Standing over the shattered pieces of my showpiece I slowly look down and see ropes and sails in a heap on the floor before me. As I pick up the pieces I glance to my hands and see my roosters cracked face looking up at me in sorrow, having crowed his last sunrise. Suddenly I wake up in my bed, and look at my hands to see myself clutching nothing but a pillow. Another stressed out dream leads to my early wake up call. I roll over and check my alarm clock to see its two o'clock.

If you're like me, and you stress over the big showpiece day, this story is nothing new to you. Having the looming finish line approaching makes me simply too anxious. Nonetheless, I'm here to reassure you that freaking out like that will get you no where. I hope that future classes will read this post and understand the importance of preparation. The pressure of all the week's work going into one final product that could potentially break or not fit together shouldn't be all that large. Hopefully, at the end of the day you will look back on that anxiety and say, "I was worried about what exactly?!" 

Behind my wooden bench, hunched over my showpiece, I can feel the subtle burn of tired muscles spread from my triceps to my forearms. Simply holding pieces of my showpiece-to be in place while gluing is strenuous on its own. The sun is slowly creeping into the sky as morning becomes midday. I turn to put on the finishing pieces of my showpiece and take a step back to absorb my work in its finality. Finally its all done and over with. In reflection I wish I could've done some things differently, but the most important thing to do is learn from your mistakes right? As long as you stay clear-headed and focused, keep an eye on your pieces and your dough, you should be fine. Another point would be to review your images fairly often, and keep the ideas fresh in your mind, this way when the time comes and you want to create something one way, it will end up that way. Practicing a certain technique at home can help too, for instance braiding to make rope, or trying to find a certain marbleization pattern. 

When all is said and done, if you do your fair share of research, and keep your ideas in mind you shouldn't have to be stressed out to the point of losing sleep. I'm sure even the most critically acclaimed chefs still worry about important events or menus they're designing, but by preparing adequately you won't ever lose a wink!

As the first day of class approached, I truly found myself anxious to be in BPA 3010. Having always fancied myself a bit of a bread aficionado, the thought of being a student of Ciril Hitz was frightful to say the least. I'd only ever heard two things about Hitz; number one, he'll work you to the bone, number two, he's the top of he bread food chain at Johnson and Wales. Right off the bat, waking up at 5:30 was quite a change from my other classes, and one day I even woke up a few hours early from the stress of being on time! As I entered the kitchen, there is a palpable air of professionalism amongst the other students. It's as if everyone in the classroom is putting their best foot forward. Soon enough I realized that the class's purpose is to stretch your creative muscles and not so much a test of individual ability. One of the best aspects of the class is that you are encouraged to become the creative mind behind your own showpieces. The entire classroom is your sandbox, and the dead dough is an action figure in your hands, waiting to play out whatever scene you can concoct in your mind.
Research, Research, Research. One of the most important things to bring to class is a well researched idea of what it is you'd like to do for your showpiece, and with that in mind, anything becomes possible. Splitting into groups of two was a wise choice, as it promotes an idea of unity between multiples ideas. My advice would be work to find a theme that you and your partner can both be proud to work towards. On top of that, definitely get excited about seeing your project from its onset, all the way to its completion and have fun while learning something, above all else. A Last word of advice would be to be prepared to work hard and at the end of the day you'll feel fulfilled and satisfied when you look back on what you've accomplished. 
Making a Showpiece was definitely fun, although I'd like to have been a tad more adventurous with my own, and I can't wait to get back at it and have another go at it with my next piece! 
Can't wait to see everyones hard work culminate in some beautiful artwork!

It is day 4 and we were needed to figure out what to do with left over croissants that had gone stale. To throw the product out would be a huge waste of money, labor, and a potentially useful product so chef decided to try a new experience. He was asking if anyone had Nutella in their possession and of course I did because it is a staple in my college dorm lifestyle, so I took a quick trip back to my room to get this Nutella. When I came back into the lab everyone was wondering what we were doing with it and then chef had his demo. He was able to use leftover hazelnut filling, old croissants, and some almond and sugar for topping. The way it was made was by cutting the croissant in half, moistening the pastry with a lemon/orange syrup and spreading one side with Nutella and the other half with nut filling. More of the nut filling was spread on top so that the garnish of sugar and almonds would stick. They were baked in the oven so that the almonds roasted. The pastry was finished with powdered sugar. I absolutely loved this pastry. It showed us how there are ways to use up products that may seem less than ideal, to make them a very appealing product that appears more fancy than the original product itself, which you can also make more money off of.

"It's so hard!"

"It's so hard!"

"Ugh, that class was hell."

"That's like, literally, like, the hardest lab, like, ever."

The list of things I've heard about this class goes on and on. I heard so much by the last segment that I was practically terrified to even step foot in HAL-13. And then I stepped into HAL-13. And it was hell. Like, hell...o, this class is pretty awesome. I don't get why people thought this lab was so difficult. Yes, this is more advanced baking and it is based a lot on accuracy and perfection, but I thrive on those things. I couldn't imagine my life without such precision on almost every single thing. I need to be at an appointment at 3:15? Great. I need to get my croissants out of the proof box at 11:06? Awesome. I feel awful for people who don't rely on precision as much as I do because this class would be a bit of a nuisance. Even then, Viennoiserie isn't terrible. You get to eat so many delicious, fat-filled, calorie-filled baked goods that it makes up for everything. (Plus, I get Chef Hitz is kinda great. Only sometimes.)

So next year, when a freshman asks me, "What's Viennoiserie like?" I don't think I'll be saying anything like what I heard.

"Mmm, donuts"

I won't lie, I felt like Homer Simpson today. Never have I been so excited to eat a doughnut in my life. Watching the doughnuts fry and get glazed and rolled in cinnamon sugar was literally like a kid in a candy store. I can still smell the doughnuts I brought home and they are so tempting! After our doughnut experience, I don't think any other will compare. I'll go to Dunkin Donuts in the future and just say, "Eh. I guess I'll have a doughnut...." all while dreaming of the soft and delicious blueberry glazed doughnuts from Viennoiserie. I am definitely looking forward to making these for myself, and maybe other people, when I get home.

A great video that takes the ordinary and adds a unique twist!

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