LAST WEEK IN PATISSERIE

Today is the beginning of the 10th or final cycle in Patisserie, while Cuisine ended yesterday. We will learn to make 2 key products and their 'derivatives' in the pastry world (1) Genoise or Sponge Cakes (2) Cheesecakes - Baked & Chilled. The mood in the classroom is visibly relaxed as everyone looks forward to a 2-week break before returning for Intermediate. Chef Michael asked this morning ' ... except for Raymond, everybody will be back, right? ... ' It was a knock on the head to remind me that the end is near. Honestly I am still in a daze, how did the 10-weeks go so fast? It seems like last week when we were all nervous & anxious in Lesson #1 and now some of us are behaving like they have been doing this all their lives. Incredible! Our Lecturers should take the lion share of the credit. Quietly they managed to nudge the class into the pastry world. Chef Didier assured us the babysitting will stop in Intermedaite as ' ... you all should behave as though you are already in industry, where you are on your own, and no one will babysit you'. I am so relieved he is not talking to me, the retiree. I shall miss the young pastry chef-lings at my bench ie Raymond #2, Chris, Ben & Pao - shown with Chef Didier, the tall Belgian who was Executive Chef at a prominent Washington DC hotel before he joined LCB - and Chef Michael, our Principal Chef/Lecturer in Patisserie. I cannot wait for our last Lesson #30 ... Cheesecakes!