Sign up now for our Fall Culinary Boot Camp!

Hello all you Foodies!  Hope everyone is enjoying this summer.

Once again Liaison College Hamilton Campus has their Culinary Boot Camp running this fall.  Our next Boot Camp start date is Thursday September 25th 2014 and it will run for 10 weeks (every Thursday night) and ends November 27th 2014.... Just in time for you to be the "one with the new skills and talents" for those December Christmas parties!  

Check out our NEW WEBSITE at www.liaisonhamilton.ca ....click onto the Recreational Classes section... and if you are interested in joining us for this September Boot Camp..give us a call at the school.. and let's get you cooking!

29 appies in two hours- it's a record!

Brett set the record today for the greatest number of appetizers created - 29 in all - for his Cook Advanced appetizer test.

Students are required to produce at least ten different appetizers in the course of two hours. Nine apps doesn't cut it, and the student won't be marked. Chef presents them with the same challenge three days in a row- they are not permitted to duplicate any tidbits they have already made in the previous days, and cannot feature the same ingredients from one day to the next.

 Brett's class had a slow start on Tuesday when Chef Dan presented the first day's challenge, as students put their heads together to collaborate on the groceries for the week. By the third round today though, they all exceeded the required number of dishes, with Brett pulling off almost three times what he needed to complete his final appetizer test.

Visit our Facebook page to view more photos of the students and their appetizers from this week's classes. 

SPICE OF LIFE FUNDRAISER- JUNE 25 - PREVIEW OF SILENT AUCTION ITEMS

We are looking forward to hosting everyone at Liaison College Hamilton next week for h'ors d'oeuvres, live music, cash bar and silent auction. If you have called ahead to reserve tickets, you can pick them up at the door on Wednesday evening- CASH OR CHEQUE only please.

If you are still sitting on the fence about attending, maybe this preview of items and services from the silent auction will help you decide. We are also grateful for any monetary donations to Chef's family to assist in the cost of retrofitting their house so he is able to return home. Call us at 905-308-9333 for more information.

“Spice of Life” Fundraiser Event for Chef Bill Sharpe

June 25^th 2014: 7 - 11 pm

PREVIEW OF SILENT AUCTION ITEMS….

Let’s have some fun, raise some money and find some unique and fun items to take home…

(cheque or cash please)

Sandra Lee Baking Book with a set of Baking Tools.. (Value for Set $ 60.00)/Starting Bid $ 40.00

Master Class & Professional Cake Decorator Book Set (Value $ 165.00)/Starting Bid $80.00

Cooking Basics for Dummies & Summer Cocktails Book Set (Value $ 51.00) /Starting Bid $ 30.00

Gluten Free for Dummies & Cooking for Special Diets Set (Value $109.00)/Starting Bid $ 75.00

Elements of Desserts Book (Value $ 90.00) /Starting Bid $ 45.00

Professional Cooking / 8^th Edition (Value $120.00) / Starting Bid $ 60.00

Chef @ Home for 4… evening event.. Chef Steve Djelfi (Value $200.00) /Starting Bid $ 100.00

Chef’s Table for 6 in the Kitchen @ Liaison College with Chef Dan Notley (Value $ 300.00)

Starting Bid $ 200.00

A framed watercolour painting of the Laurentian Mountains and The Ottawa River, painted and donated by Bryan Raymond (Value $200.00)/ Starting Bid $ 75.00

“Mixed Media” painting by Linda Blakney (Value $500.00) /Starting Bid $ 200.00

www.lindablakneyart.com

“Sunflower” Acrylic Painting(a set/2) painted by Jan Gilbert (Value $ 300.00)

Starting Bid $100.00

Roy Timm Photography.. portrait sitting (Value $200) / Starting Bid $ 100.00

www.roytimmphotography.com

Helicopter Ride over Niagara Falls for 2 through Niagara Helicopter Tours  (Value $ 270.00)

