My Life as an advanced (Student) Baker

Goofing around with Chef Amanda, Jazmin, Berlyn and Angela

After a hard night's work, we still have to smile for the camerasssss.

Enchantra and Chef Amber

Jazmin and her chocolate showpiece

Andrea and Jazmin

Chef Amanda and Chef Lopez, grading the wedding cake project

Love, love, love my cala lilies

Graduation Luncheon Table

Lobster Bisque

A quail dish that I couldn't eat, so I took a picture instead

Palate cleanser, champagne granita (I think)

Another dish that I couldn't eat (I'm an ovo-lacto-pesco vegetarian)

And so the intermediate culinary arts students and Chef Amber made this
delicious salmon and potato dish for me.

Greens

Pistachio and Hazelnut Mousse
garnished with fruits and sugarwork

Graduation Luncheon

Receiving my graduation medal from Chef Jessie Lopez

Posing with (l-r) The Dean (I'm not so sure), Chef Jessie Lopez, Chef Michael Pierini

Very happy to be receiving my 2nd pin, a gold pin for culinary excellence.

Posing with my gold pin and Chef Jessie Lopez

Posing with the Spring 2007 Baking and Pastry Arts graduates:
(back): Chef Pierini, Richard, Francisco, Jacques, Chef Amber, Brian
(middle): Yllana, Jazmin, David, Berlyn, me
(front): Amparo, Chef Lopez, Enchantra, Trini, Sandra, Angela

Showpiece Projects of my classmates

Chocolate Showpiece, by Amparo

Spiderman Sugar Showpiece, by Richard

Chocolate Showpiece, by Angela

Sugar Showpiece, by Yllana

Sugar Showpiece, by Jacques

Chocolate Showpiece, by Enchantra

Chocolate Showpiece, by Jazmin

The Little Mermaid Chocolate Showpiece, by Sandra

Fishbowl Sugar - Chocolate Showpiece, by Brian

Chocolate Showpiece, by Berlyn

Chocolate Showpiece, by David

Waterfalls Sugar - Chocolate Showpiece, by Francisco

Showpiece

Isomalt, melted and tinted green

Do-It-Yourself molds for my sugar showpiece

Still thinking if I should do a sugar and chocolate showpiece for my project.

The finished product:
Butterfly Sugar Showpiece

Chamber Mixer

Teacher's Assistant Chef Amanda's Chocolate Showpiece

Lots and lots of pastries made by the beginners and intermediate pastry classes

Fabulously plated by moi!

Chamber Mixer is the biggest banquet for the Pastry Arts students.

Petit Fours

Everything was made from scratch, no shortcuts.

First time to crack open buko by myself.

For the petit fours project, we were tasked to show four different petit fours using four different techniques for the decoration, I used chocolate, sugar, tuile and fruits. I wanted to showcase an Asian inspired project:

1. green tea mousse, decorated with patterned chocolate asian letters.
2. buko (coconut) tart, topped with kiwis, mangoes and raspberries, decorated with red sugar dome.
3. ginger creme brulee in a chocolate boat tart, topped with raspberry, decorated with black sesame seed spiral tuile.
4. ube (purple yam) macaroon filled with lemongrass infused cream, decorated with raspberry.

I love doing petit fours, I had so much fun doing this project that I kind of panicked towards the end thinking why everything was going smoothly, hehehhe. C=:-)

Texas, the Lone Star State

Sixth Floor Museum

"ON NOVEMBER 22, 1963, JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY, THIRTY-FIFTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, VISITED DALLAS. A PRESIDENTIAL PARADE TRAVELLED NORTH ON HOUSTON STREET TO ELM STREET AND WEST ON ELM STREET. AS THE PARADE CONTINUED ON ELM STREET AT 12:30 P.M., RIFLE SHOTS WOUNDED THE PRESIDENT AND TEXAS GOVERNOR JOHN CONNALLY.
FINDINGS OF THE WARREN COMMISSION INDICATED THAT THE RIFLE SHOTS WERE FIRED FROM A SIXTH FLOOR WINDOW NEAR THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE TEXAS SCHOOL BOOK DEPOSITORY BUILDING, ELM AND HOUSTON . . . . .
PRESIDENT KENNEDY EXPIRED AT PARKLAND MEMORIAL HOSPITAL AT 1:00 P.M. . . . ."

