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. 

Thanks for supporting Chef Bill through our "Spice of Life" fundraiser

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

Appies inspired by Ontario greenhouse veggies

Brett fills cucumber boats with bruschetta.

Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) hosted a competition between Liaison campuses in Toronto today. After preliminary rounds at their individual schools, five semi-finalists recreated their appetizer dishes at Cirillo's Culinary Academy on Dundas Street West.

The panel of judges included chefs Christine Cushing (of Food Network fame) and John Cirillo, CCC (owner of this state-of-the-art recreational cooking school), along with self-professed foodies Jim Veri (greenhouse grower and board member of OGVG) and Elmer Buchanan (former Ontario Minister of Agriculture and Food, and chair of the Greenhouse Vegetable Industry Advisory Committee).

Our AM Cook Basic students made the trek into Toronto to cheer on their classmate Brett as he got the experience of his first (but likely not his last) culinary competition.

To see more photos visit our Facebook page.

Some of the classmates that came out to support Brett in Toronto -
Clockwise from back: Brett (with hat), Don,  Melissa, Deborah and
Elizabeth, with their instructor Chef Steve Djerfi (right) 

Mark your calendar, and book your tickets!

Come on out and help support Chef Bill Sharpe at our "Spice of Life" cocktail party. 

We've consulted with our chefs, set the menu and booked the band. Now we need to know how many people we are feeding! Please book your tickets in advance. Drop in to the school between 8am and 4pm Mon - Thurs., or call us so we can hold them for you. 

What's this all about? Check out our previous post: The Spice of Life 

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

It's true! The way to our hearts...

...is through our stomachs, and our newest chef-instructor has found the most direct shortcut. Chef Steve's AM Basic students made this cinnamon raisin bread pudding from last week's left over cinnamon rolls. Served in a puddle of crème Anglaise and salted caramel, it made for quite a decadent brunch.

And the winner is....

Congratulations to Kimberley Blackett - She and her guest will join us at our next Chef's Table gourmet eight-course dinner on May 8, 2014.

Thanks to everyone that entered our latest quiz. Visit our blog, Facebook page and follow us on Twitter to stay tuned for your next chance to win.

Will you be sitting at our next Chef's Table?

Our Chef's Table quiz closed at midnight on April 23. Here are the answers to the questions that we posted.  We will announce the name of the winning entry on the afternoon of April 24, 2014. Check your email to find out if you will be dining at our next Chef's Table on May 8. 

WEBSITE QUIZ ANSWERS

1. According to Executive Director Murline Mallette, what does a culinary school give you?

(a grounding, the basics)

2. How many hours does a person have to work in the industry before they can acquire their chef’s papers (Red Seal)?

(6,000 hours)

3. Who is our newest chef-instructor for Cook Basic classes?

(Chef Steve Djerfi)

4. What is the name of our Liaison Hamilton graduate that worked in a tree-planting camp in British Columbia?

(Chef John Paul (JP) Mooney)

OK Advanced students, show us what you've got....

Chef challenged our AM Advanced students today to put their knife skills on display. To accompany their duck l'orange, they had to turn out allumette (matchstick) potatoes, fluted mushrooms, tourneed parsnip, glazed carrot flowers and a garnish of bias-cut green onions, with buttered green beans alongside. To up the ante he also took away half of the prep tables that they would normally use.

Eat first with your eyes: Nelita's duck l'orange
is enhanced by her knife and presentation skills. 

Spice of Life (...needs a little more salt) - Fundraiser

OUR "SPICE OF LIFE" EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL JUNE. PLEASE CHECK BACK HERE SOON FOR OUR NEW DATE.

Spam- For entertainment value, it doesn't get better than this...

There are all kinds of perks associated with working at Liaison College Hamilton, not the least of which is the food that students offer us for lunch on a regular basis. Nothing beats Spam days for entertainment value, though. Before Chef reveals this secret ingredient to Advanced students, staff often huddle in the kitchen, waiting for their first reaction.  Who knew this processed meat could be so priceless?

Nelita's a bit unnerved by the can of processed pork product
that she has to turn into a meal fit for fine dining. 

Really? We have to taste it too?

Can't wait to see what Sarah can make with this humblest of ingredients. 

We are throwing a fundraising cocktail party in honour of Chef Bill Sharpe! 

Join us for cocktail hors d'oeuvres and sweet things- many of Chef Bill's favourite recipes. 

Saturday, May 10, 2014

7 to 11 pm

at Liaison College Hamilton

(Jackson Square)

 $30/person 

All proceeds to Chef Bill's family.

More information coming soon. Watch this site for details. 

Whetting our appetites...

Last week the PM Advanced students turned out some tasty morsels to fire up an appetite. Each day they were challenged to turn out at least ten appetizers, with no repetitions from one day to the next. By Thursday they were in the groove, demonstrating their skill, speed and creativity as they plated at least a dozen appetizers each within a two-hour time frame. By the end of the day, staff were standing by, waiting for Chef to finish tasting so they could do some sampling of their own.

Tony does a last minute touch up on the rim of his soup bowl.
He created 15 appetizers on Thursday afternoon.  

Rattakone adds some sweet corn to his salad. 

The countdown is on...

Often a hectic and happy place, the kitchen at Liaison Hamilton today is infused with a tension that speaks volumes. Our A.M. Basic students are getting ready for their final practical exam, prepping ahead as much as possible so their time in the kitchen tomorrow will run as smooth as clockwork.

Conferring with their colleagues is not an option, as silence is the order of the day. Their heads are down, their minds are focused and their real estate is limited to a half table each. Today they can consult their notes. Tomorrow, with strict deadlines for each course they turn out, all eyes will be on the clock, and they will be relying on their training and their memories to guide them to the finish line.

Sarah readies the ring molds for her chocolate mousse.   

Kitti uses an acetate strip to transfer a coating of
chocolate onto his mousse.  

Marlene preps all of the vegetables that she will need to accompany her main dish. 

The ground rules: no talking, contain your work
to just one half  table and five stove burners, and set aside
everything you'll need for tomorrow's meal. 

Bianca carefully weighs the chocolate she needs
for her dessert. 

Chocolate - It's not just for dessert

Our A.M. Advanced class will be presenting their Chef's Table on February 6. With the date falling so close to Valentine's Day, they decided on an all-chocolate menu. This inimitable, bitter-sweet food of the Gods will appear in a variety of incarnations, in every course from amuse-bouche through dessert.

The students did a trial run today, serving lunch to their colleagues and chef instructors. The wine, fine linens and ambiance were missing, but the advanced feedback on seasoning, texture, flavour and presentation will be invaluable when they serve their final meal to invited guests in a few weeks.

Amuse-bouche: cream cheese with paprika & chives, layered with
chocolate and served with orange coulis.  

Pan-seared salmon with candied lemon zest. The sauce had a hint of white chocolate.   

Spinach and strawberry salad with feta cheese and berry vinaigrette, garnished with shaved chocolate.

Dessert was tiramisu, served in a martini glass, and finished with grated chocolate.