Cooking like a professional chef at SHTTC

For those of you who are not aware of its existence yet, SHTTC stands for the foundation Suriname Hospitality and Tourism Training Centre. Their main purpose is to provide professional guidance and training to people in the tourism and hospitality industry. If you want to know more about this foundation, check them out at their website: http://sshttc.org/nl/

When I received an invitation from Micheal Hermelijn, the teacher of the practical class of the chef's training course, I could not wait for the class to begin. However it was kinda of a hassle to be there on time (4pm), but for this time attending the class late was unavoidable since I get off work at 3.30 the earliest. When I finally arrived, I was already half an hour late.

I was totally astonished how professionally the room was put together. The room is very spacy and all equipment was made of stainless steel and I counted 4 complete kitchen stations. Each station includes a range with 4 stovetops, an oven, a shared grill top and flat top, a shared deep fryer; all under an extractor hood and a counter with a commercial washbasin. I am in love with the set up.

So when I walked in fashionably late, everybody was already busy prepping the 3-course meal that they need to have finished at the end of the class. The class was divided into groups of 3-4 and I was put into one of the groups. The first course they prepped was the caramel vanilla pudding and there were really many restrictions: no garde beater, no touching the food with your hands, only with tools, no slouching at the counter, chef's jacket and hair cap is a must.




For someone like me, who is mostly used to home cooking, where everything is allowed, it was a totally different experience.
The next step was the appetizer: Thai chicken rice noodle soup with chicken quenelles

"Quenelle

A quenelle is a mixture of creamed fish, chicken, or meat, sometimes combined with breadcrumbs, with a light egg binding. It is usually poached. Wikipedia"

It always looked so much fun and easy to do when watching chefs on TV making the quenelles, but in reality, it was not easy at all. I felt so clumsy when I gave it a try. The chicken quenelles are seasoned with salt, sugar, pepper and fish sauce.
The chicken broth was prepared by first blanching the chicken and then putting it in water to get a clear broth.

And the most important meal of the course if most definitely the entrée: rice with grilled fish and mango sauce.


The mango sauce is prepared with fresh mango's, fresh pepper, djira and some mango juice.

However every group received the same menu and instructions, but you see a different presentation with every menu item. Some were even using a technique that they just learned from a guest lecturer last week. The best part!!? I'm part of the taste committee, yay!

Except for one failed pudding, all items were made remarkably well. Some better than others, but it was obvious everyone gave an extra effort to think about the final presentation of their creation. Whether it's a mango rose on the rice or a cherry on top of the pudding, they thought it up themselves.

It was really like a peak into a commercial kitchen, where people are busy preparing the food to be served. All aroma's, the smoke coming from the grilled fish, the students giving their utmost to present a good product. I know that most people despise working in the kitchen, but I believe that you need to have a heart for it. If you don't love the smoke, hate it when YOU smell like food, then the kitchen is not a workplace for you. For lovers, it's a heavenly place to be in, for others, it's a hell, where you will need to cope with the heat and the grease.

 

But if you're really serious about learning the knicks and knacks of cooking like a professional chef, please check out more information about the 15 month course here:

http://sshttc.org/nl/index.php/2012-04-26-01-13-48/cook-training