Snow

Hey everyone. Sorry I have not been writing. I pulled 3, 10 hour shifts in a row. We were totally booked by one group. They were a bunch of wealthy, older business women from Pheonix. They had a great time and we all had a tiring time. I finally got some time to relax, ride a horse, and go hiking in the snow. On Wednesday, Erin(head of horse ops), Ryan(part of developing from the head office in Scottsdale), Travis(my roommate, DUH), Hannah(a rangler, like Travis), and I went for a 3 hour horse ride. They day became rainy after our ride. During the night the temperature dropped and the rain became worse. During the late morning, the rain turned into snow. It came down the size of quarters, and piled fast onto the ground. Ryan and I decided to go hiking in the snow. We went up Breakfast Knoll durng the blizzard of May 08. Right now there is about 6 inches of the white stuff in front of my place. It will either melt by morning or increase, we may never know, until I wake up.

Ok well I don't work until Saturday. Love yall

OH! I would like to also say that I recieved an A+ on my co-op and I ended my associates program with GPA of 3.52. Buy this time in two years I will be saying the same thing but recieved my Culinary Nutritions degree instead.

PEACE!!!!

hey

hey yall if you get this before you o to bed tonight I will be online on aim all night until about midnight my time. Come chat it up with me

Week 8

This is a slow and lazy week. Chef left for California on Sunday, and I don’t work until Thursday. I have no ride into town, until Wednesday, and there isn’t much to do on the ranch since everyone else is cleaning or doing maintenance.
I am working about 32 hours this week doing employee meals from Thursday to Sunday. I was going to go horseback riding with Travis on Monday or Tuesday, but both days were very windy and we were unable to. Kim made some nice meals on Monday and Tuesday. Monday she made an array of leftovers. She had hash browns, bacon, bagels, waffles, a big salad, and many other sides. On Tuesday she made hamburgers with all the fixings. There was cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and lots of condiments. She took the extra burgers home with her. Later that afternoon, her, me, TJ, Marshall, Veronica, and Anna all went to the Greer Lakes. There we had a small cookout with good music, good food and good friends.
Before we all went out to the lake, workers from a local landscaping company were digging holes for new trees. After about the third hole, Kim came over and started to complain about not being able to connect to the Internet. I checked mine and it was out as well. The phones were out as well. We all think they dug in the wrong spot and hit the cable. Luckily my project is all done and all I need is my computer to write in my journal.
For the rest of the week and I will be working from 8 – 3. With nothing else to do I will be coming up with recipes and menus to use for the employee meals.

Week 7

The winemaker dinner is done and I have off for a couple days. Until Thursday, we do not have any guests staying on the ranch. The owners are coming on Saturday, and we need to clean. I work only a couple days this week but will be pulling 32 or more hours.
On Wednesday I am working by myself to make the employee meal. I made chicken fried steak, cheesey potatoes, and some nice gravy. I also put out some duck and shrimp skewers left over from the winemaker dinner. Most of the time that I am there I am cleaning or working on my co-op project.
On Thursday, we had guests that came in, but I was off so I worked on my project and got it mostly done. I printed all the final pictures and critiqued everything. On Friday I went back into work for my normal hours of 9 – 5. I was working with Kim so she worked on the employee meal while I worked on the lunch and dinner prep. On Sunday, chef and I went over my project and he graded it. He also critiqued my special recipe plate. It was a pretty slow week until Saturday. The owners, the Bolingers, came to the ranch on Saturday afternoon. They have a house on the ranch and came to check out the ranch before we close it down for 10 days. They had dinner in the ranch house 2 nights, and were very pleased with the food and service both nights.
The next week, starting Monday, we are closed for maintence. Everyone not able to work their normal hours will be working on projects. I will be cooking employee meals for the second half of the week, and Kim is doing them on the first half.

