What’s next, a show about the adventures of high school students and their dreams of becoming chefs? Yes, that’s exactly right. Only don’t look for this show on your big screen TV just yet, because it’s airs on your computer – a webisode, and you can watch it 24/7.
The show whose creator and executive producer Lorna Rainey follows four girls attending a local high school on a journey from their classroom kitchen into the real kitchens of restaurants for a glimpse at what their future holds in store for them.
The four girls, Jessie, Mika, Nashota, and Rachael attend Long Island City High School where a culinary program is offered and where our four chefs of the future are learning the basics that will take them to the next level in their journey – culinary college and then the hot kitchen of some restaurant, being further taught possibly by someone like Gordon Ramsey of Hell’s Kitchen. Can they stand it? It seems that these four ladies are excited and ready for anything – including hell’s kitchen.
I sat down with them recently at Trattoria L’incontro where they spent a day filming for one of their webisodes with Chef Rocco Sacramone. Not nearly as bad as Chef Ramsey (expect when things go dreadfully wrong), but a more fun-loving person who genuinely enjoys sharing what he’s learned with tomorrow's culinary talent. The chef and owner of Astoria’s most successful restaurant points out that in order to be successful you must first love the business. You have to be dedicated and willing to work very hard. With culinary intern Lisabetta Pipia who will be entering the CIA this coming fall, sitting next to him, Sacramone comments that one of the best things the CIA is doing is to require their incoming students do an internship before attending to make sure it’s what they really want to do. Culinary college is very expensive and not everyone will make it when they get into the real world. He’s right. Some hopefuls after doing an internship tour in the real kitchen decide it’s not for them and go on to pursue other things, but for those who endure, it’s their ticket to doing something they truly love. “When you find what you truly love to do you will never work another day in your life,” Sacramone imparts to his audience.
At a family meal (that’s what it’s called in the industry when the staff sits down together in the late afternoon before the dinner rush), I talked to the girls about their choice of career, what made them choose it, what have they learned so far and a few of their likes and dislikes. I wanted to do a Q & A with each one of them but as it turned out, we just had great conversation during our family meal and I got to know each one of them in a different way.
On their website, www.culinaryhightv.com, each of the girls' personality is described. Jessie is described as the shy determined one and I found that to be true. The not very talkative Jessie was totally absorbed in what chef Sacramone had to say about food and the business. She might by shy and not talk much but she’s certainly not missing one word when it comes to learning from the pros. She’s taking it all in. Jessie loves BBQ. That’s her favorite – anything on the grill, which would stand to reason that her favorite TV chef would be Bobby Flay. Jessie would like to have her own catering business.
Mika is described as the talkative and inquisitive one. Yes, she was inquisitive and to me talked just as much as any other girl her age, but with something to say. Her favorite show was Iron Chef. She enjoyed the surprise ingredient and the challenge of having to come up with some great dish on the spur of the moment.
Nashota – the outgoing and funny one; I would have to agree with that. She is upbeat much like her favorite chef Paula Dean. She loves the hot stuff on her food and dislikes olives intensely. With that being said, chef Rocco chimes in with another lesson about how a chef must taste everything. You cannot be a chef and not taste your food. Will Nashota ever make a pizza with olives on it? I guess we will have to watch and find out.
Finally there is Rachael, who was not able to join us that day but I did get to speak with her later that evening on the phone. She’s described as the sweet and zany one. Speaking with her over the phone, Rachael comes across as knowing exactly what she wants. Her passion is to go into the pastry arts. She loves to draw and create beautiful things which she feels can be done with pastry more than food. Perhaps a visit to France learning from the best in fine pastry would be something to consider after graduation.
Going into their junior year, they are beginning to think about college. The two favorites are the Culinary Institute of American (CIA) and Johnson & Wales. They are great choices, but will they make it? For now they have to keep up with the rest of the studies just to stay in the culinary program. I would think that’s enough on their plates for the time being.
So, what are they gaining from doing this show? They all seem to be in agreement with the fact that they are seeing all of the things they are learning in school being put into real practice. They are getting a taste of the real world far sooner than they would have normally been able to, and they were having a lot of fun doing it.
I wondered to myself while looking at their innocent, young faces all full of hope of becoming chefs, will this reality show inspire them more about their future or will they become reality stars. They have so much to learn about the restaurant business which is apparent to me during our visit. Right now, they are all wide eyed and bushy tailed about the excitement of being a chef. Will they survive as they pursue their chosen path? No one really knows that for sure. How does a 16 year old know what they want to do for the rest of their lives? I’m still looking to reinvent myself and I can assure you I’m long gone from being sixteen. I do know one thing; these girls are passionate about what they want to do. They are like little sponges enjoying the opportunity to learn more and love being where they are right now. It will be fun watching them on Culinary High TV as they explore and enter the world of culinary reality.