/ Starting Bid $ऀ150.00  www.niagarahelicopters.calls.net/flight

Full Page AD Space in the Niagara Escarpment Views Magazine for the Autumn issue (including ad creation services) (Value $ 2399.00) / Starting Bid $ 500.00 (amazing value!!)
www.neviews.ca

Liaison College/Hamilton Boot Camp Workshop (10 weeks/1 night a week) for 1 person

(Value $1017.00/includes professional textbook) / Starting Bid $ 300.00
www.liaisonhamilton.ca/index.php?p=Classes

4 hours of Gardening Services from Katrina Simmons (Value $ 80.00) /Starting Bid $ 40.00

Pre-Teen/Teen Basket of Beauty Goodies donated by Shoppers Drug Mart (Value $15.00)

Starting Bid $ 5.00

A Beauty Brush Package from QUO..with Make Up Colours from donated by the Milena Kojic from Shoppers Drug Mart (Value $ 150 ) /Starting Bid $ 75.00

Bath Products from Shoppers Drug Mart (Value $ 50.00) /Starting Bid $ 20.00

Cooking Copperware by Alsace France…Baumalu Copper Fish Poacher donated by Mary Romeo (Value $700.00) / Starting Bid $ 200.00 (Amazing Value!!!)

A pair of Stratford Tickets for either King John or Mother Courage (your choice), plus an after-theatre meeting with star Seana McKenna at the stage door. donated by one of Stratford’s starring actors… Seana McKenna. (Value $ 175.00) /Starting Bid $ 85.00  www.stratfordfestival.ca

2 seats at the Go Cooking Chef’s Table Event, donated by The Hamilton Spectator (Value $ 100.00)

Starting Bid $ 50.00

www.gocooking.ca

www.liaisonhamilton.ca/index.php?p=Classes

the SPICE OF LIFE (needs a little more salt) - WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25 - 7 to 11 pm

 We here at Liaison College Hamilton campus would like to invite you to come and help us support our Chef Bill Sharpe, his wife Misty Ingraham and his sons Barrett and Zander in this time of need. 

On Monday February 10^th 2014, Chef Bill Sharpe suffered a massive stroke at his home and was rushed to the Hamilton General hospital. With his family by his side and our Liaison College Hamilton Campus family awaiting his diagnosis, the unthinkable truth came to be. Chef Bill Sharpe will not be coming back to his Liaison College family nor going home to his family at this point and he will be going through some tough and sometimes frustrating trials and tribulations of a Stroke Recovery. 

This is obviously a devastating blow to his wife, his children and his immediate family and friends. There are times when we all need to pull together, to lend a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen to and a helping hand to support and encourage our family members whether they be immediate family and relatives or close nit friends and colleagues.

 

With this thought in mind, Liaison College Hamilton is having a Fundraising Event called “The Spice of Life” on Wednesday June 25th 2014. This event will be from 7:00 pm to 11:00 pm and we will have all of Chef Bill’s favourite catering items, a cash bar (with 1 free drink ticket with your event ticket purchase), live entertainment, door prizes and a silent auction. Tickets are $30.00 (please purchase in advance) and monies raised will go to the Sharpe/Ingraham family. 

 If you are not able to attend but wish to contribute to the fundraising event, Liaison College Hamilton will also accept donations on behalf of Chef Bill Sharpe and Misty Ingraham. We have set up a trust account in Misty's name for this specific event.

 With monies raised on this night, it will be our goal to assist Misty with the necessary retrofit of their house so that Chef Bill can finally go home and be with his family. A homecare assistant for Chef Bill will also be needed and with your ticket purchase or donation, these monies raised will go a long way in reaching that goal.

So please come and join us on Wednesday June 25^th 2014 and help us support our long time LC family member Chef Bill Sharpe, and his family.

Call our Liaison College Hamilton office at (905) 308-9333 to purchase your tickets in advance or to make a donation. Please 'like' our Facebook page (“Liaison College Hamilton”) so that you can be updated on new and exciting details of our upcoming fundraiser event.

