Goodbye Kitchen...Hello Graduation in 3 Weeks!!!

So today was my last day in a cooking class here at the Culinary I of A. I worked in the American Bounty restaurant at school. I say that the past three weeks was the best class I have ever had at this school. I was on the family meal station in our kitchen, which at first, I was really bitter about because I have been on family meal a few times now and pastry as well and I just wanted to cook on the line. **Family meal is basically providing lunch for the kitchen staff and servers and is often looked down upon**I was going to try to switch, but someone told me that Family meal was able to order and make whatever they wanted and that during service, we were able to cook on the line to assist when busy. And with me trying to always look on the bright side, I stuck with it.
I am so happy that I did not try to change. My partner and I worked together so well, making for a very well oiled (extra virgin olive oil) machine. We had our menus written out for all 15 days of the class so we always knew a few days in advance what we would be doing. We wanted to be as prepared as possible. We always did prep the day before so that all we had to do when we came in was heat food up and finish cooking. We came up with some pretty delicious menus. We even made our own corned beef!! Tried making sauerkraut...fail.
Anyway, chef and I got along very well. You know how you know within five minutes of meeting someone that you are going to get along with them? Well I knew that with Chef. He had a crazy amount of energy that showed he loved to teach and cook, but did not want to play games. Of course he was serious about teaching us! This was our last cooking class before we graduate! Of course we have to be on our A game!! He pushed us, in a positive way, which I think was the perfect teaching style that worked for me.
He often joked about how I asked questions a lot, calling me high maintenance, but it was all in good fun. He and I had a discussion about how one of my classmates yelled at me for being so positive all the time and always looking on the bright side and he told me to "never lose that quality, no matter how much it drives them crazy. They just don't understand how you are able to look past the bad and find the good. They are jealous." Hearing those words from chef was very motivating because people call me out on my positivity all the time. He would come up to me and ask if I was happy, just because. He often tried to make fun of me and pretended to complain I was doing something wrong just because he needed someone to take his frustration out on...who better than someone who will just laugh with him?? He once came up to me and was telling me how my partner was complaining that I was always miserable and difficult to work with and I said, "Chef...I think you're lying." and he said, "ok, fine yea, so?" and laughed and walked away (you had to be there I guess).
I gave him my business card on the last day of class and on the back I wrote, "the girl who is always happy." He smiled.


I will be working as a server for the next three weeks as my last class and then I graduate!!!