Artisanal LA

Artisanal LA is an event where the diehard locavore and foodies of the greater Los Angeles area can come together to celebrate LA’s finest local, sustainable and handmade food and crafts. Each booth is filled with a variety of sweet and savory delicacies and kitchen crafts like pottery, aprons, and even tea towels. A few booths even specialize in organic and natural spirits distilled from natural flavors and organic fruits that can rival some of the more expensive name brand spirits. The passion and dedication that each person puts into their product can, not only be seen but felt as you walk past each and every booth. This event is not about telling you what to buy and what not to buy or saying that one item is better than another. It is about showing you that there are people out there who love doing what they do and put in an extra effort to make better tasting and better quality foods and crafts that would not normally be found at the supermarket. This event and others like it emphasize the fact that by staying local and organic we not only better our selves and our lives but our environment. It makes us conscious of what is going on in the here and now around the areas that we live in.

The diversity of food products and crafts that make up the event are vast, there are many vendors who specialize in different pastries, artisanal jams and even a few breads, while on the craft side there were many vendors who sell clothing, aprons and even flowers. But this event is not only about buying and selling, it is also about meeting different people and vendors who specialize in different areas. I, being in the culinary field, took this opportunity to begin networking and talking to different vendors, authors and groups. I began putting myself out there so that later when I begin to do my own thing professionally I will have these connections to not only utilize if necessary but to build relationships that could potentially last a very long time. It is always exciting to meet new people, especially people who are as passionate about food and pastries as I am.

This event will be happening this weekend, April 16 and 17. Today was the first day of the weekend long event; it was exciting and inspirational on many levels. I enjoyed it very much and am excited for the next day’s list of events and guest speakers. If you did not make it today, I highly recommend that you try and make it out tomorrow. You will not be disappointed.  It is a great place that the whole family can enjoy and have a good time at, but it is indoors so they ask that you please leave the pets at home.

For more information and tickets please refer to the Artisanal LA website.

http://www.artisanalla.com

Sincerely,

The Master Bakers Apprentice  

Bakers Hands

The other day a friend brought up the topic of bakers hands; I was actually really intrigued by the idea that there could be something mystical or special about baker’s hands other than just being hands. I began to wonder what defines “bakers hands,” if there were specific requirements that needed to be met to be considered true “bakers hands.” As I questioned him about it he didn’t really give me a straight answer and I realized that he was just a puzzled as I was. To further understand this idea I began to slowly break down all aspects of hands in relation to baking. With their hands an experienced baker can make anything with ease and even when using stand mixers the hands still play an important role in shaping and forming the product before baking, but did simply touching the dough at one point or another warrant hands being labeled as “bakers hands” or was there a specific aspect of hand anatomy that gave certain bakers an edge over others. 

I, being the anime freak that I am, recalled an anime that I had watched a few years back about baking called Yakitate!! Japan. This anime was about a young self-taught baker who was on a quest to create bread that would be nationally recognized as the bread of Japan. What was interesting about this young baker was that he possessed something called the “Legendary Solar Hands,” which were hands that were naturally warmer than the average person. His “solar hands” aided in the fermentation of the dough by making the dough warmer as he kneaded it. In reality this idea actually makes sense and is not unrealistic, yeast cells prefer a warmer environment and dough temperature is a key factor in the fermentation process. Yeast dough fermentation, which is especially true for artisanal breads, can be a long and time consuming process but by having that added boost of warmth will speed cellular activity and could reduce the fermentation time considerably. But does hand temperature solely define “baker’s hands?”

After a long time of reflection and research I came to the conclusion that “bakers hands” are not defined by one specific mechanism of genetics or mysticism but that they are combination of different aspects of knowledge possessed by the baker themselves which are communicated through their hands to the dough. What I mean by this is that a baker would possess “bakers hands” does so because they know how to properly knead, feel, touch, develop and shape a dough on a level that is not taught in books but learned. Through touch, feel, knowing what the dough needs, what makes it happy and literally having a love for the dough is all transmitted to the final product. For me, I lucked out genetically and have a higher than average body temperature, about 99.5° F, which I take full advantage of but I also read different books and blogs and watch different videos and try different techniques. I do not believe that my warm hands will create miracles on their own; I try and treat every day as a new learning experience and another opportunity to practice what I love to do. I want to obtain my own version of “baker’s hands” and use them to create delicious desserts and breads that will make the people who eat them happy and satisfied.

Sincerely,

 The Master Bakers Apprentice     

Apprentice In Training

Food has always been one of my passions; I learned how to cook early on as a child out of necessity. My mother worked full time to sustain my siblings and myself and being raised by a single parent is a difficult task for anyone. My older sister being the spoiled first born of the family was too lazy to even step foot in the kitchen and my younger brother was too young to be in the kitchen so the task of cooking always fell on my lap. I taught myself how to cook simple things and mostly out of the microwave but as I got older I spent more and more time on the stove and in the oven. Over time my skills slowly began to improve as I began challenging myself to make more difficult recipes in both cooking and baking. Either through practice or plain eagerness to learn I began to realize that I was not only enjoying my time in the kitchen but I was actually pretty good or at least my family though so.

It wasn’t till I was in college that I rediscovered my love for food and it was then that I decided to attend culinary school in Downtown Los Angeles, California. So far through my experiences in culinary school I have learned so much and have met many incredible people. I am excited to be beginning this new chapter in my life and I look forward to the many experiences I will have and the people I will meet. The field of culinary arts is so versatile that the options are limitless and the trends are always changing so there is always something new to discover and taste. Through this blog I hope to not only inspire but to help and be helped by you the readers who are undertaking the similar task of learning the trade which is Culinary Arts. I am always eager to learn and ready to listen, and through the posts on this blog I will share the knowledge and inspirations that I have for food and baked goods.

Sincerely,

The Master Bakers Apprentice