Sincerely,

Nicole Harrison

Nicole Harrison

They may have turkey in the back of their minds, but pork is on the menu today

Our AM Advanced students are making sausage today from pork shoulder. They look like they are having way too much fun!

The sausage attachment on the stand mixer
works well for stuffing the casings.

Nancy (left) and Caitlynn prepare to
link the sausage coil.

Ruthann has separated the sausage into
individual links by twisting the casing.

Building a strong foundation with food...

At Liaison Hamilton, we’re all about food. For other businesses, what’s cooking in the kitchen comes second to what’s up in the workplace. But some companies know how to mix food and fun, and build a strong team in the process. Last Friday, staff and board members from The John Howard Society joined Chef Greg and some of our students in the kitchen for an afternoon of cooking and corporate team building. You can find one of the recipes here on our Recipe page. For more photos of the event, visit our Facebook page.    

The butchers, the bakers and the kitchen team makers....

Tom and Chuck learning
butchering techniques

Alec with Chef Greg 

Jacques making shells for
apple tarts in Basic class

Cook Basic students emerged from five weeks of cooking theory at the end of January. While the four novices filled the kitchen with the smell of freshly baked bread, the Advanced students were learning butchery skills. During their side-by-side lessons, the more experienced cooks broke down a leg of veal into steaks, cutlets and chops, at the same time that the Basic class was discovering the difference between lean and rich doughs, straight doughs and sponges.

Francesco making fruit tarts

Tom 

Our kitchen accommodates sixteen students at one time, so the size of one class is determined by the the other that shares the same time slot. Each level has their own chef-instructor and covers their required material on a pre-determined schedule, but they often have the chance to work together for special occasions, catering or community events. Their time in the kitchen together helps them build rapport, and gives the less experienced students early exposure to the concepts and techniques they will encounter when they move on to Advanced level.

fruit tarts by Francesco

Eat your greens: brussel sprout salad, cactus pads, broccoli soup and spinach fettucini

Team A served nopales (prickly pear
cactus pads) in a salad and on toasted pita. 

Team A students Chuck (L), Jessica(C) and
Tom (behind) tuck in to Team B's buffet.

Last week our Advanced students returned from Hamilton Farmers' Market with a small mountain of fresh veggies, pumped with the spirit of competition. It wasn't exactly an Iron Chef face-off - more like a friendly round of pick-up. Divided into two teams, their goal was to turn out the best buffet of vegetable-based dishes they could muster. They had to include six vegetable dishes and two meat dishes, and had the chance to prep everything a day ahead.

For two hours they cooked up a storm, but their participation didn't stop when the stoves were turned off. When the two tables were laid, each student sampled foods from the opposing team's buffet, writing a critique of each dish with reference to cooking technique, seasoning and creative use of the ingredients.

     

Chef Bill (L) and Chef Greg (R)
sample and mark the students'  efforts.

The spread offered a great variety of dishes, and everyone on campus - students, staff, and even the visiting computer technician - got in on the exercise. The newest Basic students, still engaged in the theory part of their studies, tasted and critiqued alongside the Advanced students.

Our chef-instructors did their own evaluation, sampling and marking each dish, but were also watching how the students functioned as a team, organized their time and workspace, presented their dishes, and marked their fellow students' work.

To see more photos, visit our Facebook page.

Team B's dishes: clockwise from top left: broccoli soup, vegetable sushi,
 curried potato croquettes, parsnip & carrot hash, rice pilaf, veal stir fry,
Waldorf salad and vegetable lasagna.

Chef's Table - September 27, 2012

Nathan, Devon and Resti created a six-course meal that was big on fall-harvested vegetables and fruit (five of the courses featured apples). They served a dozen guests, invited to join Liaison's chefs in critiquing each course and the overall presentation and creativity of the meal.

The entree for the evening: Braised stuffed veal breast,
served with a warm Brussel sprout salad and root vegetable chips,
placed on top of a scallion mousse. 

