One of the first signs for New Orleans on our about 15 hour drive (yuck!)
Some of the other students that came and represented CIM!
The first meal was at a John Besh restaurant called The American Sector. (Click on his name to find out more about his restaurants... more pics to come from August)
Don't know how we look so good after driving all night!!
I split a cobb salad and fried oysters with another student-food tasted SO good!!
Here I am (on left) with Loganne, Chef Michael Ty (the president of the ACF!! celeb!), Megan, and Steven. He is a great guy!
First night strolling down Bourbon St
I indulged and went to an AAC dinner (American Academy of Chefs-which is like a specialty chef group) with the school's dean and a few instructors... It was a really great experience!!
The ice chef sculpture
From left: Rajeev (from Grand Rapids), Chef Justin, Chef Rob (dean and member of AAC), me and Chef Beth
First course: Goat Cheese Fondue, Crostini and Apple Pear
Second course: Seafood Gumbo
Third course: Bronzed Red Fish with jumbo lump crab meat
Palate cleanser: Candied Hibiscus flower and orange sorbet
Bone-in filet of beef topped with fois gras, asparagus soufflé and spears
My camera died before I could take pictures of the salad and dessert. It was definitely a 7 course meal-wow!!
Early morning walk to Cafe Du Monde ... the weather was beautiful!
St. Louis Catholic church-the oldest continuously operating Catholic church in the US
Me in front of the cafe about to feast on beignets!!
Hot and fresh-with about a pound of powdered sugar!
Another great meal was at John Besh's August restaurant-one of the nicest and most delicious places I've been!!
Some of the appetizers-plating techniques were really amazing!
The palate cleanser-can't remember the flavor profile, but loved how it was served in an egg shell!
Filet of Beef dish
Fish dish with action shot of sauce being poured at the table!
We got almost every dessert on the menu, they were all incredible!!
Cheese plate
The brunch on the last day had some authentic southern dish choices, so I got a plate of everything and tried it... From the bottom left going clockwise: turkey neck, mushrooms, crawfish, spicy cauliflower, sausage, and pigs foot!
And, the final picture is from the awards dinner on the last night. The meal was okay (not as great as the previous meals, for sure!!) but I really liked the plating of the dessert, like the fork imprint made with cocoa powder!
Overall, it was a wonderful trip! I am looking forward to next year when the conference is in Detroit-way less travel time! Plus, I hope our school gets really involved to support the growth of local food in Michigan!!
My next post will be from my class (sorry I haven't posted any pictures yet!). I am doing my finals this week, so I'll be able to show how I'm progressing in school!
looks like an amazing time! i loved the beignets at cafe du monde when i was in NOLA. :)
ReplyDeleteps. how did the class go? i've been meaning to call you, but work has been sooo crazy!