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.