week 6

This week was a normal, slow, yet fun week. We did not have much to do for the beginning of the week, but on Saturday we had a special dinner. For the whole week, Joe and Afif worked together to make up a 5-course menu to be used for the dinner. During the week everyone pitched in to prep this meal, and it came out to be a success.
We had a 5-course meal to prepare for and we only had 3 days to do it. The first course was a shrimp mousse on a sugar cane skewer with a tangy garlic dipping sauce. It was served on julienne Napa cabbage and fresh vegetables. Afif and Joe prepped for this dish. It turned out very good. At first the mousse had too much onion and it was over powering the shrimp, but chef fixed this by adding less onions and by brushing honey onto the shrimp when grilling them. The second course was a roasted pork salad. Joe came up with this dish. It is a very simple dish but very tasty. The blood orange goes perfect with the roasted pork. The third course was taken from the regular dinner menu and tweaked a little bit. It was seared duck breast. It is served on a bed of couscous with a crab wonton and a plum cherry demi. The original dish is served with an apricot glaze instead of the plum cherry demi, but both work very nicely with the duck. The fourth course was a grilled filet of beef tenderloin served with mushrooms, sweet polenta, and a moral mushroom demi. This dish was also very delicious. Because it is tenderloin filet the beef is very tender and full of flavor. The fifth course is a dessert course. Chef Afif prepared a flourless chocolate tort, which was served with a very rich raspberry sauce. The winemaker put on this dinner, from Alexander Valley Vineyards located in Healdsburg, California. Each course was paired with a glass of their wine. The pairing’s were chosen by the winemaker.
It was a slow week at first. I was working normal hours, 9 – 5, and only doing about 2 tables a day for breakfast and lunch. Next week we do not have any guests for the first half, and then the next week after that we are closed for 10 days.

Week 5

I had off from Saturday until Wednesday. During that time I went into the town of Greer 3 times and Show Low once. I started back at work on Thursday, and we started out slow. We did not have many guests at the ranch this week so I had a lot of time to work on my project and have fun.
During my days off when I was at the ranch I would take walks to get used to my surroundings even more. I had a bike on the way to me, but since I did not have it I had to walk everywhere. When I was not at the ranch I was in town. Chef and I went to town almost everyday we had off together. In town we would go shopping for ourselves and for the kitchen at the supermarket Safeway. We also went out to breakfast at a small joint called Joe’s. For dinner we ate at the local fast food places, McDonalds and Dairy Queen. On Wednesday morning, Chef Afif, Marshall and I went to breakfast at Joe’s, not the Joe I work with. After that, Chef went back to the ranch and I went over to Marshall’s place. I helped Marshall drive a trailer from his place in Springerville to Show Low. He did not want to drive since he did not have his license. His mother and his niece went as well. We went down to Show Low the back way. It was a beautiful drive. Once we arrived, we dropped off the trailer and went to Wal-mart. After that we went out to lunch and then drove back home. Instead of going back the ranch, I went back to Marshall’s place to watch a movie. Chef later stopped by and I went back home with him.
On Thursday I went back into work. We started a new method of breakfast that day and it went off pretty smooth. Instead of the guests ordering breakfast from a menu they would just have to go up to a buffet where we serve a sweet dish, pancakes, waffles, crepes, etc, and one savory dish, omelets, eggs benedict, frittata, etc. This method works pretty well except for a few major flaws. There are more dishes to be done because of it, the waitresses do more work, and there is a lot more food waste. In the near future when we have more guests this method will be very hard. We do not have all the equipment to have a full service buffet in the dinning room. On the other hand the guest gets to look at what they can choose before they choose it and be able to take as much as they want. Later that day I learned to make perfect crepes from Chef Afif. By the end of the day I was a perfect crepe maker.
I worked until Saturday. We had no guests again for the first half of the next week so I had off until Thursday again. It is a slow time right now as we are transforming from winter into summer. The weather is very unpredictable and the kitchen is moving slow. The week after next we are closed for 10 days, but after that it will pick up.

My Future

I was thinking to myself yesterday about what I want to do with my life. I want to end up getting my bachelors in Culinary Nutrition, but I also want to take a break from school and work. So here is my plan. Please comment about what you all think about it.

I am planning on staying out here until June 13 and then I will fly to JFK and see REM with my mom. Then I will go home and hang with my friend Jake in Ithaca and go to Camp Bisco. Then I will go to Pittsburg to see a friend. Then I plan on driving to Prov to see my friends then drive back out here and work for a couple more months.

