ishin’ It is back and in a whole new city! I’m here in the world’s Mecca of food and wine, New York City. I moved to the city to pursue my passion for food journalism. In the ultimate effort to enhance my foodie perspective, I’ve decided to attend culinary school at the Institute of Culinary Arts in Manhattan. I’ve been in the program a month now and so far the experience has been tedious, exhausting, but highly rewarding! In a month I’ve learned to clean and fabricate meat, poultry, and whole fish. Many days I left class feeling like a butcher, with a bloody mess all over my white chef jacket. This was definitely out of my established comfort zone of wearing suits and having perfectly coiffed hair everyday for the cameras. We have also been learning to make sauces like Béchamel, Veloute, and Sauce Espagnole. These are the mother sauces of French culinary cooking. Right now we are learning the foundation and building on that knowledge to venture into scarier, more complex recipes. This process and move has been a huge adventure for me so far! My respected readers, I will keep you posted on all the quirky and often bizarre experiences of my culinary adventure here in New York City.

       I had an amazing introduction to this diverse and extraordinary culinary world. The first event I covered was at the Citymeals-On-Wheels Silver Spoons event at Rockefeller Center. Now, for all you foodies out there, please refrain from drooling onto this article when I relay to you some of the outstanding dishes and chefs at this event. The Silver Spoons event is a place where the country’s top chefs can flex their culinary dexterity, rub elbows with the elite of Manhattan, and help benefit a good cause at the same time. More than 1,200 business leaders, socialites, food industry trendsetters, and chefs attend this event every year. I had the honor to go behind the scenes and meet some of the greats, including Wolfgang Puck, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Todd English, Nobu Matsuhisa and Daniel Boulud, as well as an assortment of other giants in the restaurant industry.

       I personally helped assist the James Beard award winning chef, Paul Bartolotta. Well-respected among his peers and foodie followers, Paul Bartolotta was featured on Bravo’s show “Top Chef” and owns a restaurant called Bartolotta Restorante di Mare at the distinguished Wynn Las Vegas. He also owns a notable Italian restaurant in Milwaukee with his brother. Bartolotta’s dish was called the show stopper of the evening! He came with two employees from his restaurants and brought with him around thirty Mediterranean Sea Bass fish. The chef assistants helped pack a mixture of sea salt, fennel, egg yolk, and citrus peels around the whole fish, creating an encrusting over its body. The fish were then baked in the oven for 50 minutes at 350 degrees. When this beautiful golden encrusted sea bass came out of the oven, Chef Bartolotta would then crack its shell at the serving station, unveiling a perfectly cooked fish. The guests were completely in awe of Chef Bartolotta’s presentation of the fish and the fresh flaky taste and texture of its meat. The fish was plated with a cool citrus sauce drizzled over it. Chef Bartolotta told me the Mediterranean fish that he brought had Italian origins and was fresher and more unique then any kind found here in the States. Working with Chef Bartolotta, I learned food is an art of presentation and a dance of palate pleasing tastes and textures.  

       Some of the other notable food stations included Wolfgang Puck’s juicy Peking duck, Gennaro Esposito’s creamy rich gelato straight from Italy, and Nobu’s extraordinarily fresh spicy tuna Nigiri-zushi. I felt like I was in foodie heaven with hundreds of celebrity chefs surrounding the Rockefeller Center with their fantastic food creations. Proceeds from this high-ticket strolling feast go towards Citymeals-On-Wheels, which helps feed the homebound elderly around New York City. My experience so far in the culinary world has been eye-opening and absolutely fascinating. I look forward to bringing my readers more zest and flavorful perspectives in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for next time and remember food is life, food is love, and food is community.

       Bon Appetite!

Check out Alexis’ website at www.alexismiller.org   n