The Product

My service learning in Culinary Arts Institute is what gave me my product. After two classes in their school, Basic Baking and Safety and Sanitation, I now have (and practice) good kitchen etiquettes and I can make all sorts of desserts. I gained a Basic Baking certificate and a Safety and Sanitation Certificate that verifies I passed the class. I also got A's in both of them. Plus, I got a SerfSave Certificate, which gives me the advantage to work in the food industry.

Fourth Interview Questions

1. What is your position in the kitchen?
2. What do you think is the most important skill you should work on becoming a pastry chef?
3. What skills do you often use in your job?
4. Do you have any particular skills you are proud of? What are they?
5. What are the common mistakes you find when plating a dessert?
6. Have you had a kitchen disaster story? Tell me about it.
7. Would you agree that being a culinary chef is more spontaneous than being a pastry chef? Why?
8. What factors do you account into when finishing a dessert?
9. Do you agree that communication skills are important as a pastry chef? Could you explain to me what exactly “communication” is in the kitchen?
10. How about in customers?
11. Do you follow trends in plating? What are the trends and how would you know them?
12. Any book recommendations that will help me answer my EQ?
13. What is your favorite dessert to make?
14. How was your experience in school?
15. What have you learned from your mentors?
16. How was the interning like?
17. How is your job stressful?
18. How do you know that making desserts or working in hotels is your passion?
19. Do you have the freedom to be creative in your job?
20. What is more important in making desserts, chemistry or creativity?

Presentation 2 Rough Draft

Rough Draft

Answer 1

"What is the most important skill to have to become a successful pastry chef?"


1. One must develop great stamina in order to become a successful pastry chef.


2. Evidences:

•  Pastry chefs starts working at around 3 or 4 in the morning and their work could last for a whole day. They are also always on their feet. The kitchen would not have seats or benches for chefs or anyone to sit on. "Pastry Chef | Read a Pastry Chef Job Description." All Culinary Schools - Culinary Art Schools | Get Information on Culinary Schools, Restaurant Management Schools and Careers. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. <http://www.allculinaryschools.com/culinary-careers/guide/baking-pastry/pastry-chef-job?lob=culinary>.
• Developing your stamina also means staying fit. Exercising doesn't only build up stamina but it also keeps a chef healthy. A healthy chef will have less sick days, less stress, and can cut down all the weight from the buttery pastries. Minasian, Sarah. "Chefs Learn That Staying Fit Is Key to Stamina | Nation's Restaurant News | Find Articles." Find Articles | News Articles, Magazine Back Issues & Reference Articles on All Topics. 13 Sept. 1999. Web. 27 Jan. 2012. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3190/is_37_33/ai_55821108/>.
• Stamina doesn't only go with having to stand around all day. It is a pain to be on your feet for several hours but it is exhausting when you are making pastries that require strenuous methods like kneading. If you are whipping cream, and your electricity outlet busts out, you're going to have to whip it fast for who knows how long. Based on personal experience.

3. I found the evidences on blurbs and articles from the internet. Also, experience is my most important resource.

Service Learning

I am taking a basic baking class and a safety and sanitation class for my service learning. My hours for my baking class sums up to have about 100 hours. We've bake all sorts of desserts in class. I'm almost done with the photo slide that i will be posting up. We've had a substitute since December so our dishes have been random and not plated. I couldn't take pictures of them also but I logged them in. For my Safety and Sanitation class, I have about 70 hours in that class. It's a class that will get a SafeServ certificate. We just took the test yesterday and I hope I get really good results since it's a piece of cake. We learned the rules and regulations to be in the food industry. My classes will end the same time first semester ends. I'm planning to do more service learning, probably take a cake decorating class around my area.

The contact for my hours will be the office of my school:

Culinary Arts Institute (CAI)
201 W. Orangethorpe Ave., Fullerton CA 92832 
714-502-5970

Third Interview Questions

Unfortunately, Chef Samantha, my baking teacher is on maternal leave. But our substitute chef is really nice to agree for an interview. I will be interviewing Chef Mario, who studied in New York at a French culinary school.
1. What do you believe is the most important thing your French mentors taught you?
2. What skill would you recommend a novice chef to improve on the most?
3. What is/are the hardest part of your training to becoming a patissier?
4. As you were working at the hotels, what were the heavy demands on your skills?
5. Tell me about the time you were in under serious pressure in your job.
6. How do you execute your own creative vision?
7. In what cases did you have to use your business skills?
8. In what kind of desserts do you have to completely master in- chocolate, french pastries, frozen desserts, etc.?
9. When did you ever take charge of the kitchen when the head chef isn't there? What happened?
10. How is being a pastry chef rewarding?

Self Reflection

(1) How do you think you are doing so far in your senior project and why?  AE, P, AP, CR, or NC
I think a P is a reasonable grade for the things I've done so far. I've not been as good on my research checks but my interviews, blogs, service learning and independent component, I've been on track on.

(2) What one thing do you think you have done well on and why?
My best component I'm working on is my service learning and the independent component. I've attended all my classes without being late. I also take pictures of what I do in class. I'm going to put a slideshow widget on the side and do a summary blog of what i did for the semester.

(3) What is one thing you would like to improve on and why? 
I really need to research more and take better notes on it. That's the only thing I need to work on and it's really not that hard. I need to be more consistent with it.