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Post by jnight on Jan 6, 2014 11:38:42 GMT -5
Here are a few old images of some of my culinary display works. All of these photos are about a decade old and were taken with cheap camera. I have better photos to which I share later, when I can locate them.  Ice Swan sculpture I put together. I only know with any skill how to do the swans and the ice vases. These can be a time consuming and frustrating to make.  A basic wedding display from about 2000.  Prep version of a fruit display.  Poached salmon with cucumber, lemon, and radish scales. Just something I created. Usually cucumber scales were the norm but I decided to be a little more colorful with the addition of the radish and lemons. Once displayed the customers just peel the scales back to pick the salmon meat. This is in prep mode too, still in the kitchen. This display also has capers, chopped egg, and chopped red onion.  Poor pic of my apple swans. Note the few multi-colored swans wings. I still do these pretty frequently. This pic was taken in a walk-in refrigerator. |
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Post by jnight on Jan 8, 2014 13:06:14 GMT -5
Here is a more recent pic of my work from about 2012 in display mode. |
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Post by Galius on Jan 8, 2014 19:21:43 GMT -5
VERY impressive work, J! You definitely know what you're doing when it comes to food. The poached salmon with the fruit/veggie scales is one of the coolest (and most delicious) things I've ever seen. Excellent and creative idea. How do you do you ice sculptures? Do you use a chainsaw? When I worked in the kitchen at the Aquarius Casino, the head chef would to them with a chainsaw. Was pretty d**n cool to watch. Thanks for sharing these, dude. I'm hungry now  |
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Post by jnight on Jan 9, 2014 17:57:33 GMT -5
VERY impressive work, J! You definitely know what you're doing when it comes to food. The poached salmon with the fruit/veggie scales is one of the coolest (and most delicious) things I've ever seen. Excellent and creative idea. How do you do you ice sculptures? Do you use a chainsaw? When I worked in the kitchen at the Aquarius Casino, the head chef would to them with a chainsaw. Was pretty d**n cool to watch. Thanks for sharing these, dude. I'm hungry now Thanks for the kind words! It was my pleasure. I usually shy away from talking about my day job. This is generally the fun stuff, the other stuff isn't as fun. I just wish the pic were better and more professional looking. As for the poached salmon, cucumber scales were what I was taught but I decided to be a little creative and add the lemon and radishes for color. Neither bleed too much or tamper the flavor of the salmon. I just wish I had taken a pic of that salmon fully displayed. I'm kinda embarrassed I have so little images of my work over the years. As for the ice sculpture, yes I used a chainsaw. I learned from a previous chef who would craft these sculptures. When a party ordered a sculpture they would come in in a huge block of ice from a local distributor, ice house. About $25-$35 a block. I've only done the swan and the vase design. The vase was generally easy but never as popular as the swan. The swan's head and wings were very fragile and can be easily knocked off when trying to return the finished sculpture back the freezer after you've shaped it. I've knocked plenty off over the years. Generally it takes about a half-hour to sculpt. |
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Post by Galius on Jan 9, 2014 23:17:02 GMT -5
VERY impressive work, J! You definitely know what you're doing when it comes to food. The poached salmon with the fruit/veggie scales is one of the coolest (and most delicious) things I've ever seen. Excellent and creative idea. How do you do you ice sculptures? Do you use a chainsaw? When I worked in the kitchen at the Aquarius Casino, the head chef would to them with a chainsaw. Was pretty d**n cool to watch. Thanks for sharing these, dude. I'm hungry now Thanks for the kind words! It was my pleasure. I usually shy away from talking about my day job. This is generally the fun stuff, the other stuff isn't as fun. I just wish the pic were better and more professional looking. As for the poached salmon, cucumber scales were what I was taught but I decided to be a little creative and add the lemon and radishes for color. Neither bleed too much or tamper the flavor of the salmon. I just wish I had taken a pic of that salmon fully displayed. I'm kinda embarrassed I have so little images of my work over the years. As for the ice sculpture, yes I used a chainsaw. I learned from a previous chef who would craft these sculptures. When a party ordered a sculpture they would come in in a huge block of ice from a local distributor, ice house. About $25-$35 a block. I've only done the swan and the vase design. The vase was generally easy but never as popular as the swan. The swan's head and