Check out more of Nicole's photos on Facebook.

The secret's in the sauce...and the soup, and the appetizers.

       
Where Cook Basic classes hinge on foundation and technique, Advanced students spend a lot of time expanding on those fundamentals and nurturing their creativity. With Advanced classes following on the heels of Basic level, students are thrown right into a series of days that test their memory, concentration, creativity and organizational skills.

The challenge starts with sauces: reviewing the five mother sauces that are spun like gold into dozens of delectable smooth-as-velvet, sweet, savory, fiery or tangy finishes that can make a well-crafted dish pop, sizzle and sing.

Simon whipped up a Hollandaise sauce
over hot water.

During Week Two they revisit a number of soups and breads, and learn a few new ones along the way. The process of making a sparkling clear consommé is reviewed, from its birth as a full-flavored stock through its clarification. With a list of 15 different soups- everything from purees and cream soups to clear broths- they build their repertoire of breads alongside. The week culminates in a two-hour demonstration of their skills, with five soups and five breads to show for their efforts. 

Nathan made crispy chips from paper-thin
slices of  candy cane beets.

Appetizer week finds the budding chefs turning out progressively more imaginative and abundant morsels. The final day finds them absorbed in the kitchen, their concentration casting a blanket of silence save for the muted thud of knives against the cutting boards. This deceiving stillness, though, gives way to the clatter of china plates with the call from Chef Dan, “Five minutes to service, folks!”

Sculptural works of art, but would you eat them?

 

Judith with her dragon- fondant over
marshmallow -Rice Krispie mix

Shari's gift for a musician friend

Croquet anyone?

Details from desert island

Call me a dinosaur: I don’t watch much TV, and must be the only foodie in Canada that doesn’t subscribe to the Food Network. It was a bit of an awakening, then, to discover that cake decorating has become a whole different animal since my mother made my three-dimensional Barbie doll cake some forty-odd years ago.            

        With the rising popularity of rolled fondant, contemporary cakes are now, more than ever, sculptural works of art. Liaison’s evening recreational Cake Decorating mini course through June and July was a testament to the range of possibilities. With a tub of fondant, some logistical tips, a few techniques and recipes, a novice in the world of cakes can bring their technicolor imagination to life.

After: Deb's cake for girls'
weekend at the cottage

Before: Deb's flip-flops 

Pssst.. pass the message...it's quail for lunch if we get it right!

Jaime, Katy and Zak waiting in silence
in the kitchen.

When a story is whispered from one person to the next, how closely does the final message resemble the original? That’s the premise behind today’s exercise for the morning Advanced class. The students were not allowed to speak though: They told the story with their prep work.

They shopped for their own vegetables yesterday, but were otherwise in the dark about the single dish they would prepare this morning as a tag team. They waited with  blindfolds on as Chef Dan brought four fresh quails from the cooler.

Katy chopped herbs, trussed the quail and put it in the oven
after Zak and Nuno had taken their turns at the table.

Zak was first to remove his mask, and the only one to receive instruction on what dish they would prepare. He had fifteen minutes, working in silence, to pave the way for the other three students. He turned on the oven, then set to work on the mise en place, prepping the vegetables, herbs and quails. Everything was laid out in bowls to let the rest of the team know what dish they were making.

Nuno was second up. His first move was to check what veggies were prepped. With focus and speed he blanched the leeks and stuffed the quails before handing the reins to Katy, who then trussed the birds, browned them on the stovetop, and put them in the oven. By the time Jaime had sat through 45 minutes of listening to rustling, rattling and chopping, smelling the herbs, warm veggies and roasting birds she was ready to work, finishing the quail, the plating and presentation.

The point of the exercise? Working the line in a kitchen is hectic. It requires team work, careful observation, and the ability to jump in and take over, sometimes with no advance explanation. After doing this lesson a couple of times, the students have a better sense of what that will be like, and can look forward to that kind of environment with confidence.