Liz's Chef Table

Friday February 8th, we had our first Chef Table hosted by our own Culinary expert, Liz. The Sou Chef, Rob, and herself made a very successful and delicious 3 course meal for 23 guest, including our helpful coordinator, Timur, and main program coordinator, Jenny. Liz's team, including myself, could not have spent our Friday afternoon doing anything else. We gladly enjoyed helping her out on her big day, and preparing for a memorial and relaxing night. Her creative menu tickled our taste buds, and showed us how to enjoy comfort food, in a gourmet way. 

Appetizer

Ravoloi

Shrimp and crab in a béchamel cream, enrobed in rice paper.

Served in a crab essence.

Entrée

Rainbow Trout en papillote

Freshly filleted Rainbow Trout with Fennel and Carrot.

Accompanied by a beaurre blanc.

Served with Domaine des Preauds

Pouilly - Fuisse

2010

Dessert

Ile Flottante

Light cloud of Meringue floating in a pool of Crème Anglaise.

Topped with caramel and crushed almonds.

Congratulation Liz, you did a spectacular job!

                                                        

Humber Goes to Freiburg, Germany!

            Well the time here is flying by, but that does not stop us from having more great experiences every day. Paul, our program coordinator, and his lovely wife stopped by for the week to enjoy the last week of January with us. It was so peachy enjoying the company of the two of them. I personally just hope we didn’t scare them too much. February 1^st, we beat the sun and drove to the beautiful city of Freiburg, Germany. We started off by walking through a nifty market right outside the Freiburg Munster Cathedral. Most couldn’t help but stop off and try some delicious smelling street meat (as we like to call it), German street meat. We made our way to the bottom of the 265 stairs that takes you to the very top of the Munster. The only thing I have to say about that incredible experience, is the view of town. Magnificent. Later on, the group and myself walked over to Café Schmidt where we met wonderful German staff that taught us how to bake and decorate a Black Forest Cake, a real Black Forest Cake. It was so relaxing to later be sitting in a café with my fellow students while we enjoyed coffee, tea, and Black Forest Cake. To finish off our excursion, we bussed our way over to the Rothaus Brewery. Humber had the pleasure of going on a tour around the large government owned brewery, and then ending the day with dinner at Brauereigasthof Rothaus, the restaurant owned by the brewery. The food was good, the beer was great, and the excursion was awesome. I strongly recommend that you take some time out of your current or future trip to stop by and enjoy the German culture. Here goes another week in Europe!

 

Quotes on our experience so far !

          This experience is different for everyone and it is something that needs to be expressed through more then one voice. We have decided to post a quote from each person on the trip to truly express what he or she has experienced so far in the past two weeks.

Janay: “Major eye opener and a blessing to be here! :)”

Leah: “Je vous en prie ;)”

Jessica: “Food, wine, cheese and memories to last a lifetime!”

Johnny: “Counting my blessings at the top of the world.”

Liz: “One of the best decisions I have ever made too! So many people talk about Europe and what a life changing experience it is, but it is only now that I am here I am truly understanding their words. I am so excited about what we have seen and done so far and what is yet to come... I feel like a small child discovering the world for the first time.”

Colin: “Best experience so far I have ever had, how many can say they were happy to be lost in Munich?”

Becca: “There’s not enough room on my memory card to capture all the precious, exciting, and ridiculous memories that I have had, and are yet to come.”

Megan: “An experience I am so happy I didn't pass on! Don't think I want to go home...”

Lisa: “By far the best choice I could have made. Everything here is amazing...”

 

Sarah P: “First time in Europe and it is just like a fairytale. Amazing sights, people, food and I am loving it!”

Charlotte: “Best experience so far has been the adventures through the villages including the wine tour, student tours and our recent one to Germany. It's amazing to see such beautiful sights and learn something new everyday.”

Kellie: “The greatest experience you can ever have in school. Who can honestly say they travel around Europe on their weekends off? …not too many people.”

Eko: “Had a meal in the 5 star hotel restaurant while enjoying the view of Black Forest covering with snow was absolutely the best meal ever in my life. How can I ask for more?”

Jingyi: “Everything is great here. New place, new language, new food and new friends!!”

Alanna: “An amazing experience full of countless adventures and opportunities to experience the great European culture! :)”

Sarah J: “Once in a lifetime experience!”

Amy: “Once in a lifetime opportunity to discover and explore so many places and cultures at once!”

Rob: “I have wanted to travel my whole life but never got the chance other than for work. Now that I am here I completely realize what I have been missing! It is beyond words and also quite literally beyond comparison for me. 

I am seeing things that I have up until now only been able to read about and look at pictures of. I am blown away by the places and things that I have seen and that I will continue to see while here in Europe. The food, the wine, the people and all the AMAZING sights are an experience of a lifetime! One of the best decisions I have ever made.”

Joel: “Finally settled.”

Kendal: “The best part about this experience for me has been the opportunity to see and experience new countries, sights, and cultures. I have learned so much already in the short period of time that we've been here and deciding to come to France was the best decision I have ever made.”

Nicole: "Experiential learning at its best!! Amazing students that took a risk and will return to Canada enriched with knowledge!!"

David: “Missing Canada isn't so bad when Canada comes to you :)”

Timur: “Never thought that being a coordinator could be such an amazing experience! Thank you Humber Group for being such a nice and funny group that makes my internship so satisfying and unforgettable :-)”

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First Two Weeks - Humber College

The delay of this blog has nothing but positive reasoning’s. The past two weeks has already been filled with exciting experiences, fond memories, and exotic foods. Running on little or no sleep, we troopers got a tour of the gorgeous Chateau de Portales, the surrounding village, and the City Centre within the first two days. We met our wonderful coordinators, Timur and David, who have been working extremely hard to give us the best experience they can give. They non-stop take on our request, listen to our Canadian humor, and make sure Nicole, our instructor, doesn't lose her mind. Our first French class might have been humorous, but we have started to get a grip on the beautiful language. Although we might not all understand it half the time (I might be speaking on personal experience), we are more then anxious to learn. We have also had a memorable first impression with our Wine Instructor, Albert Seltz. Let’s just say, we have never learned wine like this before. He is certainly an inspiring and knowledgeable wine expert who produces wines that I would describe as a young soft girl, to a sexy and experienced woman. We also took a trip into the City Centre to enjoy a cheese tasting at La Cloche a Fromage. We most defiantly didn't leave with an empty stomach. Our excursions so far have been an adventure. We have gone on a bus tour through the wine region to Colmar, and most recently to Baden-Baden, Germany. Not one complaint. The most beautiful and heart warming city that I feel we have all experienced. January 18^th could not have been a more perfect day to go through the Black Forest and witness the white covered trees sparkle off each other. Some described it as Narnia – I would agree. We enjoyed a hotel tour and lunch at Kohlerstube. This past weekend seems to have been a successful and fun weekend for many; some went to Munich, Germany and others Switzerland. Some went to Au Crocodile and enjoyed an eleven-course meal. In between all the trips/excursions and the overload of wine, we still have Nicole’s classes that are as joyful and funny as they were back at Humber. The past two weeks have gone by fast, but we still have so many places and things to experience and explore. We are looking forward to more Kodak moments and a lot more wine!

Outside of The Casino - Baden-Baden, Germany

Our amazing cheese tasting!

View from the restaurant in Baden-Baden, Germany.

The Black Forest.