Chicago Marathon

Marathon weekend in Chicago is a blast. This was my second year as a spectator, and I have to say it's truly a great weekend to be in the city. Apart from having to wake up so early on a Sunday, the event basically gives everyone a chance to view the city as grounds for a scavenger hunt. The 26.2-mile course covers 29 different neighborhoods, reaching as far north as Addison Street near Wrigley Field, and as far south as 35th Street near U.S. Cellular Field. Each mile marker is surrounded with people cheering on runners. Many viewers have friends or family running, and some just like being part of the crowd.

This year I was lucky enough to be able to track my cousin Julia and Uncle John, who live in St. Louis, as well as my friend Brian, who lives in Kansas City. This was Julia and John's first marathon, and their training efforts really paid off for them. It was so cool to see such a look of well-earned accomplishment on their faces. Brian, who has been a runner longer than I've known him and who has run this marathon more than once, finished with a 2010 Boston Marathon-qualifying time. Amazing. I'm so proud of them all.

Breads and Breakfast Pastries

My freezer is full of bread that I will most likely never eat. Truly. Check out the damage at right. I sometimes lose track of just how much product I'm making at school, but am strongly reminded when I open the door to dig for Boca patties (...or sorbet).

I have learned so much about bread during the past two weeks, mostly pertaining to mixing methods and chemical reactions. My classmates and I were taught three different ways to produce bread, each yielding a different crust, crumb, and shelf life.

whole wheat bread ready to be baked

baked whole wheat bread
French baguettes
beer bread in the oven

farmer bread (with walnuts)

country bread formed into shapes

Besides bread, we also focused on breakfast pastries such as brioche, croissants, danish, waffles, and beignets...

croissants

chocolate croissants

almond croissants

brioche topped with almond cream and sliced almonds

beignets, both fried and waiting to be fried

Next week we start on petit fours: dacquoises, eclairs, mini tarts, macarons, etc. Just in time for my dad and sisters' visit next weekend.

Chef Nicholas Lodge

Recently all students had the pleasure of watching a demo by Chef Nicholas Lodge, a world-renowned cake decorator. He spent an entire class period teaching us the fine details of gumpaste flowers and piping techniques. As students, we've all grown accustomed to seeing a (relatively) quick demo after we scale all of our ingredients, then returning to our stations to begin production. The catch concerning Chef Lodge's presentation was that very little interaction was required on our parts, so at times it was tough to keep our bodies from falling into a state of utter comatose. Regardless, the opportunity to watch this true craftsman was a privilege for us, and has me curious to learn how well I will respond to making my own gumpaste flowers next month.