A good meal at Joe T.'s

Forth Worth Stockyards, Honky Tonk at Billy Bob's . . . . . and yes, we rode the bull!

Forth Worth, museum capitol of the Southwest

The Modern and Kimbell

Squash Blossom Quesadilla at the Cafe Modern

Fabulous desserts

Thank you so much to our gracious hosts, Tita Nancy, Tito Do, John & Jennifer, Jimmy and Christian, for a wonderful Texas experience. C=:-)

Pit Stop at Salt Lake City, Utah

So surprised to find a fro-yo place here at Salt Lake City. . . . .

Fro-yo bliss!

International Terminal Rotunda, Level 2
Salt Lake City International Airport
Salt Lake City, Utah
www.yovana-yogurt.com/

Fosselman's

I was a a little disappointed with my Fosselman's experience, the people at the counter were a bit rude. I came in the store and was actually fascinated by the wide variety of ice cream flavors, even our very own ube flavored ice cream. I was still undecided, and so they kind of said something about holding up the line (that was just a few seconds, and there was only one friendly person behind me). What a shame, since their store has just been featured in the Food Section of The LA Times, they should be used to serving (with a smile) hordes of people that are visiting their store.

Taro Ice Cream

Fosselman's Ice Cream
1824 W. Main St.
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 282-6533

Phoenix Inn

This is my first time here at Phoenix Inn

After trying out this restaurant, I have to say that I absolutely love their food!

Hong Kong style noodles

Honey Walnut Shrimp

Fish with tofu and veggies

Complimentary dessert

yummy mango custard

They even have a small dessert take out area.
I got a small container of cappuccino, green tea, mango and taro custard.

Mochi

Phoenix Inn
208 E Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91801-5132
(626) 299-1238

Kabab & More

Fish Kabab with yummy green basmati rice

Kabab & More
Grand Central Market, Space B-10
317 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 621-0443

Yojie Shabu Shabu

U-Shaped counter inside the restaurant

Dezer's Shabu-shabu Veggies and meat

My Seafood Sukiyaki Condiments

I think my homemade Sukiyaki is still better :-)

Yojie Shabu-Shabu
11710 South St
Unit 105
Artesia, CA 90701

(562) 402-2288

Rosegreen

Addicted to fro-yo. This time, we tried Rosegreen, formerly called Roseberry, in Glendale. I tried papaya, mango and strawberry for my topping. I love fruit toppings as opposed to the cereals or chocolate toppings, its healthier and taste so much better, and it also rids you of the guilt from eating a lot of fro-yo. At Rosegreen, there's no lines, and the people are friendly. I was even able to take all these pictures inside the store. C=:-)

RoseGreen (formerly Roseberry)
312 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale
(818) 244-0908

Costco Food Fix

Churros and Berry Sundae

Some of my fave inexpensive food stuff at Costco are the churros and the berry sundae, especially on a very warm day. There are lots of cheap eats (hotdogs, pizza, chicken bake, etc.) at their food court which is usually outside the store, so you can get it without being a member (though I finally succumbed, and have been a Costco Card carrying member for more than two years). Can't beat the price! C=:-)

Bahay Kubo

I'm so glad that we have a Filipino turo-turo place nearby here in downtown Los Angeles. Though not really a stone's throw away, more like 15-20 minutes from work, depending on traffic. But still if I'm craving for Filipino food, then this is the closest place I could go to. Its clean and the people are friendly. Their food is quite tasty, I've even brought my co-workers here on adobo days (they love chicken adobo). I've yet to bring another friend on lumpia day. On this particular day, I drove by myself and got the ginisang ampalaya, which is sauteed bittermelon. I've never cooked this before, I should try and make it one of these days since I found this recipe. The bittermelon wasn't bitter, probably because it was soaked in salt and water, I'm guessing that took the bitterness away. They have a lot of Filipino desserts as well. So if you're in the area, and need a quick fix for your grumbling stomach, drop by Bahay Kubo. C=:-)

