Grocery Store Visit and First Day of Presentation Trials-Bradlie and Arianna

     Today we began the day by making a list of ingredients that we needed to buy at Acme to complete our final presentation dish. Each group decided to make very unique dishes: Arianna and I are making a chocolate sponge cake with a coffee foam on top, Sky and Sean are making pop rocks, Julia, Angela and Matt are making a caramel whipped cream, Elodie and Sam are making fruit gel, and Amanda, Eloise, and Bella are making vanilla dry ice ice cream with Nutella powder. We arrived at Acme and each group ventured off to collect their ingredients, and later met up by the registers. We quickly arrived back to EA and began to experiment with our different foods.
       Arianna and I could only make our chocolate sponge cake as we were waiting for our gelatin sheets to arrive in order to make our coffee foam. We attempted to make our chocolate batter, then refrigerated our batter in an ISI Whipper. Unfortunately, our batter did not spray out of the Whipper, and we knew that we had to make changes to our recipe the following week. In the mean time we started to make our coffee for our foam. Other groups faced similar issues, but we all looked forward to the following week of trials in order to perfect our dishes!

COOK trip - Blog Post

Today, Kitchen Chemistry traveled to Cook, a demonstration kitchen in Philadelphia. There, we learned a lot about the texture behind many different types of food and how texture will affect the overall outcome of the dish. Chef Doug Allen, a Japanese food enthusiast, showed the group how fairly simple techniques can make fantastic dishes.
Similiar to Studiokitchen, we did not know going into the restaurant what we were going to have. At Cook, multiple chefs come in, cook, and show off their skills. Chef Allen answered all of our questions and helped many in the group modify their final projects.
Overall, the experience of going to Cook was life-changing. This was my first time eating highly fancy food and watching it being prepared in front of me. I think that most of the group can agree that we walked out of the kitchen with a better appreciation for good food.

Rutgers University Trip

   On Wednesday we traveled to the Douglass Campus of Rutger's University and explored the department of food sciences. Firstly we were given a power point presentation by Dr. Karl Matthews that explored the key components of the department. Dr. Matthews' research focussed on microbial safety of food impacts on consumers nationally and internationally. To begin with he discussed his work and the different cultural interpretations of foods that may seem strange to one group of people, but customary to the other group. Lastly, Dr. Matthew's talked about some of the different majors available at the school (there are actually 159 offered), and discussed the different jobs, like those in pharmaceuticals, associated with this field. Next we went on a tour of different labs.
   We first explored the mass spectrometry lab. The man working this lab seemed to have a very time consuming, yet interesting job. He explained to us some of the different laboratory methods and techniques used to identify the amount and type of chemicals present in a sample, which involved measuring the mass-to-charge ratio and abundance of gas-phase ions.
   Next we went to the sensory lab where we met two young ladies who were studying at Rutgers. The first young lady to speak had previously worked at Pepsi. At Pepsi she focused on consumer emotion, or essentially how the consumer feels about a product in relation its appearance, taste, smell, touch, sound. She looked at all the five senses. The other young lady working in this lab discussed her area of academic interest, and told us a little about her current research paper/thesis. Her paper, which was about whether or not if an individual liked his or her dietary food options he or she would be more effective in loosing weight, sounded very interesting. I found the "super-taster" test fascinating. We all tested whether we were super-tasters, medium-tasters, or non-tasters by putting a paper strip on our tongues and judging our response to it. If you were repulsed by a bitter test, you were a super-taster, if you did not taste anything at all, you were a non-taster, and if your response was somewhere in the middle you were a medium-taster.
  The last two labs we visited, the Food Chemistry and Food Engineering labs, were fascinating as well. I felt that seeing plasma for the first time was a highlight of the trip. We learned about the uses of plasma, that ranged from uses in luxury car production to uses in medicine and the treatment of surgical wounds.
  We ended the day with a hands-on experiment in the reading room and Pilot plant. The spherification lab we completed covered the principle that when a solution containing sodium alginate is dripped into a calcium chloride bath, calcium ions react with alginate molecules by allowing them to align and bind so that a thin gel membrane forms around the droplets. Ultimately, our afternoon spent at Rutger's University was enlightening.

