended with my internship and brought forth two experiences that have changed me forever. In January I started at Tabla. Indian food was so foreign to me. Having never been to India myself I had no idea what to expect. What I found was a world of spices and a head chef who had the ability to teach the art of cooking, and run a kitchen in a way that I can only aspire to do someday. Chef Floyd Cardoz opened a door to a world I never knew existed and one I was always scared to walk into. Tabla opened my eyes and helped me to understand that to be first a cook and then a chef meant that I needed a core set of values and aspirations, before raw skill. I needed to be able to listen, follow direction, and learn how to work cleanly and quickly. These skills came way before I ever thought about making Indian Chili Souffle, Tiger Tea pave or Kulfi. Chef Floyd Cardoz along with Tablas head Pastry Chef Rachel Binder taught me these things. Although Tabla is now closed I will always remember my time there. I feel in love with the world of cooking, and service.
At the same time I joined Tabla I also took on a job at Momofuku’s Milk Bar, Christina Tosi’s brain child.
Momofuku's Birthday Cake
Walking into this kitchen was like stepping into a dream. Music blasted while cooks created soft serves using salt or zucchini bread, birthday cake icing (Funfetti) with the sprinkles we all love, and experimented with different cookie combinations. Anything crazy you can think of Milk Bar is doing it, or is at least trying. My first day consisted of making a 24 pound batch of compost cookies, cereal milk soft serve, filling crack pies and layering the chocolate chip cake. All while I was serving up the famous pork buns. Yes all, I know how to make Momofuku’s pork buns! Don’t everyone Facebook friend me at once.
My time spent in this kitchen was short but taught me how to think outside the box. I learned that in order to come up with a “badass dessert”, I needed to fail a little. I also learned that to make money in a business, I needed to find a use for everything in the kitchen. I could use crumbled cake scraps to make truffles, or goldfish and chips to make cookies. The possibilities of creation were endless, and this was inspiring. I don’t think I will ever be afraid to mix barbecue sauce with cream to make BBQ soft server or worry about topping it with bacon brioche (kinda sounds yummy huh). I can thank Christina Tosi and all the girls (Milkmaids) for that. Chef Tosi also taught me that time is everything. The faster you work, the more you do. She once told me that when she first started out she would make herself a list, as all young cooks do. The infamous list of things that need to get done before service, and things that have to be done for production. She made this list, finished, and continued onto her next list. In the beginning I worked at a normal pace. After wearing a timer around my neck I became much more efficient at scooping 24lbs of cookies, and making three soft serves at once. Working at Milk Bar taught me that anything and I mean ANYTHING can be made into a dessert. Thanks Milkmaids!
As 2011 begins I am taking these experiences to a new restaurant. Danny Meyers newest adventure Maialino, an Italian restaurant located in The Gramercy Park Hotel. I hope to further my knowledge in the world of pastry here, Italian style!
Stay tuned food lovers as I stick to my new years resolution, Blogging more. 
Yay Jess!! Great stuff. xo
wow wow wow! i’m drooling over that kulfi! and yes finding you on facebook now!