Cooking with a "Real" Chef

I wrote a restaurant review column for my high school newspaper. I also edited the 8-page supplement to the paper with Jessica Wood, who subsequently became a good friend, like an older sister to me.

Jess and I, sadly lost touch in college but when she saw my blog on my Facebook page, she immediately got back in touch:

"Subject: Your Lovely Blog
Message: Hi Sara!
A couple of things:

1. I love your blog!
2. Let's cook together some time!
3. I can't put it in a five word phrase, so please see below.
It just so happens that I will be starting "Classic Culinary Arts" at the French Culinary Institute. I'll be attending night class while I work full time, for nine months. Why am I telling you this? Because I see that we are on similar paths, and why not get together, catch-up, and discuss our culinary passions!"

Isn't it so funny how things come in full circle?
So that is how the other week, I got to cook with a "real" chef... ok well a soon-to-be real chef.

The menu (we thought this up on the spot in the aisles of Whole Foods):

-Halibut with a White Wine Sauce


-Roasted Potatoes, Onions and Sunchokes


-Caramelized Brussel Sprouts, Pearl Onions and Pancetta


What went down was absolute culinary chaos. We split up and were each responsible for our own dish. I tackled the brussel sprouts, Jess worked on the fish and sauce, and Jess's boyfriend took on the potatoes and sunchokes....

I did manage to get bits and pieces of what everyone was doing at their respective stations, and I even was able to snag Jess's recipe cards from class with the recipe for white sauce. I promise to share all of this tomorrow. It's late an I'm tired so if you want to know what a sunchoke is and how to cook one, you will have to stay tuned...