Day 9- Presentations and Marigold's Kitchen

On our second to last day of jterm we spent the morning putting the final touches on our projects and practicing our presentations. We helped eachother by providing feedback and tasting eachothers dishes. In the afternoon a kindergarten class came to see Matt, Angela, and Julia make their Carmel whipped cream. The students all loved it especially when it was paired with chocolate ice cream! They were so excited to find out that science could be so fun and tasty! Next a first grade class came to taste and learn the science behind Bradlie and Arianna's microwave chocolate cake and espresso foam. They students learned how they used air to make the cake rise instead of baking side or baking powder. The cake was a big hit and many of the students enjoyed the espresso foam too!

The big highlight of the day was our trip to Marigold's Kitchen. We are everything from truffle powder to foie gras to blue cheese infused Asian pears. The staff was incredibly accommodating and made alternate dishes for those of us with dietary restrictions. It was very cool to see techniques that we had talked about and used in class being performed at a professional level. They used spherification to make vinegar caviar and maltadextren to make powers just like we did! We bonded over dinner and the shared experience of great food and great company! Tomorrow we will be finishing the presentations by welcoming more lower school classes and we will clean the classroom.

Readings for Final Presentations

Please read the following articles explaining the chemistry of the final presentations:

Skyler and Sean's Pop Rocks: 
http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/science-questions/question114.htm
https://www.teachengineering.org/view_activity.php?url=collection/wsu_/activities/wsu_big_chill_activity1/wsu_big_chill_activity1.xml


Matt, Julia and Angela's Caramel Foam: 


Arianna and Bradlie's Espresso Foam and Chocolate Sponge Cake:

Introduction, 1.1: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1359029413000563
http://www.modernistcookingmadeeasy.com/define/molecular-gastronomy-glossary/what-is/gelification


Elodie and Sam's Fruit Gels:
http://www.moleculargastronomynetwork.com/241-community/forum/What-is-Gelification-.html


Eloise, Amanda and Bella's Carbonated Ice Cream and Nutella Powder:

http://www.livescience.com/32652-why-is-dry-ice-dry.html

http://sciencemeetsfood.org/magicalmaltodextrin/

http://www.curiouscook.com/site/2012/09/caramelization-new-science-new-possibilities.html

Blog Post about Drexel Wednesday 1/13/16

Today we started off the day by experimenting with our final project presentations. Some of us are presenting tomorrow so we really needed to nail down the presentation and scripts.

Then, we traveled to Drexel University to meet with some Culinary Arts and Food Science professors and students. During this lesson, we learned myriad information about sugars like Glucose and Sucrose and Galactose. Then, we split into three groups and made Marshmallows, Lollipops, and Peanut Brittle. Of all the candy we made, the most popular was the Peanut Brittle, but everyone enjoyed all of the candy.

Then, we traveled back to EA to finish up some more experimenting with our final projects. Can't wait for everyone to present tomorrow and Friday!

COOK Reflection

I really enjoyed yesterday's trip to COOK. All of the people we met were so kind and enthusiastic about their work. The atmosphere of the kitchen was very happy and warm, which made me feel more comfortable asking questions.

The meal consisted of five small courses:

(1) an amuse,



(2) Tasmanian Sea Trout,



(3) Wagyu Short Rib


(4) Cypress Grove Purple Haze Cheese






















(5) Key Lime Sorbet



Overall, I enjoyed COOK more than Shola because there were more people and it was a more welcoming atmosphere.

COOK Reflection - Sean McGarrity

Yesterday, Kitchen Chemistry went to Cook, in Philadelphia. There, we were given a demonstration by Chef Allen specifically on texture and its different forms. Similar to Studiokitchen, Chef Allen explained his process for making his dishes and answered our questions with ease.