Bahay Kubo Restaurant
2330 W Temple St
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 413-4804

Jong Ga Jip

Love, love, love Korean side dishes

I rolled the spicy vegetable root in the steamed cabbage (no meat)

Crab in some sort of sauce

I have been trying out different Korean restaurants, from K-Town to Artesia. I just love their side dishes, I could fill myself up just eating it with rice and not ordering anything else, hehehe. But the foodie adventurer that I am, we set out to order a set meal. Good thing that I've been at Jong Ga Jip before, a co-worker of mine took a bunch of us here one time for lunch, she said we had to try authentic Korean food. I love it when I try different cuisines with someone who really knows what to get and how to eat it, just the same as I love it when I invite other people to try out Filipino food, or even have food conversations with people who appreciate the different flavors that the foodie world has to offer. And so since I had such a wonderful experience at Jong Ga Jip, I wanted Dezer to sample their food as well. I actually don't know what we're eating, just as long as I can take out the meat, then I'm fine. I like the spicy vegetable root that you place on a steamed cabbage leaf and roll before eating. The cabbage somehow subdues the spiciness of the vegetable. The crab was kind of gooey raw, it was hard to eat it, and so we figured that we'll just take it home and boil it up a little in the sauce to cook it. We also had tofu soup that was quite filling. I like their hot tea which had a hint of toasted rice in it, a lovely way to cap off the meal. C=:-)

JONG GA JIP
3524 W 8TH ST.
LOS ANGELES, CA
Koreatown

Cafe Zen

Udon Noodle Soup

Ginger

On a cold day, its always good to eat something hot, to comfort your body. Since I didn't want to head to our office cafeteria for lunch, a co-worker of mine took me to Cafe Zen, located at the trendy California Market Center. What a lovely way to spend my lunch time, walking a few blocks (exercise) to get some fresh (not) air and trying a new place. The Udon was just like any noodle soup you would find in any Jap Restaurant, but it was good because it was filling, especially on a cold, cold day. What I liked at Cafe Zen was the ginger, it had the right balance of sweetness, saltiness and pepperiness. I'd probably come back here, even just for this side dish. C=:-)

Cafe Zen
110 E 9th St., #AL 004
Los Angeles , CA 90079
(213) 622-9747

VIP Chinese Restaurant

What kind of an appetizer is this?

Is this supposed to be sweet and sour fish fillet?

VIP Chinese Restaurant was such a disappointment. I've passed by so many times, but since their facade was not that impressive (broken signage), I never ventured inside, till now, for lack of any other new restaurant to try. Should have trusted my instincts, but I read a good review somewhere regarding their black noodles. When we got there, the atmosphere inside was blech, its seemed so gloomy and shouting out for remodeling. We were handed the menu and upon surveying the food items, it seemed that their prices were a bit expensive, hence no black noodles. We decided to order a set meal, but even that was not at all appetizing! We didn't even finish our food. So save your $$ and go to other Chinese restaurants in the area. C=:-(

VIP Chinese Restaurant
17720 Pioneer Boulevard
Artesia, CA 90701

(562) 809-0080

Toko Rame Indonesian Restaurant

Nasi Bungkus

. . . . . a mound of rice with different toppings heaped on top, wrapped in banana leaves

Fish fried rice with egg

Condiments for the soup

Tasty broth

My sister made a food run to nearby Toko Rame today. She asked me what I wanted, and I said I loved their fish fried rice. She got my rice dish and a few others. This place is small, you wouldn't even notice it right away. But they are quite fast and their food is tasty. I think they're the only Indonesian restaurant within 10 - 15 miles of my area. I love the wrapped nasi bungkus (less the meat), reminds me of how my parents sometimes wrapped our lunch in banana leaves when we would have school field trips, it has that wonderful banana leaf aroma. Its so ironic how we take things for granted as a kid, only to remember it years later as one of our precious childhood foodie memories. C=:-)

Toko Rame Indonesian Restaurant
17155 Bellflower Blvd
Bellflower, CA 90706

(562) 920-8002

Daffodil Days

As the first flower of spring, the daffodil represents hope and renewal. To the American Cancer Society, the daffodil symbolizes the hope we all share for a future where cancer no longer threatens those we love. Daffodil Days is one of the American Cancer Society's oldest and most beloved fundraising programs that provides hope to everyone touched by cancer by offering daffodils to donors in appreciation of their contributions. For more than 30 years, Daffodil Days has enabled people of all ages to join the Society’s fight against cancer by raising funds to support groundbreaking cancer research, provide up-to-date cancer information and education, advocate for public health policies that benefit the community, and provide services that improve the quality of life for patients and their families.

