Orchard Valley Farms in Paonia hosted one of CSR’s most recent graduates, Megan MacMillan (CA January 2010) last week as a guest chef for a Slow Food dinner.  Megan prepared an eclectic appetizer menu featuring local food, wine and cheese from Thistle Whistle Farm, Delicious Orchards, The Living Farm, Desert Weyr, Haystack Cheese and a variety of other North Fork growers and winemakers. Megan was impacted so strongly from the farm to table externship after graduating from Culinary Arts, she returned to the Western Slope and currently is working at Delicious Orchards and Fresh & Wyld, where she spent part of her externship while in school. Proceeds from this event helped to fund Mark Waltermire and Katie Dean of Thistle Whistle Farm to get to the Terra Madre Conference in Italy this year.  Congrats, Megan! We can’t wait to hear more updates from the Western Slope.

Get to know Andrea Pitchford, one of our newest Culinary Arts students starting July 5^th – and winner of the $10,000 scholarship.

“Winning the scholarship was the icing on the cake, it made it sweet. Actually, it was the whole cake.”  -Andrea Pitchford

What is the best meal you’ve ever eaten and where?

In Las Vegas at Carnevino, Mario Batali’s restaurant. My boyfriend won a big hand of blackjack earlier that night and we decided to spend it on dinner. The meal started with a salumi plate (with cured meats from the ranch that my boyfriend had actually worked on), then we had squid ink pasta served cold topped with crab and jalapenos, followed by bisteca la Fiorentina and raspberry balsamic tiramisu for dessert.

If you were an ingredient in the kitchen, what would you be and why?

Butter. It goes with everything and makes everything taste better.  It can be hard to start, but if you warm it up, it softens up, like me.

When did you know you wanted to attend culinary school – and how did you choose CSR?

I am trying to get more out of what I’m doing professionally. I grew up with a family who was always cooking, hosting parties, making Sunday night dinners, and [going to culinary school] was the natural step toward making me happy. I first heard about Culinary School of the Rockies in Bon Appetit and the farm to table philosophy just resonated with me. It’s just the right thing at the right time for me.

What do you hope to gain from the 5-week farm to table externship?

I hope to gain everything. The only way I can be good at cooking food is to learn where it comes from. The farm to table externship is the number one reason why I want to go to CSR. I may look like a city girl but I like to get dirty.

What is your ultimate goal after graduating from CSR?

I want to work in a restaurant kitchen and get to the top before doing something on my own. After that, I think I can use my event planning background to help with catering, supporting festivals such as Food & Wine or music festivals, or catering and personal cheffing in my career.

Joseph in Culinary Art's Final Dessert Presentation

A big shout out to all of our awesome Culinary Arts students for finishing their finals today! We know you worked hard to study everything from a braise to a brunoise and we, the staff at CSR, can’t wait to watch you all graduate and start your cooking careers. Hopefully, we can sample your work along the way. And, speaking of sampling, we’re looking forward to tasting your culinary excellence this Friday evening, June 11^th at your graduation.  Stay tuned to our blog for more to come about the graduation. We’ll have a sneak peak at the menu, photos, video and more!

It’s as easy as: Write it. Cook it. Win it. The deadline to apply for CSR’s first-ever $10,000 scholarship for Culinary Arts July 2010 program is Friday, June 11^th. All you need to do is write an essay explaining what ‘farm to table’ means to you and a chunk of your tuition could be paid for, on us. The winner will be announced on Friday, June 18^th – so if you’re thinking of frying up a new career in Culinary Arts, we’ll help you keep the oil sizzling. Start whisking away at a new future and make you food dreams and plated reality.

By Adam Dulye, Culinary Arts Chef Instructor

Tuesday morning started off at Jack Rabbit Hill Winery, JRH, with Phil, Megan, Brad, and Compost Tea.  Jack Rabbit Hill is the only Demeter certified biodynamic farm in the state of Colorado.  One of the steps in the process of becoming certified is Compost Tea.  The tea is made from cow manure that has been packed into a cow horn and buried on the farm for one season.  The compost is then mixed with raw water and stirred for one hour and then sprayed on the farm. I know you are all thinking this is crazy but here are some numbers. Prior to becoming byodynamic JRH used over 200 tons of compost per year on their 40 acre farm. With compost tea they use less than 2 tons per year and have grown their crop yield by over 150%.  The original book on biodynamic farming was written in 1924 and has proved to be the most effective way of reducing carbon footprints and create a full circle of life on a farm.

Over at Zephyros Farm and Garden Charles, Joseph, Jeremy, and Marina transplanted greenhouse starters into the field rows.  Tomatoes, melons, greens, and flowers all went in.

The Living Farm team went asparagus hunting and found 10 pounds to cook with for evenings dinner.  They also began building a raised crop bed that a new team will complete and plant test seeds in.

With the nice weather returning Oogie got Kyle, John and Clark back to sorting and grading sheep as well as helping move some herds to new fields of food and grass.

