Day One. Check!

Today might have been one of the longest days of my life. If everyday at the CIA is like today, I am going to look a lot different when I graduate. You should be very jealous of the life I live. Okay, I do not really mean that, but you can live vicariously through me; I promise that I do not mind you doing so.

My day started at 7:00 this morning, in business casual attire. Doctors go to medical school for one main reason: scrubs. Chefs (or chefs-in-training, ie. me) go to culinary school for one main reason: elastic chef pants. Once I start in the kitchen, I will be able to wear chef wear, but until then, I get to be a professional. The appeal has worn off already, and it is Day ONE.

After getting ready, I walked to the admissions office to register. I met with health services, the bursar's office, safety, and the mail room (see address below). I was fitted for my pants and chef coat, and I had to go get my picture taken for my CIA ID card. (I also received my CIA e-mail address; I am a legit, official student now.) Natalie (NY), Danielle (AL), and I then went to Starbucks to kill an hour while most everyone else was taking their placement exams. (Two degrees has its perks.) Then, at 11:00, it was time for lunch.

The culinary class that immediately follows externship is Banquets and Catering. As I understand it, for three weeks, one works in the kitchen and then switches to the house or vice versa. Basically, I was forced to eat a three-course meal for lunch in the East Wing dining room. Your eyes are not fooling you; I ate a three-course lunch today. I cannot even pronounce half of what I ate (yet). Simply in non-culinary terms, the appetizer was a pastry with mushrooms and a sauce. For the main entree, we had lamb with a side of vegetables. For dessert for LUNCH, I had creme brulee. This is the jealous, live-vicariously-through-Haley part I was talking (or writing really) about earlier.

After lunch, we met at Hudson Hall to learn about dining services and to hear from the President, Tim Ryan. In short, it is difficult to learn about cooking and serving if you cook and serve invisible people. I can eat two meals-a-day from a variety of different places (and from different classes) on campus, and in eating at these places, I serve as a body to cook for and to serve. It is a pretty great deal, if you ask me.

Tim Ryan gave us a brief history of the school, the profile of our class, played us the Alma Mater, taught us two school fight songs (cheers, really), and gave us four points for success at the CIA. (Fun fact: Tim Ryan was the youngest person to become a Certified Master Chef at age twenty six.) One thing I learned and did not know is that the CIA has a 40% admittance rate. Think about it this way; for every ten people that apply, only four are accepted. WOW! (The average acceptance rate for private schools in the US is around 70%.) My class, the class starting June 1, 2010, is 40% women, which is slightly below the average of the school. There are 77 students with over 40 BPS students and an overwhelming number of culinary arts students. Twenty two states, with twenty five students from the State of New York alone, are represented and one foreign country. I am the only student of the 77 from Georgia. (There is a guy named Jae, who graduated with a Food Science degree with me from UGA and is a new culinary arts student, but he is originally from Pennsylvania.)

Team building was the next item on the agenda. (Cue excitement here.) They gave us each a number and divided us into teams of eight. For about an hour, we had to complete a series of tasks and play several games that involved us working together, such as pulling each member through a spider web or rescuing Chef Bear from the peanut butter lake without touching the peanut butter. (Don't ask about that last one.) Honestly, I thought team building was going to be lame and a waste of time, but it really was not that bad and forced me to meet new people.

From team building, we went back to the Banquets and Catering dining room for (guess?!) another three-course meal. They are literally trying to kill me on the first day. For our appetizer, we had salmon on a bed of spinach with hard-boiled egg and bacon. The main course was a beef loin with mashed potatoes, carrots, and peas. For dessert, they served us cheesecake with a raspberry sauce, and I asked for coffee. I do not usually like cheesecake but I LOVED this cheesecake. (Go figure!)

After dinner, Danielle, Nelson (CA), and I went to Walmart near Fishkill to buy a few necessities. I needed a power strip and a notebook, among other things. Danielle convinced me to go to the International Cuisine Club meeting when we got back. It was actually the club's first meeting ever, and though they are not an official club yet, they seem to have some great and fun ideas. We talked about the future opportunities and possibilities of the club. Also, there was a demonstration from a local sushi restaurant owner. He made an endless amount of sushi for us to sample and eat. Yep, I ate TWO three-course meals today, and I had sushi for a late night snack. Good Lord!

I am rather proud of myself for blogging. I have not started classes yet, and I have one more day of orientation. I am hoping, however, to keep updating as much as possible, even when my schedule gets even busier. Thanks for reading.

Address:
Haley Rehberg
CBN #495
1946 Campus Dr.
Hyde Park, NY 12538-1499

Haley