There were some differences between Studiokitchen and Cook. One difference was that Shola cooked more simple dishes that he could make perfectly. Chef Allen tended to make more complex dishes with multiple components. While the Cook food was incredible, I prefer the food from Studiokitchen more because it is more simple. I can imagine myself implementing some of the techniques and cooking the foods used by Shola more so than Chef Allen.

Another difference between the two chefs is that Chef Allen was more conventional in his career. He works in a restaurant and has been in the restaurant business, in one way or another, for most of his life. Chef Shola does not work in any one restaurant and does not like to be compared to “normal chefs.”

Chef Allen definitely showed his passion for cooking. Simply talking about how he worked his way into the field made him light up with excitement. It is true that Allen belongs in a kitchen and nowhere else. Considering he lived in Japan for a couple of months cooking and studying the art of Japanese food also shows that he committed to bettering his food and himself.

Overall, I enjoyed the experiences of eating at Studiokitchen and Cook, but I liked Studioktichen more. It appealed to the side of me that prefers to eat common foods than fancy foods. The food at Cook was eye-opening and it showed me another side of the culinary field.

COOK Reflection

Eloise Nimoityn

I enjoyed our trip to COOK because of the atmosphere and their attention to detail. First off, the kitchen and the outside and inside of the building is beautiful. The two chefs made five different dishes for us, each plated beautifully. Although I am a picky eater, I got watch them make interesting foods, such as the sponge. I liked how they thought it was just important that the food looked good, like Shola, because it made me want to try things I have never tried before, such as goat cheese and tamarind. Just like Shola, these chefs cared about the food they were presenting to us. Even though I am more familiar with and eat the food Shola prepared for us better, the chefs made me want to try the food because of the science behind them and their meticulous plating. I thought that the sponge and foam they made was very interesting. They kept whipping the foam to add air in it, making it very light and airy. The different textures and flavors of the fennel was also unique. I learned about different textures and flavors of foods and putting different ones together in the same dish; for example, I liked how he put the salty cheese with the sweet quince, and added a crunchy cracker.

I enjoyed going to StudioKitchen and COOK because there were similarities and differences. At StudioKitchen, we got to watch Shola use his machines and learn about molecular gastronomy while at COOK, we got to also learn about some chemistry and see the precise plating. One big difference between the two is that Shola made simple food but made it taste really good, and Chef Allen made fancier more complicated food. I could tell from all of the chefs that they have a great passion for food. Shola does not cook in a restaurant but still cooks because he loves to. Chef Allen worked at restaurants but he also enjoys teaching and sharing his passion with others, as he did with us. I thought it was interesting that when we asked Shola and Allen what type of food and restaurants they like, they gave us honest answers, but were very open and never talked down about any restaurant. They seem to enjoy cooking but also trying other people’s food. All of them also wanted us to ask many questions because they wanted to teach us, which shows their fascination and enthusiasm.

Cook Reflection- Elodie Furey

Spending the day at Cook with Chef Allen was another wonderful experience made me love jterm even more. As soon as I stepped inside the door or Cook I was impressed by the clean, modern decor and all the cook books neatly organized by their type of cuisine and purpose. I loved the dark hard wood floors, white tiles and cabinets, large island, and the saddle light blue ceiling. When I am older I hope to have a kitchen very similar to the one at Cook. I was also impressed by the friendly staff who greeted us right away and had made place cards welcoming us and previewing the menu. We were served drinks right away and watched as Chef Allen and his assistant Jack finished their preparations. I noticed how young Chef Allen was to have achieved such great success in his field. Although I am not a huge fan of tattoos, I admired the bright, floral designs covering his arms. This great first impression made me very excited for what I would see, learn, and taste when the demonstration began. 