We’ll prepare the lamb from Zephyros Farm and Garden for tonight’s dinner.  It is great to see the students reaction to seeing the full cirlcle of an animal they can say they butchered, become dinner.  The lamb was cut into quarters and marinated in rosemary, thyme, and garlic then roasted in a 600 degree oven until it reached a medium temperature.  Even Rosie, who is the most timid about eating and handling meat, was amazed by the aroma and texture of the tender lamb.  Phil, Kyle and John who all helped me skin the lamb were amazed at how the whole process affected them and the sense of pride that went into preparing the meal.  Not a piece of the lamb was wasted.  The wool skin is curing for Don and Daphne of Zephyros, all the meat was cooked and eaten, the offal was used, and the blood and bones were composted.

Kyle took on a personal challenge with dinner last night.  He prepared a 100% local to the valley salad.  He used no salt, no oil, and no vinegar.  Kyle roasted Austin apples with local white wine for the dressing over The Living Farms greens and garnished with crisp bacon from Hotchkiss butchers and sunflower sprouts from Paonia.  The salad was well liked by the dinner guests and many compliments were received for the 100% local dish.  It was great to see the pride that went into that dish.

More goat milking in the morning, starting around 5:45am.  Stay tuned for more updates after that.

You could be in Paonia with the next Culinary Arts class in September. Apply for the Culinary Arts scholarship today – deadline is June 11!

By Chef Adam Dulye, Culinary Arts Chef Instructor

On Monday, the students began their first day of work on the farms. The weather was not exactly cooperative and most farms had to adjust to the 35 degree temps along with rain and snow.

Students on The Living Farm started early at 5:45am with milking sheep.  Rosie, Katie, and Elaine got to milk 25 sheep that produced a total of 3 gallons of milk.  After milking they worked in Lynn’s greenhouses harvesting, weeding, and planting.  The Living Farm has fully solar greenhouses that have pipes running from the ground up to the roof that recirculate the heat produced by the plants therefore eliminating the need for gas or electric powered heat.  The girls harvested salad greens, chard, kale, and herbs.  After the weather cleared they harvested asparagus.

Over at Zephyros Farm and Garden the students were also off to an early start milking goats.  Zephyros milks their goats twice a day.  Joseph, Marina, Jeremy, and Charles milked goats and then learned how to make feta cheese.  Monday is harvest day at Zephyros so after they milked and made cheese the students began harvesting salad greens, arugula, bok choy, herbs, tumeric root, chard, kale, and lovage.

At Desert Weyr, Clark, Kyle and John braved the snow to sort and grade sheep.  Oogie uses a scale of the three T’s to grade them: teeth, toes, and testicles or teets. Do they have good teeth? Can they eat hay?  If the teeth are weak or angled the sheep will not be able to feed itself so it feeds us.  Toes: are they straight? Are they without deformity and can withstand the mud and living conditions?  Testicles: can the guy breed?  Teets.: Can she feed a baby?  If the sheep pass the selection process they stay part of the herd and contribute to their growth.  If not, they are scheduled to butcher.  Oogie maintains 5 pure Black Welsh bloodlines for breeding and her herd represents about 10% of the Black Welsh Sheep population in North America.

At Jack Rabbit Hill, Phil, Megan, and Brad planted the final stretch of their 10 acres of hops and working with compost teas.  Lance introduced them to the biodynamic cycle they use and showed them what keeps his farm running that way.  The hops complete the full circle of beverage crops with grapes for wine, the still, and now hops.

At 3:30pm the students arrived at the Black Canyon Cafe for the first Family Style Dinner.  I had put the pork shoulder from Homestead Meats in the oven early in the morning so the class would have a tender blank slate of pork to work with.  We toured the cafe and found our kitchen legs. We separated into teams to prepare the four courses and had dinner out on time at 6:30pm.  The  team at the Cafe were great to work with and the kitchen was by far the largest and most equipped we have used down here.  I kept the dishes simple and everything but the butter, salt, and pepper came from farms the students worked on in the valley over the last week – AMAZING!

Here’s the menu: Soft Green Garlic and their Tops served on Cous Cous; The Living Farm Salad Greens with Cherry Vinaigrette, Sunflower Sprouts, and Feta Cheese; Herb Crusted Pork Shoulder with Rocky’s Roasted Potatoes; Zephyros Chard and Kale with a Pan Jus; Apple Éclairs made with this morning’s milk.

The Family Style Dinners will continue this week along with more work on the farms. To check out a video of Katie milking sheep at The Living Farm, click here. Otherwise, more updates, stories and exciting new adventures to be shared tomorrow.

By Chef Adam Dulye, Culinary Arts Chef Instructor

All of the students made it up to Paonia on time and we got them all settled into Last Frontier Lodge.  Yvon Gros, chef/owner and winemaker at LeRoux Creek Bed and Breakfast, and I made a welcome dinner at LeRoux Creek Vineyards.  The dinner was filled with local produce I picked up this morning and Morning Milk Ice Cream from the sheep I milked today.

