Learn more about Arizona Culinary Institute
Chef Glenn Humphrey, CEC, CCE is one of the talented instructors at Arizona
Culinary Institute. Chef Humphrey is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of
America, was named "Chef of the Year" in 1999 and 2002 for resorts and country
clubs in the southwest by the American Culinary Foundation, and is a published
author.
Chef Humphrey, Arizona Culinary Institute's Basic Culinary Arts instructor,
contributed to Carol Maybach's, "Creating Chefs: A journey through culinary
school with recipes and lessons." This book, written through the eyes
of a student, helps readers prepare complex dishes, introduces you to culinary
experts, and provides myriad tips and techniques. Excerpted below are some of
the valuable pieces of advice offered:
Advice from a student:
- Genuflect to freshness - Start with fresh, local,
seasonal, and preferably organic ingredients that are harvested at their
peak of ripeness. Use them as soon as possible to capture their greatest
flavor and nutrition.
- Never have a dull knife - Razor-sharp knives increase
efficiency and decrease injuries.
- Turn your kitchen into a flavor laboratory - Try all
different flavors in isolation, then combine them in as many ways as you can
to inspire your next creation.
- Learn the science behind the cooking so that you know
why things in the kitchen are behaving as they do.
- Mise-en-place is the secret to happiness - Read and
reread the recipe, gather everything you need in advance, arrange your food
and tools in a way that makes sense.
Advice from a Chef:
- Travel as much as you can - Taste everything along the way. It's
the only authentic way to build your repertoire of flavor.
- Push yourself - Don't just question everything; learn from the
answers.
- Risk failure - You have to fail in order to learn. You can't live
your life walking on eggshells.
- Risk success - When an opportunity presents itself, go after it,
don't be afraid to succeed.
- Maintain your ideals - Even though you may work for people with
lower standards, keep your own level of excellence high. Make them rise up
to meet you.
- Stay connected - Keep in touch with chefs, co-workers and fellow
students. You never know when you may need a contact, a question answered a
referral, or a friend.
- Be whole - No matter how much you love food, get out and
experience other things. Live life in balance.
"Just as it is with a great emulsion, you have to know how to combine life
lessons in the proper proportions in order to have a balance that holds it all
together."
-- Chef Glenn Humphrey
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