We started the course with an amuse bouche that was similar to a reconstructed peanut butter and jelly with banana. The flavors in the small dish were very simple and familiar but where produced by things with different textures than what you would normally expect. This was especially interesting because Chef Shola also spent lots of time discussing texture with us. Next we were served Tasmanian sea trout topped with apples, fennel, radishes, mustard oil, and a frozen sponge. I was a little nervous at first about so much raw fish because sometimes when I eat sushi I feel overwhelmed by all the raw fish and do not enjoy it very much. However, I trusted that Chef Allen knew what he was doing and I was excited to try the dish. After taking my first bite I realized that my doubts could not have been more wrong. The fish was delicious and the and carefully placed toppings brought and array of different flavors that made it taste even better. I cleaned my entire plate and even wanted to ask Chef Allen to eat another piece of the fish that was still lying on his cutting board. Another thing that impressed me about the dish was the detail and effort that went in to the presentation. Chef Allen's assistant Jack carefully chose and placed each topping and made sure they were in the perfect position on the plate. He took his time and made the dish into artwork that was pleasing to the eyes in addition to the mouth. As we ate the dish Chef Allen talked more about the process of making the frozen sponge and about how using different quantities of stabilizers and whipping techniques can create certain consistencies. He made a foam using a stick blender and made a thick substance using a kitchen aid that could be poured into a mold and frozen into one of the sponges. Next Chef Allen prepared a wagyu beef short rib. The smell of the short rib cooking was enough to make my mouth water. He talked to us about slow cooking and cooking in a bag and how that can lead to longer shelf life for meats, fish, and vegetables. He also talked about how some discoveries in his kitchen have been mistakes that they turned into something delicious. Chef Allen does not like to waste any part of the food he cooks so he experiments with what he can do with the discarded parts of food to make them into their own meal. When the short rib was served to us it fell apart under my knife as I tried to cut it. The tender meat was as good as it looked and smelled and I again wanted to ask for more after completely cleaning my plate. Our fourth dish was a goat cheese infused with fennel powder. This was accompanied by yellow beets and sesame crackers. I love cheese and goat cheese it one of my favorites so I was again very excited to eat. Chef Allen talked to us about the process of making cheese and how good bacteria is used to allow the cheese to safely ferment over a long period of time. His cheese dish was great and his pairings of different flavors and textures enhanced the taste. Finally we finished with a key lime sorbet. He talked about how sorbet is different from ice cream since the ice cream we eat has more stabilizers in it to held retain its thick creamy form with sorbet is balanced right between and liquid and a solid and will melt in your mouth. This sorbet was a nice palette cleanser but was probably my least favorite of his dishes because I found it a little tart. Despite this critique I still enjoyed it and finished it all. 

Cook and different than Studio Kitchrn because with a bigger space and more staff they were able to make the experience flow more smoothly and present their dishes with artistry. Shola talked more about the science behind what he was doing and used cool machines that we would not normally have acces too. He food was delicious but it was simpler and was not something i had yet to try before. I liked how he showed that he can make something we all know so well 10 times better but I would have enjoyed being able to try new things that I do not usually eat. Because of this I think I like the food we ate at Cook better. I also thought Chef Allen was a little more personable than Shola. Both places were great and both Chefs were incredibly skilled and accommodating and I would love to visit either again!

COOK Reflection - Amanda Lee

            It was so interesting to learn from Doug Allen at COOK, especially after having already visited StudioKitchen, as the two experiences were so different. Unlike StudioKitchen, which was only run by Shola, COOK features many different chefs who work at their own restaurants in addition to teaching at COOK. Because of this, COOK had more of a restaurant feel that StudioKitchen, which seemed more like an apartment kitchen. At COOK, everyone was extremely friendly and welcoming. Just like Shola, Chef Allen was willing to answer all of our questions and gave us suggestions about our projects.

            In addition, there were clear differences in the menus at COOK and StudioKitchen. Shola’s menu was more relaxed, as he cooked mainly comfort foods like pasta and pizza. Chef Allen’s food was more sophisticated and complex, and included many ingredients that I had never tried before. I think that Shola focused more on the chemistry of cooking, while Chef Allen focused more on combination of flavors using new and unique ingredients. I also really liked how Chef Allen talked about dishes (including the cauliflower tar-tar) that he and other chefs in his restaurant had created by mistake. I found it interesting how both chefs focused on texture, but decided to make completely different dishes. I think this really shows how different each chef’s cooking style can be.

