my espresso life

as i wrote in the intro to this blog, this is a space for me to share not only what i'm picking up in school, but also my experiences beyond the classroom. i'll be the first to admit that there is a lot that i still need to learn; i have too many firsts untasted, unseen, and unknown for my liking. but i digress. for now, i'd like to share with you what my "off days" look like.

i'm in class only three nights a week, but that doesn't mean that i'm sitting doing nothing the rest of the time! quite the contrary, actually.

almost two months ago, maybe a little less, i was roaming around on the web, looking for jobs, because even though i already had two AND school on my plate, i wouldn't be able to sustain any sort of life, let alone pay the rent, on what i was making. and then, during my search, i got distracted on twitter.

but this distraction ultimately proved useful, because a tweet from @goodfoodjobs is what essentially led me to my rent-paying, "off-day" job as a barista. and i should add, my first real food related job. for those who don't know, goodfoodjobs.com is basically a job search website compiled of listings of openings ONLY related to food. any and every aspect of the food biz is represented, but the food&drink focus is definitely there. no more searching and finding completely useless, unrelated jobs--this is a useful site, and it's free to join! (which makes it even better).

anyway, back to the job. i found the listing and gave it a shot. but remember those food firsts i'm severely lacking? i applied for the job and was immediately petrified, as i am no gourmand de café (i barely drink it), i know very little of wine (it's also a wine bar) and again...since this would be my first food job, i have absolutely no prior industry experience.

somehow the stars aligned and my "i know i have a lot to learn but i am totally willing to learn it the right way-your way!" attitude got me the job. maybe the fact that they needed the help and i was a body willing to do the job and not quibble about pay also helped my cause. but i quickly found that the process of getting the job...was the easy part. i've been learning and reading all i can about different coffees and espresso-based drinks, since my training was espresso style at best: a rush of information over a very short period of time. since i started working though, i've gotten through the "uh oh they just ordered a ____ and i've never made that before!" jitters, and have gotten the tips to prove that. coffee people are a very specific breed-when it's not done right, you know, and i'm happy that i've made the progress i have.

this learning curve hasn't been without its share of laughs (thank goodness!). it was tough at first to contain my excitement of getting my first macchiato right for example, because that's not the sort of thing you should tell a customer. so i just smiled like an idiot when he took a sip and was happy, since he was relatively unaware of the internal monologue i had going. there was also the time that i tried to make iced coffee...without having previously set up a pitcher of coffee in the fridge...haha, oops.

but more than funny stories, this job has also given me tools for the future. (cue inspirational, lifetime movie music).

on tuesday, i went out to work as usual, and had a relatively productive day. i made one of those guinness cakes, and had the place happily humming along as the day came to a close. and then, a half hour before i was supposed to close up shop, a regular came in with her daughter. they came in, ordered lunch, and sat down together on one of the couches in our seating area. and once served, it felt like something changed. i almost felt like i was intruding when i was clearing their plates; they exuded such peace, and were both enveloped in a blissful calm together that i would have hated to interrupt. and so i didn't. if there was one more thing i could do for them, it was going to be to not ruin the moment.

the mother, upon realizing that i had kept the shop open longer just for the two of them, thanked me profusely. i said it was no problem, luckily i didn't have to run off to class, and quickly cleaned up once they left. and i wasn't saying that to be polite, either. i felt like i had gotten just as much out of the dining experience as they did. i had seen their looks of satisfaction, i felt their happiness, and i knew what i needed to do to satiate my own hunger. i knew that i wanted to capture that moment, and that one day, with my food, that i wanted to create that feeling (and then some!) for those indulging in just a bite, or more. every so often, i find myself wondering if doing any this was right, and it's moments like this that give me the affirmation i need. and that's some food for thought i'll gladly take seconds of.

extra extra, read all about it!

here we are. another month, another unit, another exam. how is all of this time passing by so quickly!

as this blog continues, and its readership grows (hello everyone!) i'm working on not only adding to the archive, by posting, but also further developing the blog itself, and hopefully making the framework better as i go along. to that end, i'd like to highlight a few things!

i've added a technical dictionary, and am working on a product reference guide, so that when i refer to something that we've made, or i talk about a technique we learned about in class, you'll understand what the heck i'm saying! i'm going to keep adding to and refining each as i go through the program, so the dictionary you see now, and the reference guide you will see (soon!) are very much just my way of shoving my foot in the door, as opposed to a finished product, but it's a solid start, no?

on that note, if you have any questions, about what i'm doing, about anything about pastry school in general, or what have you, feel free to ask! you can leave a comment on any of the actual posts, or you can contact me directly at bellenanasansbanane@gmail.com.

from sending e-mails to receiving them, you can now "follow" this blog via e-mail! i personally prefer using google reader, if i don't actually plan on checking the site itself, but here is another option for you to get a hearty helping of belle nana sans banane! for those interested, it's on the right hand side of the page, underneath the archive tab.

now that i think about google reader, my lovely blogger friend The Culinary Librarian actually wrote a piece about it, for those curious about rss feeds. and speaking of her, let's shed some spotlight on a few other foodie blogs!

• The Culinary Librarian: big apple foodie friend. wonderfully insightful, and one mean macaron artiste.
• The Accidental Vegetarian: another friend of mine, this time, from my undergrad years. a refreshing take on healthy (wallet AND stomach friendly!) food and home cooking. yum!
• Baking It Til I'm Making It: not actually a friend of mine (i just don't know him), but how i found his blog is actually a funny story. i was looking for a photo reference of a dessert for a friend of mine when i came across this blog, and it turns out that he's a student at my school! for a sneak peak of what's to come for me in school, check out his blog! 

now i can imagine what you're thinking. why did i have to look elsewhere for a photo reference for an item that was undoubtedly sitting in my fridge? the answer mes chers, is not a good one. it is all because of batteries. for my camera, that is. i kept meaning to pick some up, but only remembered at inopportune times. see? not a good answer, but it's the truth. but earlier this week i picked up LOTS of batteries, so from now on i will be teasing your tastebuds with photos of my classwork and more!

i want to thank you for reading, and welcome again those new to the ride. i'm sure that by next month, there will be new features, more updates, and changes to the blog that i'll be filling you in on. and now that i think about it, at just about this time next month i'll be experiencing the biggest change to my education so far--moving on to pastry level two!

until then mes chers, eat healthy, eat happy!

pâte feuilletée: written and practical exams

ta-da! an exam post that is only a DAY after the actual exam! i should be careful about setting that sort of precedent though, it's like what i've told my classes (i teach swim lessons): the problem with doing a good job is that you keep having to do so! and knowing my schedule, i got lucky this time.

read more after the jump!