thedrifter
03-12-06, 06:33 AM
Friday, March 10, 2006
Master chef's first day was a flaming disaster
Ex-Marine cook compares test to boot camp
By Kathleen Norton
Poughkeepsie Journal
HYDE PARK — It's a long journey from the inside of a big, charred oven and a mountain of burned bacon to the list of America's culinary elite.
But when Ron DeSantis describes his career, he starts at the beginning, with the flaming disaster at a military base in San Diego, Calif., on his first day as a cook in the U.S. Marines.
"I was supposed to be cooking the bacon and I thought, 'I can do this.' All of a sudden the chief cook, Sgt. Menendez, said, 'Hey, there's a fire in there!' and I thought, 'Yeah, it's an oven, there should be a fire.' "
A tray had tipped, the grease had caught fire and the bacon had burned. DeSantis had failed his first assignment as a Marine cook, to help get breakfast ready for his battalion.
He spent the rest of the day inside the giant oven, scraping years of grime and soot off the walls.
"And that was my first day as a professional cook," he said.
Inspired in the service
After DeSantis' bad start in the kitchen in 1975, the only place to go was up, and the military chefs he met inspired him. "They loved their craft and their enthusiasm was infectious," he said.
Today, DeSantis, 48, is among the 61 certified master chefs in the country. It is the highest certification American chefs can earn.
DeSantis is on staff as director of Education Services at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. And he serves as a judge each year for the master chef exam.
After the Marines, DeSantis came home to Maybrook, Orange County. His father suggested he attend the CIA. He's worked as a chef in Germany, Japan and Chicago. Later, he went back to the CIA to teach and serve on its staff. Among his specializations have been classical cuisine, nouvelle cuisine and nutritional cooking.
His work space is no longer a kitchen but a small, neat office with a wall clock shaped like a pan.
Ten other certified master chefs besides DeSantis are on staff at the Culinary. At this year's exam in February, chefs and the judges worked up to 12 hours a day. DeSantis said when he took the exam 17 years ago, he kept thinking of Marine boot camp.
"I thought it couldn't be worse than Parris Island, which I had already been through."
But there was a low point, during the exam's Healthy Cooking day, and that had dire consequences for his caramelized apple tart.
Running a little behind schedule, he missed the window of time each candidate is given to serve their dishes. He had to wait until four or five other candidates served before he could begin. And that was well after that apple tart had peaked.
"You beat yourself up. But the key is to not dwell on it," he said.
As a judge, he's noticed that staying focused after a bad day is the part most candidates have the toughest time with, he added.
His best day during the exam was "garde manger" or cold buffet, which includes cold meats, pates, salads, soups and platters.
"The judges stood up and told me it tasted fantastic, that it was the best food that day," he said. "I don't remember anything else they said. That gave me the fuel to keep pushing forward."
At week's end, he was told he passed.
Candidates bond
The stress and challenge of the exam creates a strong bond among candidates. DeSantis and four others who took the exam together are still good friends.
"Outside of military people, I've rarely seen that level of commitment and camaraderie," he said.
So what does DeSantis, whose entire working life has been about food, cook in his own home kitchen?
"Comfort foods, served family style" such as slow-cooked ribs, veal cheeks and a favorite on the grill: Beer Can Chicken.
His recipe: Put a partly filled can of rich-flavored beer inside the cavity of a well-seasoned chicken. Stand it on the grill and cook for about 45 minutes.
And make sure guests get a peek under the lid of the grill.
"The chicken dances around a little bit," the master chef said. "And it's a lot of fun to watch."
Kathleen Norton can be reached at knorton@poughkeepsiejournal.com
Ellie
Master chef's first day was a flaming disaster
Ex-Marine cook compares test to boot camp
By Kathleen Norton
Poughkeepsie Journal
HYDE PARK — It's a long journey from the inside of a big, charred oven and a mountain of burned bacon to the list of America's culinary elite.
But when Ron DeSantis describes his career, he starts at the beginning, with the flaming disaster at a military base in San Diego, Calif., on his first day as a cook in the U.S. Marines.
"I was supposed to be cooking the bacon and I thought, 'I can do this.' All of a sudden the chief cook, Sgt. Menendez, said, 'Hey, there's a fire in there!' and I thought, 'Yeah, it's an oven, there should be a fire.' "
A tray had tipped, the grease had caught fire and the bacon had burned. DeSantis had failed his first assignment as a Marine cook, to help get breakfast ready for his battalion.
He spent the rest of the day inside the giant oven, scraping years of grime and soot off the walls.
"And that was my first day as a professional cook," he said.
Inspired in the service
After DeSantis' bad start in the kitchen in 1975, the only place to go was up, and the military chefs he met inspired him. "They loved their craft and their enthusiasm was infectious," he said.
Today, DeSantis, 48, is among the 61 certified master chefs in the country. It is the highest certification American chefs can earn.
DeSantis is on staff as director of Education Services at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. And he serves as a judge each year for the master chef exam.
After the Marines, DeSantis came home to Maybrook, Orange County. His father suggested he attend the CIA. He's worked as a chef in Germany, Japan and Chicago. Later, he went back to the CIA to teach and serve on its staff. Among his specializations have been classical cuisine, nouvelle cuisine and nutritional cooking.
His work space is no longer a kitchen but a small, neat office with a wall clock shaped like a pan.
Ten other certified master chefs besides DeSantis are on staff at the Culinary. At this year's exam in February, chefs and the judges worked up to 12 hours a day. DeSantis said when he took the exam 17 years ago, he kept thinking of Marine boot camp.
"I thought it couldn't be worse than Parris Island, which I had already been through."
But there was a low point, during the exam's Healthy Cooking day, and that had dire consequences for his caramelized apple tart.
Running a little behind schedule, he missed the window of time each candidate is given to serve their dishes. He had to wait until four or five other candidates served before he could begin. And that was well after that apple tart had peaked.
"You beat yourself up. But the key is to not dwell on it," he said.
As a judge, he's noticed that staying focused after a bad day is the part most candidates have the toughest time with, he added.
His best day during the exam was "garde manger" or cold buffet, which includes cold meats, pates, salads, soups and platters.
"The judges stood up and told me it tasted fantastic, that it was the best food that day," he said. "I don't remember anything else they said. That gave me the fuel to keep pushing forward."
At week's end, he was told he passed.
Candidates bond
The stress and challenge of the exam creates a strong bond among candidates. DeSantis and four others who took the exam together are still good friends.
"Outside of military people, I've rarely seen that level of commitment and camaraderie," he said.
So what does DeSantis, whose entire working life has been about food, cook in his own home kitchen?
"Comfort foods, served family style" such as slow-cooked ribs, veal cheeks and a favorite on the grill: Beer Can Chicken.
His recipe: Put a partly filled can of rich-flavored beer inside the cavity of a well-seasoned chicken. Stand it on the grill and cook for about 45 minutes.
And make sure guests get a peek under the lid of the grill.
"The chicken dances around a little bit," the master chef said. "And it's a lot of fun to watch."
Kathleen Norton can be reached at knorton@poughkeepsiejournal.com
Ellie