            My favorite dishes of Chef Allen’s were the modernist peanut butter, banana, and jelly and the cheese platter. I thought it was really cool how he was able to reinvent something so basic and common into an interesting, fresh new dish. I also really liked the cheese platter with the goat cheese and quince gel. I had never had quince before, but he explained that it was a fruit similar to an apple or pear. I thought that the sweetness of the quince balanced out the more tart goat cheese. I also really enjoyed the aerated sponge that he made for us with the sea trout. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I had it, but I liked the combination of the temperatures with the coldness of the sponge with the fish. I also liked how Chef Allen showed how to make the sponge, as I felt that a lot of the food was already prepared before hand.

            Chef Allen was obviously passionate about his work, and was excited to answer all of our questions about cooking and food in general as well as about our final projects. I think his passion about his work came through both when he talked about food and his cooking and in his presentation of the food. I have really enjoyed learning from both Chef Allen and Chef Shola, and I can’t wait until we go to Marigold Kitchen on Thursday!

COOK Reflection-Arianna Pompei

      COOK and StudioKitchen were definitely two very different experiences, as COOK seemed to focus more on flavor combinations than the chemistry behind the creation of Chef Allen's dishes. The dishes at StudioKitchen focused on how different techniques and ingredients can effect the texture of foods.  I enjoyed COOK more than StudioKitchen because of the flavor combinations, but I think that each experience offered a new outlook on how chemistry can effect our dishes.
       Chef Allen clearly loved to cook and took pride in explaining his creations as he willingly answered every unique question we threw his way. He was very energetic throughout the time we spent with him, and it was obvious that cooking and experimenting are his true passion. This is where I see obvious similarities between Chef Allen and Chef Shola. Each Chef used their previous experiences in order to find new and innovative ways to reinvent common foods that we see and eat everyday. I think that this was one of the most interesting aspects of Chef Allen and Chef Shola's cooking as their dishes weren't over the top or used rare food items. These two chef's transformed common foods into unique and enjoyable dishes.
      My favorite dishes from COOK was the wagyu and cheese platter. Not only did Chef Allen cook an amazing wagyu, he accompanied the meat with two interesting sides. The wagyu sat on a white bean puree which I assumed was suppose to substitute the traditional mashed potatoes, and he also sprinkled a cauliflower tartar on top. The cauliflower tartar was extremely interesting to me as this was such a common vegetable that was easily transformed into a really good, innovative side dish. Chef Allen follow the wagyu dish with the cheese platter. He used goat cheese and sat it on a quince gel-like puree. Quince was new to me, and Chef Allen described it as an apple-like fruit. The combination of the quince gel, goat cheese, and sesame/poppy seed cracker was unbelievable. It was one of my favorite dishes so far throughout J-term and it captured Chef Allen's ability to use common food items to create innovative dishes.
     I really enjoyed both Chef Allen and Chef Shola's dishes and I think that each dish displayed their cooking styles and innovative nature. Both chefs were extremely passionate about cooking and took pride in each dish that they presented, ensuring that it was up to their standard. Chef Allen's flavor combinations really stood out to me as he combined different foods that I would have never pictured together in order to create unique dishes.

COOK Reflection- Bradlie Morgan

Eating at COOK was an amazing and unique experience. Although it felt similar to Studio Kitchen, I could definitely immediately feel the differences between the two meals. 

