What's on the menu? Knife skills and technique with a recipe on the side......

Chicken curry with basmati rice, lime and cilantro.

Knife skills are an inherent part of
most lessons.

With so much going on at Liaison Kitchener during the daytime – full-time programs, special events, Friday lunches – our evening classes so far have been flying under the social media radar. Since they attend school just two evenings per week, these part-time students are part of the school’s social fabric for a much longer stretch of time than the daytime students, and deserve a little more attention. 

The lessons flow a little differently at night: while daytime classes concentrate on classroom theory in one five-week stretch, the part-timers get textbook material interspersed with hands-on kitchen time, giving them a chance to apply their freshly-learned theory at the stove as they work their way through their term.

Last week Chef Tekin had a couple of poultry lessons on the menu, walking the evening students through an Asian curry with basmati rice, along with a poached chicken leg, wrapped in bacon and stuffed with ricotta and spinach.

Chef Tekin wraps stuffed chicken in plastic wrap and foil
before poaching.

The goal is not so much for students to learn a recipe or two- those can be found in any number of books, magazines and websites. Knife skills and technique, however (cutting up a whole chicken, cooking methods, etc)  are at the heart of every lesson, giving students a chance to practice these essentials each time they don their aprons. 

For more photos, visit our Facebook page. 

Students become entrepreneurs and bankers. "Would you invest in these ventures?"

Andrew (left) and Ali (right) explain the details of the property
they researched for their Bollywood Lounge. 

Cassindra and Larry's marketing
material for their food truck.

Some were dressed to impress, buttoned up, tucked in and ready for business. Others nervously reviewed their Power Point programs, or prepared sample foods to bring their presentations alive. It was the final hurrah for Advanced students, revealing the projects that had consumed much of their time of late. At the same time they were refining, exploring, and putting personal touches on their creative efforts in the kitchen, they were also developing business ventures: fleshing out concepts for a food business, from menus and target markets all the way through to location and design.

Kathy (left) and Siavash (centre) dressed for success.

Their mission this past week – the last before their graduation - was to convince their fellow students that they had done their homework. While project partners walked everyone through their lofty goals, questing for investment capital, the rest of the class played banker, asked questions, and tried to decide whether the business would be a reasonable risk.

While it may be some time before these new grads can think about starting their own café, bistro or food truck, the lessons learned here- from missed details, oversights, or brilliant innovations - provide a solid foundation that will stay with them throughout their careers.

Chef Dean checked out Ali & Andrew's online
marketing while their presentation was still in progress.

Are you craving our Friday lunch? Eat first with your eyes.....

Happy New Year! The Liaison College Kitchener campus is still blissfully quiet until we resume classes on Monday January 7. Our first Friday lunch of 2013 will be held on January 18. Until then, you can eat with your eyes: Click here or follow the link below to view a few of the tantalizing dishes our students created last year.

Bon Appetit! Hope to see you in 2013.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Liaison-College-Kitchener/524198780925429

Send-off lunch was a feast for the eyes

Meisha (left) and Siavash carefully layer the three-coloured soup.

It was the final day in the kitchen for our Advanced students; the last of ten Friday lunches they created together at the school. The tables groaned under a festive buffet – a gastronomic and visual feast, from the three-coloured soup to the yule log flanked by meringue snowmen.

Diners from pre-school to octogenarian packed the house, spilling over into the quieter-than-usual kitchen. Most of the action centered on the eye-popping spread that stretched the length of the hallway. As the sushi, pan de jamon, lamb kebab, paella, salt-covered sea bass, beef tenderloin and other savories disappeared, traffic shifted to the dining room, where a cascade of fruit and other sweet finishes took centre stage.

When the last coffee was served, and the few guests remaining were lost in conversation, Chef Dean called a huddle in the kitchen. His speech was short and congratulatory – passing on from diners their many compliments and requests for recipes. He added his own words of encouragement, as the students head out to apply their new skills in the culinary field. Chef Elaina, director of the school, also spoke as they leaned into the tête-à- tête. She seemed reluctant to let her fledglings go after nurturing them for thirty weeks, and assured them that the doors are always open here and their visits always welcome.

Andrew puts the finishing touches on the chicken, seafood and rabbit paella.

To view more photos visit our Facebook page.