Around this time last year, since I was a fairly new employee, I was tasked to head our division's Daffodil Days 2006 campaign. As a Daffodil Days coordinator, I placed a goal of $700 for our office composed of about 70 employees, but had a personnal goal of $1,000. Well, our division surpassed the $1,000 goal last year, because of the generous contributions of my co-workers, or was it just to make me stop my weekly e-mails during the three-month-long campaign, hehehe. This year, our office reached our goal, again thanks to our good-hearted co-workers as well as a new campaign coordinator for the year. I'm so glad that in our own little ways, we are able to make a difference. C=:-)

La Española Paella

Imported Ensaimada from Spain

a different version from the (Pinoy) ensaimada that I'm used to.

Just cooked paella

La Española Meats in Harbor City has been on my places-to-go-to-list for quite sometime, so after a few years, here I was on a lazy Saturday morning. I had called a few days before and placed an order for paella, which they cook on Saturdays for the public. The paella was good, it was flavorful and tasty. They have a store with different imported Spanish food items, like cheeses, rice, olives, saffron, paella pans and other condiments. Its a foodie shoppers paradise. Its worth going, just to try their paella, though I think it needs a few more meat/seafood pieces in the dish. I held off from buying anything, because I still have to finish a lot of stuff in my overcrowded pantry before buying new items. C=:-)

La Española Meats, Inc.
25020 Doble Avenue
Harbor City, California 90710
(310) 539-0455

Pinkberry

P-i-n-k-b-e-r-r-y, Pinkberry Frozen Yogurt. Pinkberry with me, Pinkberry. Their music online is definitely catchy! I love their stores' ambience, hip, funky, cool decors, lighting and music. And of course their yogurt! I just love Pinkberry. There's something about it that is so, so addicting. The tangy flavor of the plain yogurt as well as the green tea flavored yogurt, topped with fresh fruits is just oh so divine! Their popping up everywhere, I frequent the K-Town branch but they will have more branches closer to my work (opening soon in J-Town, downtown Los Angeles) and home (opening soon in Belmont Shores and downtown Long Beach). C=:-)

http://www.pinkberry.com/

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes with light and fluffy whipped icing
(Ordered by my Uncle Rene for his high school classmate)

Wedding Cakes made by my Classmates

Fondant Wedding Cake, decorated with modeling chocolate by Richard

Fondant Wedding Cake, decorated with gumpaste flowers by Amparo

Fondant Wedding Cake, decorated with patterned lace by David

Topsy Turvy Fondant Wedding Cake, decorated with flowers and birds by Berlyn

Fondant Wedding Cake, decorated with gumpaste flowers by Enchantra

Wedding Cake

Three-tiered fondant wedding cake

Decorated with air-brushed calla lillies

Famima!!

Shrimp Bao

Chocolate Treats

I just love Famima!! Famima is a convenience store, sort of like a Japanese inspired 7-Eleven. They have all kinds of treats, from sandwiches, chips, cookies, Japanese snacks, Chinese steamed buns, stationeries, etc. Its definitely clean (-er) than most of the other convenience stores around, the vibe is great, what more could you ask for. C=:-)

Famima!!

3rd Street Promenade, 1348 3rd Street Promenade, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Downtown Pacific Center, 525 West 6th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014

Long Beach Belmont Shores, 4816 East 2nd St., Long Beach, CA 90803

Porto's Treats

Porto's Treats @ my goddaughter Alyssa's 2nd Birthday party

Ipod Case Buckle @ Urban Outfitters

You gotta love Urban Outfitters for their cool, funky items.

Lava Cake