I think right now that I need money and experience. I want to make sure that I am ready for the big world of cooking. I will go back to JWU in the Fall of 09 and graduate in 11.
Thank You

Week Four

On Sunday I got a new roommate, Travis. He is from Oklahoma and came here to work with the horses. The whole week from Monday to Thursday I worked from 9-5 and came home and watched TV and chatted with Travis. Nothing was too new in the kitchen. Chef Afif and Joe were working on the new menu to be put out in April. I also have been working with Shauna; she works in the recreation department.
Shauna and I have been working on the mountain bikes. I am using my family connections and my knowledge to help the ranch get new bikes for the guests to enjoy. Chef and I also have been hanging together. Before and after work we would go to an open field and throw the ball for his two hounds. He uses his hounds for bird hunting in the late spring and summer. I hope that I get to go with him before I head home in the end of June.
In the kitchen I have been working the lunch line pretty much by myself. Its fun even though we do only about 6 to 10 covers in a 2 hours period. The plates that I am preparing are Buffalo Burgers, Rueben’s, sliced pork loin sandwiches, homemade macaroni ‘n’ cheese, chili, and chicken pot pie. During breakfast Kim likes to work the line so I normally prep for lunch or help Kim with the employee lunch.
On Friday, I was supposed to have off but Joe couldn’t work. I had to come in at 7 am on my first day off and work 7 hours. Starting Saturday I have 5 days off. On Saturday, chef and I went into town and did a little grocery shopping and to get some lunch. He also drove me around to show me the area. It is very beautiful, and I wish I could live here the rest of my life.
Today is Sunday and I don’t go back into work until Thursday at 8 am. Hopefully I will catch a ride into the ton of Show Low before I go back to work, but you never know what will happen.

Week Three

This week started out normal. I had off Wednesday and Thursday and we only had a few guests. I mainly worked the hours of 9-5. The whole weak we were planning and prepping for our big Easter Sunday buffet.
For the buffet we were going to serve freshly carved leg of lamb with mint jelly, tabbouleh, hummus, hearts of palm salad, fresh pitas, carved ham, eggs benedict, and other brunch style foods. We had planned on 20 guests for this buffet, outside guests and ranch guests. I had made the tabbouleh. It was made of cous cous, parsley, mint, garlic, diced peppers and tomatoes, and lemon juice. It was very delicious and very fresh. Chef Afif had fresh grav lax prepared for the guests along with 2 legs of lamb. Sous Chef Joe had prepared the hearts of palm salad along with many other delicious dishes to be served at the buffet.
Friday, two days before the big Easter Sunday buffet, we found out that we had only two reservations for the big day. What a disappointment! We canceled our ongoing preparations and served the pre-made dishes to the employees who thoroughly enjoyed them. The legs of lamb were returned to the vendor and we served our normal Sunday menu to out two lonely guests. Oh well!
On Wednesday, Chef Afif and I went hiking up to Canou Lake. It is about 2.5 miles from where we parked to the mountain lake. The hike is all along a dirt road and 70% of it was covered in snow up to our knees. Luckily snowmobiles have also been on the road and packed most of snow down so we didn’t fall through, most of the time. It was a fun and tiring hike. It took us about 4 hours to do the total 5 miles, and by the end I was very satisfied. I can’t wait to do another one with Chef Afif.
This week was also my first paycheck. I got about 77 hours in my first two weeks and made about $80 in tips. I was very happy, and that day I mailed it home to my mom so she can deposit it for me. I am still very happy here and I can’t wait for the next week to start.

Hey Everyone

Hey family and friend who read about my life!

I am just writing this to say thanks for showing interest in me. I will be adding to my blog weekly. I will also add more photos of me and my co-workers. And a few of the chef and sous chef. Here is a picture I took while on a 5 mile hike to a lake with chef. I will write more about it in my next journal entry.

Thanks again.

If you would like to talk to me my yahoo is: adnoakes
and my aim is: andrewdnoakes
I do have phone service but it is only about 1/2 maybe even 1 bar if i am lucky.



(in the picture where the white starts you should be able to see the Arizona desert. It is very beautiful. I see views like this almost everyday.)