Shola’s meal felt more casual and hands-on than our meal at COOK. Although Chef Allen kept us all interested, I think Shola’s presentation of the meal involved more of our participation and attention. Shola also focused a lot on the chemistry and technique of cooking new foods, while Chef Allen focused on the relative simple chemistry of foods and the different tastes and textures they can create. As both chefs explained that they enjoyed experimenting with different food options, I think Shola was more innovative with his technique, and really how to cook the food. Chef Allen used his skill to create more flavors. Their viewpoints on learning how to cook differed, also. As we heard, Shola did not attend culinary school because he didn’t think he would learn much; rather, he wanted to learn through experience on his own. While I think his plan is intriguing, and has brought him to success, I liked how Chef Allen attempted to attend culinary school. He seemed more interested in the idea of learning more about cooking from other people, and was disappointed when he couldn’t go to school for it. Chef Allen talked about how he understands the importance of learning from other people, while Shola seemed more confident and comfortable in his own experimentation and discovery. Shola’s meals also reflected his focus on the chemistry of foods he wanted to share with us, because they were simpler dishes that were the epitome of a certain technique. However, Chef Allen’s dishes reflected more of the skill he may have learned in his restaurant. I think this also reflects a little on how many refer to Shola as egotistic. However, I really enjoyed both experiences for different reasons, because they showed how different chefs interpret the idea of molecular gastronomy, and even cooking in general. 

I could see that Chef Allen was passionate about cooking because he was excited to tell us about different techniques. He was extremely open about everything he did in his cooking, but also seemed open to new ideas and techniques, since the field is constantly changing. He also seemed excited about what he was making, because he had either been apart of creating the idea or people in his restaurant had. He knew that these dishes were good because he had perfected them in the restaurant, and he wanted to know everyone’s opinions on it. 

Chef Allen was also extremely helpful in answering people’s questions on their final projects. I’m not sure if he knew the answers from experience or from learning from others, but he quickly had multiple solutions to Matt and Julia’s problem with the caramel. This showed his knowledge and ability to easily help others understand cooking techniques. 

Overall, I thought that lunch at COOK was a really interesting and delicious experience, because it introduced new foods I had never tried before, while focusing a lot of the chemistry behind the food, too. 

COOK Follow-Up Questions and Reflection

Take 30 minutes to reflect and write on our experience today with Chef Allen.

Your reflection should be about 1 page single-spaced and then posted to the blog. Consider the similarities and differences between our visit to StudioKitchen. How (if at all) did Chef Allen display his passion for cooking? What new scientific techniques or explanations did you learn? 

Monday Prep: Visit to COOK

On Monday we will be traveling to COOK, "PHILADELPHIA’S PREMIER DEMONSTRATION KITCHEN: demonstrations by Philadelphia’s established and aspiring chefs, private events, bookstore, pantry, and cookware boutique."

We will be having lunch with Chef de Cuisine Doug Allen of Lacroix -- one of USA Today's 10BEST Restaurants. He is excited to meet with you, prepare lunch and share some of his cookbooks. Prepare to ask him questions about your presentations as well! 

(photo credit: Drew Lazor)

Visit the COOK website and check out their blog. Check out this blog entry about a COOK-off featuring Chef Allen. Reply to this thread and post two questions or things that make you wonder after taking a look and reading.

Menu

Amuse (small bite)

Tasmanian Sea Trout

Apple, Radish, Fennel

Wagyu Short Rib

Cauliflower, White Bean, Tamarind

Cypress Grove Purple Haze

Quince, Yellow Beet, Sesame

Sorbet 

___________________

After the visit you will write another reflection entry. Consider the similarities and differences between our visit to StudioKitchen. How (if at all) did Chef Allen display his passion for cooking? What new scientific techniques or explanations did you learn? 

Thursday Kitchen Chemistry

Eloise and Amanda

This morning we watched a video about gluten and replicated the experiment. We combined water with flour; each person had a different type of flour (ex. cake flour, whole wheat flour). Then we rinsed the doughs in water until all of the starch had washed away leaving only the gluten.


