FINALLY!!!

Yesterday was the first day of august and at the beginning of the summer the Chefs Table told me to call back in august. So i picked up the phone at a slow hour of the day and called, but the chef was unlivable. The waiter said that he wanted my contact info and that was probably the best news i have herd all summer, not that that ment anything, but the face that they didn't say no, I gave then my e-mail (witch is the best way to contact me due to me not having a cellphone.)

Today I woke up to do the thing I hate most in this world (and if you read my last post you would know what I am talking about, but if you did not I am talking about yard work) so after I got home I was pretty tired and a little bit angry, I picked up to liters of Cokeacola and walked to my computer and as always I checked my face book and e-mail, as I was looking threw my e-mails I say that a chef troy had e-mailed me, and this is what it said:

Ethan,
Sorry I didn't have time to talk to you today. I would however like to have you come by the restaurant so I can meet you. I think you would have a great learning experience here at CT.
Would this be an official internship? or just you bettering yourself skills wise?


Call me on Tuesday if you get a chance.

Thanks!
Troy

I was slap jawed, the chefs table! one of the only fine dining restaurant in the Provo/Orem area sounds like they want me to work with them! yes! My emotions instantly turned into joy and excitement!
I could not get My hopes up to high though. I read the e-mail at about 1:30 PM, I did not want to call in the middle of lunch service. so I waited till 3:00 PM. I was almost instantly connected to chef troy, And the words that I wanted to hear most was said in that phone call "you can start tomorrow". I was amazed, his only concern was insurance stuff, and all I have to do get my parents signatures saying that it is not the chefs tables fault if I get hurt.
So I start tomorrow at 9:30 AM! I will have a lot to tell you about when I get home.

so in summary: The summer just got better.



It was like a wonderful late birthday present (which was a couple of days ago).

Sun, Yard work and kitchen Withdrawals.

As it sounds I am still unemployed, actually... worse, I am doing yard work, YARD WORK. I have yet to find anything that I hate more then yard work. I am doing it so I can take that internship with chef Kieffer, but that has come to a standstill, he was supposed to send me some insurance forms, but that was about a month ago we have not come in contact seance. This summer has made me depressed to say the least, It looked like that pizzeria 712 was looking real good, I got some face time with the sue chef and he sounded really optimistic about letting me work there, but when I call the head chef he told me to call back late august. I have even gone to almost every single Japanese restaurant in Provo/Orem and told them I will work for free, but still nothing. I really want to quit doing yard work, but I am afraid that chef Kieffer will contact me, but if I have no money I will not be able to go, so I continue to persevere looking for any way to work. as I said: I am having kitchen withdrawals.

So in summary: This summer is turning out pretty bad.

My personal "Farm to Fork"

In my last post I said that not much was going on for me, but then the next day something did happen. well... I have chickens in my backyard and I love to use there eggs for all of my delicious food, but every year we get a rooster in our new batch of chicks. it had been a year sense we got a new rooster and out of no where my dad said this: "Lets kill the rooster today". At first I thought that he was joking, but after a couple of seconds I realized that he was most defiantly not. I was okay with the idea because we had done it in the past (I had not personally done it). By the time I caught the rooster, my father had already gotten a large pot of water boiling (to help feather it). we had two roosters and my dad had "Chopped" the first one, and then it was my turn. I was holding it by its feet, after a couple of seconds it became docile, I laid it's neck against the log, it did not take long for me to raise the hatchet and to hack at it's neck, but it did not just cut threw, I had to hack about five times until the neck was only being held on by some skin. I looked down at my apron and it was covered in blood. Some people say it was odd that I named the roster before I killed it, But I guess that is just how I roll.
After that I feathered it, took the guts out (I will spare you the disgusting details) and Broke it down, It was amazing, I was chasing it around the yard a half a hour ago, now it was just two breasts, two legs, two thighs and two wings. Now I was out of Ethan the Butcher mode and was in Chef Dutcher mode. I had decided to brine it over night (so it would get extra moist). I looked to see what is in my pantry, and decided that I should make Italian herb Chicken breasts, and buffalo wings. the wings where fine, defiantly not my best work, but the breasts where great, the bread crumbs where home made and the herbs I put in was delicious, I even fried it in clarified butter. My father thought that it was wonderful.
I fell that doing this is important, I always knew where my food came from, but there is a whole new depth of respect for my food now.



Me right before I Chopped "Rudy"