Week Two

After having Saturday and Sunday off, I start off working new hours, 2-10. With these new hours, I leave working the breakfast and lunch shift and start to work the dinner shift. Starting at 2 when I arrive I get right into prep. For three hours I would prep everything needed to work the line efficiently during dinner hours. During my prep I would make such items as roasted corn and avocado salsa, cutting and marinating the New York strip steaks, cooking pasta, making crab cakes, and making crab wontons. I would also start on an employee meal for dinner, unless the earlier shift has already prepared it. The first couple days while on the dinner shift there was not many guests eating at the ranch house. This was good because it made it easy to learn how the line during the dinner shift worked. During those couple days I worked with night cook TJ. Once it started to become busier Marshall, another night cook, joined in the prepping and working on the line. Towards the end of the week I was given new hours, 9am – 5pm. With these new hours I was able to work the line for lunch and be able to prep for dinner. Because of this I gained the experience of cooking on the line during a less busy time, lunch, and be able to prep for dinner.
Since I have been here I have had a few days off where I can work on my project and relax. Joe, the sous chef, has a house in the town of Spingerville and he also lives in the staff house that I live in. Many nights we have hung out and watched movies. One night after my 9 – 5 shift, Joe and I took his truck and drove up and down the dirt road. We also took it a bit off-roading and went up a huge hill called the Breakfast Knoll. On top of the knoll is a great view of Arizona and also a cave. You can go into the cave pretty deep, but as we were not prepared we didn’t.
My second week here at Hidden Meadow Ranch was even better the first. I can’t wait for my adventure in Arizona to continue as I see only better things happening to me.

Week One

I left Rochester at 10:01am on Monday morning. I flew to Chicago then hopped on my next jet to Phoenix. At the Phoenix airport I couldn’t locate where I my next flight would board at. I finally walked across the airport until I found this small, separate building where my flight was. I looked out the window and found out that I was flying on a small puddle jumper. The plane itself could only hold about 30 people. It was very loud, but the views out the window were very amazing. I could see the flat desert around Phoenix turning into tree topped and snow covered mountains. The flight on small prop powered plane only lasted about 40 minutes. Once we landed I hopped off the jet, grabbed my bag that was too big to carry on, and walked inside the even smaller airport of Show Low. I waited for my bags to unload off the small plane. During that time, an employee of Hidden Meadow Ranch showed up. His name is Mike. In about 10 minutes time I found out that only my big black duffle bag showed up in Show Low. I waited another 10 minutes until a representative of the itsy bitsy airport arrived. I told her about my missing bag and gave her some information. Mike and I loaded up his SUV and drove to the ranch. After about 40 minutes of driving through Show Low, by a rather large casino, and through small Native American town, we reached the dirt road that takes us to the ranch. Once we arrived to the ranch it was dark outside so I couldn’t see much. I got situated into the staff house. Filled out some paper work. Later, Chef Afif and Sous Chef Joe showed up. We talked for a bit and then they left. I picked a room, unpacked, and went to sleep.
My week of work started today. I got up around 7:00am, and at 8:00am Chef showed up. We went to the welcome cabin where I got some more paperwork. Chef and I went to his office in the ranch house. The ranch house is where the dining room and kitchen are located. There is also a lounge area upstairs where one of the only two televisions for guest use is. After we filled out all the needed paper work and everything that needed to be faxed was faxed, Chef and I went to go sign me out a uniform. Now the time was about 10:00am. I went into the kitchen and began. On the first day all I made was stew and chili. Both tasted amazing. The day ended for me around 3:00pm. I found out that my bag arrived to the ranch, so I picked it up at the welcome cabin. I went home and unpacked. During the rest of the week I maintained the hours of 8-3. During those hours breakfast and lunch as served for the guests in the dining room. For the first couple days we had no guests at the ranch, but we had employees to feed. The employee’s get at least a lunch everyday, whether there are guests or not. If we have dinner, then there is employee dinner.
For the rest of week I prepped even more than just chili and stew. Once the guests showed up I started to work the line for breakfast and lunch. During breakfast I made omelets, pancakes, French toast, and waffles. During lunch I made Buffalo burgers, mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, quesadilla of the day, and plated the chili, stew, and soup of the day.
It has been a great week. I have met many awesome people, and seen amazing stuff. The views here are amazing, the air is clean, and the sky is clear and full of stars. I cannot wait for next week to start, but I never want to leave.

Co-op Photos