The students are excited to see what the North Fork Valley has to offer and have been blown away by the amazing views.

Tomorrow morning (Thursday) we will be doing a brief tour of some of the farms starting at 7am then on to Austin Farms for a beekeeping lesson and honey tasting from Glen Austin who you can spot a mile away with his bright orange suspenders. Then we will head over to LeRoux Creek to bottle wine and do a barrel tasting. I am also looking forward to meeting Mr. Peacock in the parking lot to pick up our rabbits for the dinner we’ll be making.

More to come tomorrow. Stay tuned. Can’t wait to share more of the wonderful things we’ll be doing while we’re up here.

Situated in the scenic North Fork Valley, Paonia is a quaint little town filled with farms, orchards, vineyards, and ranches located on the Western Slope of Colorado. CSR sends the Culinary Arts Farm to Table program there on their externship to see first-hand, the efforts involved in growing vegetables and fruits and raising and processing animals. Chef Adam welcomed the current group of Culinary Arts students today as they arrived by the carload from Boulder. Chef Adam woke up at the crack of dawn to get started on a feast he’ll be serving to the students this evening. He began by milking the sheep at The Living Farm to make ‘Morning Milk Ice Cream” for the student’s dessert tonight. He picked-up cellared carrots from The Living Farm that the owner, Farmer Lynn Gillespie called “carrot candy” to serve as one of the side dishes for the meal. The farms start early in Paonia and so did Chef Adam. The students will start early tomorrow morning as they begin to get their hands dirty on the farms and ranches they will be spending time working on over the next week and a half. Pictures will be posted tomorrow!

If you’re interested in going up to Paonia in the next Culinary Arts class, you’re in luck. CSR just announced a $10,000 scholarship for the July 2010 Culinary Arts Farm to Table program. Apply now and this could be you in just 6 months. Write it. Win it. Cook it. Get inspired by the farm to table philosophy and pursue your passion for food to make your culinary dreams a reality.

Watch this! Our Culinary Arts student Clark Thompson picks chard and tells Karen (CSR’s Chief Operating Officer) what it’s like to work at Oxford Farm in Boulder. Another student, Marina Graham said, “I now understand the life of a beet is just as important as the life of a cow.” Student Philip Willoz added, “I will never ever complain about the cost of organic produce at the market ever again.” The students experienced what it really takes to plant, grow, nurture, and harvest food by working side-by-side with farmers at Oxford and Abbondanza Farm.

Next up! Students are headed to the North Fork Valley with Chef Adam to complete their 5-week farm-to-table externship. They are all super excited for more first-hand education. We’ll be sure to keep you updated. Stay tuned for more footage and photos of the externship.

This could be you! CSR has just announced a $10,000 scholarship for the July – December 2010 Culinary Arts program. Think you have what it takes? Write it. Win it. Cook it. Apply now for the scholarship and pursue the career of your dreams.

This week Culinary Arts had their first week of butchery. Using a whole pig and lamb Chef Adam brought back from the Western Slope of Colorado, the students got a closer look into the art of breaking down whole animals. They covered methods of slaughter, whole animal butchery including primal and sub-primal cuts, portion and cost control, appropriate cuts for each culinary application, and different aging methods for meat. The students made the most of the meat they had to work with and were able to prepare meals each day of the week. Some of the tastiest bites the students made were Gnocchi with Braised Lamb and Pan Roasted Lamb Loin Chops with Apricot Gastrique.  The students had their first look and experience working with offal, too. Offal is the “leftover” from an animal including the heart, liver, brains and so on. Some of the students were more excited about cooking with the offal than other others, but all in all they were happy to have had their first look at butchery and can’t wait for more on their farm to table externship that starts next month.

Chef Track graduated from their intense, 18-week program on Wednesday. Congratulations, Chef Track! For their graduation the students prepared dishes ranging from Local Bison Meatballs and Spaghetti Squash to Lobster and Mascarpone Stuffed Crepes. (The lobster filling was huge hit. Sarah, CSR’s Office Manager, spied students hanging out by the leftover fridge and eating spoonfuls of it after the graduation.) Chef Track culminated the class in the best possible way, with a feast. The students should be proud of themselves, each one of them did an excellent job throughout the program and we can’t wait to hear about what they are cooking and where they are working in the future. Do you think Chef Track is right for you? A new class of Chef Track starts March 29^th and there are still a few spots left.   

Pastry Arts had their second week with cake decorating. They enrobed their layer cakes with fondant, tiered them, and learned how to create marzipan flowers and sculptures. The class created an array of gorgeous cakes; some were brightly colored and decorated with flowers and others were muted tones with intricate details. Each cake showed off each student’s personality. They also started to learn how to work with gelatin to create stabilized mousses for Bavarian Cakes. These cakes are much different than celebration cakes. Travis Lockwood, one of the Pastry Arts students writes a weekly blog. To read more about the class from his perspective, click here.   Pastry Arts is gearing up for their big Bake Sale on April 3^rd! Place your preorder now.