/Blog/Syd/Home.aspxNait Culinary with Syden-usCopyright 2010, CHED-AMMon, 20 May 2013 05:05:47 GMTFri, 16 Jul 2010 22:30:45 GMT1http://emmisinteractive.comFree Webcam Chat at Ustream Click the link up top to listen live!! /Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10126234ssmith@630ched.com (Syd Smith)/Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10126234Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:30:45 GMTA bit of a weird day in the NAIT kitchens! Rack of Lamb, Pastas from Scratch and sexing Lobsters! I am not quite sure why Chef Chew felt this was important as the gender doesn’t change the taste of texture of the meal. Needless to say, it was a bit of a crazy day in the NAIT kitchens. After three long days of intense cooking, I am wondering if I will sleep tonight as I run through everything that is needed for tomorrow night’s feat. I know that Primeau, Rob Rondeau and Andrew Grose have eaten in some of the finest establishment so it puts me a little on edge. Here I was thinking I could handle the Challenge based on my years of feeding the family but I am so glad I had the training from NAIT Culinary Boot Camp. I was checking out the other Continuing Education Programs .../Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10126137ssmith@630ched.com (Syd Smith)/Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10126137Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:52:04 GMTDay Two brings me that much closer to being a Professional Chef! Ok, maybe not THAT close but I do know a whole lot more about sauces, salads and, well, wine. Turns out there is more to wine then just the colour. As you can see by the picture, it was quite the afternoon. You may have also heard that I have some mad skills with a fishing pole. I can’t wait to get out on the water now that I know the proper way to smoke Salmon with a cedar plank! I wonder if things will turn out as good at home once I leave the professional appliances, tools and work stations that NAIT has to offer. Not only is NAIT’s Culinary Boot Camp challenging and informative but it is also a lot of fun. I am pretty sure my sides hurt from laugh but then again, it could .../Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10125961ssmith@630ched.com (Syd Smith)/Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10125961Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:16:31 GMTSo, the ultimate plan for success has been revealed! I have joined NAIT's Culinary Boot Camp! For the next four days, I will be taught by award winning Chef Hong in the NAIT kitchens. Today was day one and I have already learned proper knife technique, no-stir poached eggs and that a Beet Feta salad is not to be feared! I was also challenged to improve my FAMOUS steak recipe and got to be my own taste tester! NAIT's Continuing Education Courses run all year and cover culinary skills such as baking, meat cutting and international cooking. Click here for more details. I had a few minutes to capture some of my achievements from DAY ONE! There is so much to learn before Friday's graduation and the Ultimate Challenge of impressing Primeau and her guests LIVE on the air starting at 4:30. Any tips or suggestions on what I should .../Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10125608ssmith@630ched.com (Syd Smith)/Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10125608Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:58:13 GMTI am quickly running out of time to pull this altogether. I am confident in my abilities though and can’t let YOU down. Although she thinks so, I know Primeau isn’t ALWAYS right! I spent the weekend testing some ideas and coming up with a game plan. A quick run through of NAIT’S professional kitchens and I should be good to go. Don’t worry about me. I have a few tricks up my chef jacket sleeve to ensure all runs smoothly. Keep listening to the Afternoon News to see how all this plays out and until then…. Listen to the clip! /Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10125438ssmith@630ched.com (Syd Smith)/Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10125438Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:22:31 GMTNot sure why, but I’ve been talked into- or tricked into – cooking a meal for Lesley Primeau, all in the name of proving to her that I can, in fact, cook. Problem is I’m not %100 confident that it will turn out. She’s been making a really big deal out of it (surprise , surprise) so I’ve booked the kitchen at NAIT (apparently they have some of the best facilities in the city) to use as my laboratory. Now I find out that Lesley is inviting some friends (who knew she had any) and is planning on doing her show from the NAIT kitchen the night I am supposed to cook for her. If you know any good recipes or have any tips on what I could or should be cooking, I’d love to hear them. I’m thinking nothing too elaborate. Believe me, If I thought they’d let me .../Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10123784ssmith@630ched.com (Syd Smith)/Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10123784Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:46:46 GMTI’ve been called a lot of things before but “Chef Boyardee” is a new one. What would life be without friends who feel free to mock and ridicule for no apparent reason? Okay, I’ll admit the reason is apparent – how many guys spend two hours (on the radio where everyone can hear no less!) talking about red wine reductions and the proper way to rest a steak. What would be really scary is if I knew what I was talking about. Right now I only know two things: 1) I’ve accepted Lesley’s challenge to cook for her and, 2) I have no idea what I will cook or how it will turn out. I feel a cold coming on. Hopefully, I won’t be too sick to follow through with this next week. p.s. Bryan Hall says he makes a great desert – rice pudding with asparagus…good grief! /Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10124208ssmith@630ched.com (Syd Smith)/Blog/Syd/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10124208Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:07:46 GMT