In the afternoon we each made cookies based on the same recipe (nestle toll house) with each group altering a different part. We made gluten free, half cake flour, chocolate shavings, only white sugar, thirty six hours in the fridge, regular/control, only egg yolk, and melted butter chocolate chip cookies. Before we made the cookies, we read an article by the Food Lab explaining the science of the chocolate chip cookies, which you can find here: http://sweets.seriouseats.com/2013/12/the-food-lab-the-best-chocolate-chip-cookies.html?ref=search Using this article, we had a sense of how the different changes would affect the cookies. For example, the melted butter resulted in denser cookies. Also, the egg yolks provide a well-emulsified source of fat and forms a tender protein coagulum. Because of this, the cookies are more brownie-like and denser.

After we tasted all eight different cookies, we were split on the regular and thirty six hour cookies for the favorite.

Chef Shola Response - Bella

Yesterday we went to Studio Kitchen in Philadelphia and met with Chef Shola Olunloyo. Studio Kitchen was located in an old school building that has been converted into a contemporary loft complex with some of the original school properties. For instance, Shola’s small kitchen was very modern with big windows and new walls but still had the original hardwood floors and even had an original chalkboard in his room. Other than this, it was very difficult to tell that his kitchen was not brand new because it was filled with fancy culinary appliances such as his various vacuum machines and industrial oven. His counter was made of heat-tempered glass, which was beautiful and also allowed him to put hot pots and pans down without damaging the counter. As a very organized person, my favorite part of his whole kitchen was the spice rack. Stretching from the floor to the ceiling, Shola had hundreds of small Tupperware containers labeled with the names of various spices, many of which I had never heard of. Shola also had many stainless steel pots and pans, which he said are the ideal kinds of cooking containers. I decided immediately that if I didn’t enjoy the presentation, at least I got to see such a beautiful kitchen. See, I was not completely sure what to expect of Chef Shola after one of the articles we read described him as egoist. I was worried that he was going to be bragging about all of his accomplishments and credentials the entire time and we wouldn’t actually learn anything. However, Chef Shola turned out to be a wonderful, generous, and informative man who taught us many different cooking techniques and tips. Shola started by cutting a rindless watermelon in half and then placing one half into a vacuum sealer and then serving us a piece of each half. The half that was not in the sealer was okay but was clearly out of season, evident from its pale pink hue and bland taste. The vacuum-sealed piece, however, was a brilliant red (many kids remarked that it looked like salmon) and, when eaten, turned out to be extremely juicy and sweet, as if it was from a completely different, in-season watermelon.

Just like that, within five minutes of his several-hour presentation, I was hooked. Shola’s ability to explain the science behind his techniques was impressive but was still easy to understand without much background knowledge, which shows what a good presenter he is. He explained that the vacuum sealer had dispersed the juices inside the watermelon, causing it to seem much juicier overall. Shola also showed us how to make aerated chocolate mousse using a chamber vacuum machine, which we froze and then ate at the end with liquid butterscotch on top, which ended up being delicious.

Shola explained the importance of the percentage on chocolate packages as just a few percent can significantly alter the taste. For the aerated chocolate, he used Manjari chocolate 64%, which was quite rich but still rather sweet. We told Shola that we were going to be experimenting with chocolate chip cookies and he suggested that we use the 50% version of Cacao Barry chocolate chips, which is much sweeter than the 64%. He also suggested that we try substituting liquid glucose for white sugar in the chocolate chip cookies and even supplied us with a container of the glucose to use. Shola also made us a fresh pizza using the pizza oven on his balcony and actually made noodles in front of us that he then cooked into a delicious pasta dish.

Shola was very kind and made a vegetarian pasta dish for those of us who do not eat meat.

My two favorite cuisines are Mexican and Indian and Chef Shola, who eats out quite often, gave us some restaurant recommendations that I am excited to try. For Mexican food, Shola suggested Taco Riendo and for Indian food, he suggested the restaurants on UPenn Campus and Ekta in Bryn Mawr. I really enjoyed visiting Studio Kitchen and meeting Chef Shola Olunloyo and am looking forward to our trips next week.