wings were very fragile and can be easily knocked off when trying to return the finished sculpture back the freezer after you've shaped it. I've knocked plenty off over the years. Generally it takes about a half-hour to sculpt. Very interesting, brutha! Excellent choice on the radishes and lemon. Those are the two things I eat with salmon or trout when I cook them at home. Well either radishes or onions. Hahaha depends on my mood. You are are far too modest my friend. You have some serious talent setting these things up. Truly professional looking displays and of course the food quality matches. I salivate when I see the pics. Your chainsaw skills are beastly. Like I said, I've seen ice sculpturing in action and it does not look easy at all. I've actually had to cart the finished sculpture back to the freezer. Hahaha talk about nerve racking and painstakingly slow! If you can dig up any more pics I'd be interested in seeing them. I plan on getting back into school here very soon. Gonna take the culinary course and hopefully turn my credits into going to Le Cordon Bleu. I have a long time (childhood) friend who went and is now the head chef at a very nice restaurant in Sun Valley Idaho. We'll wee what happens . Thanks again for showing these, dude. |
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Post by Kunoichi on Jan 12, 2014 17:06:11 GMT -5
OMG, I didn't know you did this kind of work for a living. Your work is awesome! I love the apple birds and the salmon. I wish I had the talent to do that. Please share more  |
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Post by valo777 on Apr 19, 2015 22:26:51 GMT -5
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Post by valo777 on Apr 19, 2015 22:32:00 GMT -5
The first one is a mock oyster using salsify which is also know as vegetable oyster. Its a root that has a very earthy flavor. Using certain powders it was made into a sphere to resemble an oyster. The second one is a dessert with chocolate in a couple different forms. And the Las one is a steak of lamb with alot of different components.
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Post by valo777 on Apr 20, 2015 0:51:59 GMT -5
_  _ This is a locally wild caught rockfish with creamy farro, pepper slaw, and a dill cream. |
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Post by jnight on Apr 20, 2015 14:31:40 GMT -5
Wow, Valo you have some awesome culinary skills on display here. You must work in fine dining. It's all an art form in so many ways. Please show more when you find the time. |
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Post by valo777 on Apr 20, 2015 14:42:21 GMT -5
Wow, Valo you have some awesome culinary skills on display here. You must work in fine dining. It's all an art form in so many ways. Please show more when you find the time. Thanks knight. Yeah I did for awhile now I'm working in a gastropub. It pays more then working for the other guy. He thought because he was on tv he could pay cheap and work us into the ground. But I did learn alot that's the cool thing you can keep teaching yourself by reading and there is always something new. have a few more I can maybe post in a few minutes. |
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Post by valo777 on Apr 20, 2015 14:57:14 GMT -5
  The one is a Foie grad and strawberry dish and the other is a lobster dish with saffron foam. |
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Post by jnight on Apr 20, 2015 15:09:53 GMT -5
Impressive my friend. You truly have skills. Any favorite dishes? Do you do large scale events such as weddings, banquets or more walk-in public venues? Or all of the above? That's one thing I liked is to make a great product, a dish, that is enjoyed by many at a time. It's a real pain at times but after it's all over one feels so full of accomplishment.
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Post by valo777 on Apr 20, 2015 16:09:02 GMT -5
Impressive my friend. You truly have skills. Any favorite dishes? Do you do large scale events such as weddings, banquets or more walk-in public venues? Or all of the above? That's one thing I liked is to make a great product, a dish, that is enjoyed by many at a time. It's a real pain at times but after it's all over one feels so full of accomplishment. Thanks again jnight. I started my career in catering. I know what you mean every year around Christmas time I would do a big party for a car dealership and it was alot of work. But really fun after it was all done. Now I'm in the restaurant side of cooking and that can be fun too. And a adrenaline rush when it get busy. I don't really have a favorite dish per say to cook. But i like cooking fresh local protein mainly fish. And what I really like doing is taking a well know dish and serving it in a way that people aren't use too or with stuff they wouldn't think about doing at home. So knight how long have you worked in the industry? And what's your favorite thing to make or carve? |
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