I started at Kiawah Island Golf Resort on March 10, 2010. In just a short month I've discovered just how far I could grow and my position in the food world. First of all, the island is gorgeous. The road leading up to the resort is straight out of a movie. The road is one lane and lined with large, historical oak trees that drape over the road creating pockets of sun light on a very green pathway. The resort itself is five star (Forbes) and five diamond (AAA) rated. The restrictions that determine these ratings are strict and hard to keep up. Because of this, the hotel never ceases to amaze me. The thought patterns at anticipating a guests needs are so extensive that they monitor the employees vocabulary.
I work in the banquette department. Meaning, we provide for all the meetings, weddings, and celebrations. Sometimes we have turn overs as little as seven people, and sometimes up to 500 people. I chose banquette because of the attention to detail, precision, and replication that is so important. Every plate has to look perfect, and every plate has to look the same. I did not expect that the quantity could be so demanding as well. My chef has been kind enough to let me experience every side of banquette possible. At first I was being trained on the hot side of the kitchen (where all the hot food would be made). I have also been doing action stations all through out my externship (stations cooked out with the guests). I even was allowed to try front of the house (waiting) for a night. Right now, I am on the cold side (Garde Manger) and sometimes in EDR (Employee Dinning Room). While I miss the speed and demand of the hot side, Garde Manger does play with presentation much more than the hot side, which I love.
My experience there has already been very colorful. Early on in my externship (while I was still on the hot side) my nick name was established, Fire Marshall. I lit my kitchen on fire. Now, before you judge me, here me out. I was asked to test portable propane stoves to see if they would light for Easter. I have never touched a portable propane stove before, but I was not about to tell my chef "no". I thought, I learn mostly by being thrown to the sharks, how is this any different? So I jumped in. We had six silver stoves and two black stoves. I would inset the propane tank, lock, then attempt to light the spark. If the spark did not light, then I would place it into the "did not work" pile. I was given an entire stainless steel table to accomplish this task. My table was strewn with these stoves, propane tanks, and combustible "pam" spray cans. It was orderly, but set disaster, unknown to me. As I speedily went through the silver ones I came across my last two black stoves. I inserted the propane tank as I had done previously to the other stoves, locked, and heard an evil "hissss". It sparked and I held my lighter to the spark and nothing happened. Removing the tank to put the stove in the "did not work" pile, I noticed there was now a pool of liquid on the table. Interest more than warning went through my head. I grabbed my side down to wipe up the mess and carried on. I had one more propane stove left to test and it was the last black one. Again I inserted the tank, locked it, and heard the same hiss. Held my lighter up to the spark and for the fist time, one of the stoves lit! However...the entire stove lit. My first reaction was to pour salt on the flame. In school, when ever something caught fire, we would pour salt on the flame. My next thought as the flame shot down the rest of the table that I had so foolishly wiped down with liquid propane, was "there is not enough salt in this kitchen to put out this fire." My next thought was just as foolish as it hit the flaming table with my side towel, for this is another thing we are taught at school. Finally I started yelling "Fire! Fire! I don't know how to put out this fire!" On of my trainers ran over yelling "Get the fire extinguisher" and I yelled back, just as my chef, the pastry chef, and the head of the hotel chef, all walked in, "I'm the extern! I don't know where the fire extinguisher is!" Luckily, she knew where it was and grabbed it. In the movies when a fire extinguisher is used, thick white foam ejects out of the can........this was what I was expecting. Instead our (later noticed) expired fire extinguisher started sputtering blue gel-like liquid. The fire was put out and nothing was damaged, except my pride.
My birthday was also spent at Kiawah and was food worthy. It was my first "grown up" birthday, also know as, alone. However I decided to take myself out on one of Kiawah's nature kayaking tours. It was in a salt water riverine that eventually would connect into the ocean in a giant C around Kiawah. It was home to many salt water creatures like sharks, dolphins, flounder, and numerous shellfish. During the tour I saw many of these animals, including paddling about twenty feet from two dolphins. At one point our guide pointed at a field of mud and rocks. He told me that those "rocks" were really oysters. My excitement rose and I asked him if these were legal waters (meaning, "can we eat them?!) and he told me yes, many people gather oysters in this area. I asked him if I was allowed to grab a few to put in my kayak and he insisted he would grab a bucket of them. I was ecstatic. He was generous enough to let me take the bucket home (after a promise of exchanged cookies). Within thirty minutes of these oysters being picked from their bay I had ran to a farmers market and bought two lemons and organic, homemade cocktail sauce, and was at home being a "bad ass mother shucker". That being said, Kiawah liked to have "oyster roasts" and for several of my action stations I shucked roasted, not raw oysters. They smelled so different, that I had to try them roasted. I popped half of my bucket into the oven and ate the other half raw waiting for these "roasted oysters". I put them in the oven at 350 until the shell popped open. The fresh roasted oysters were probably the best thing I've ever eaten. I love raw oysters, however, the complexity of the texture and taste completely changed. The oyster had more of a chew and the flavor was almost smokey. It was phenomenal.
Another exciting event I was allowed to participate in was Forbes. Forbes is the corporation, previously known as Mobil, that rates with five stars (it is very similar to Michelin, except American). They came to Kiawah, their annual visit, to rate us. However, this time they brought along the head executives of every business that had been rated 5 star with them. We were serving people like Thomas Keller and Patrick O'Connell. For not being very up to date with my celebrity chefs, I've met Thomas Keller twice, Anthony Bourdain, Emeril, and Patrick O'Connell. God forbid I ever get an autograph.