Chef Shola Reflection- Julia

When we first drove down to Chef Shola's building I was surprised that it wasn't in a nicer area of Philly. The building looked like a pretty apartment building from the outside but was isolated and seemed out of place in the somewhat dirty and crowded streets that surrounded it. Shola's building used to be a school and had brick walls and tiled floors, giving me a rustic, antique, modernist feeling, but when we entered his studio everything changed. We went from a dark, tiled hallway to a pristine, white room with light streaming in from huge windows. We all introduced ourselves and sat down at the table. I was shocked by a few things as the day went on. Firstly, Shola remembered our names. I handed him a spoon so he could do a demonstration and he said, "Thank you, Julia." With 14 of us in the kitchen, I was surprised he had paid attention when we introduced ourselves. And I was not alone, anyone he addressed, he addressed by their first name. I had entered his kitchen thinking that he would cook for us, talk about his schools and techniques and then kick us out by 1 pm... This was not the case. Shola did talk about his food because he enjoyed explaining his techniques and the science behind what he was doing, but he also asked us questions. He asked us about our projects and gave us suggestions for how to improve them. His demeanor was supportive and approachable and we all felt comfortable asking questions. I have always thought of chefs as impulsive and creative, but Shola showed me another side of cooking. He showed me that being precise and exacting are important for cooking. He said that there was nothing wrong with being precise and doing something correctly the first time. As precise as he is, he showed us his creative side when he made a beautiful dish of confit oranges, lemon and brie meringue and orange syrup. He splattered it all on a white board in about 60 seconds and it looked gorgeous. Overall, I was amazed by how quickly and efficiently Shola created such delicious dishes. I can't stop thinking about his pizza and pasta and I am going to start experimenting with the ingredients he mentioned to see if I can make a pasta sauce that I like.

Reflection of Studio Kitchen

As soon as you walked through the door into Shola's kitchen, it was evident that cooking and furthering his techniques are his passion. I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I walked in, and to be honest I assumed that he would be the typical, over confident chef that you see on the Food Network. Rather than falling true to my assumption, Chef Shola completely altered my previous opinion, and I think that everyone was taken back at how passionate he was towards cooking and finding new ways to change the field. His energy throughout the entire time was unbelievable, as he never became tired or even bored when we didn’t have any questions for him.   

As a result of this experience I think that my opinion on the definition of a chef has changed. I don’t think that to be a chef means that you must be cooking in a restaurant or cooking food solely to serve to customers. In my opinion, Shola is definitely a chef as he is extremely passionate about what he does and is always searching for new ways to advance the field. His passion towards innovation clearly demonstrates what it means to be a chef as he cares about the effect that food has on society. He told us that not only does he visit other restaurants just to go out to eat, but he enjoys seeing what society is eating in order to gain a new perspective on food. I thought that this was one of the most interesting things that Chef Shola told us, and I think that this truly captured the importance of being a chef.

The organization within Chef Shola’s kitchen displayed to me that he is a very particular chef, and wants each of his dishes to reach perfection. Spices were labeled in containers and lined the walls of his kitchen as his plates and bowls were specifically organized as well. I think that his organization and desire for perfection are key aspects as to why Chef Shola is as successful in his field as he is. The high standards that he has for himself are just another reason why his food is not only very good, but unique to the field of cooking. In my opinion, the originality of each dish allows Chef Shola to continue to experiment with new foods and techniques, as well as continue to be successful in his field.

Throughout our time in Chef Shola’s kitchen, he had various pieces of equipment that he would use in order to exemplify the importance of texture to your food. The pasta machine was one of my favorites as it was extremely easy to use and you could create almost any form of pasta that you desired. His complete pasta dish that he served to us was also my favorite dish of the day. Another one of my favorite dishes was the lemon and brie meringue that he made for us using liquid nitrogen. Again, this technique illustrated the importance of texture while he also served us an interesting flavor combination. Chef Shola is clearly an important figure within the field of cooking, and I think that his innovation is displayed through his passion and will to experiment with almost any food or technique.