FCI Level 3 Recap

In an instant I felt my stomach drop out and shear panic shoot through my entire body.  I glanced up at the clock and realized that I was due to present my consomme in 2 minutes.  2 minutes!?!  Ohmygodohmygodohmygod...how could that be?!  Where had all the time gone?  My consomme was still on the fire, not yet strained!  My bowls weren't heated yet!  I hadn't started to plate the garnish yet!  I didn't even have a tray!  Oh my god, I didn't know what to do.  There was no way it was going to happen, there was no possibility my food going out on time.  How could I lose track of time like this?!?!  I was overwhelmed with panic and anxiety.  So much so that I could feel it in my fingertips.  And then I had one more realization....I was not at FCI and it was not the day of my Level 3 final, it was 5:48am  and I was under the covers in my bed.  I woke up feeling like my heart was going to pound out of my chest.  I guess this means I'm starting to get nervous about my Level 3 final, which is now less than 1 week away.  I have two hopes for this exam (aside, of course, from passing with flying colors), one, that my heart in no way starts pounding like it did this morning and two, that I will be preparing consomme and pork as I was in my dream this morning.

Before entering Level 3, I heard rumors from other students that this was the hardest of the six levels at FCI.  From my experience thus far, they were right.  On top of that, our new Chef was rumored to be the toughest chef in the school.  I have a feeling this rumor also stands to be true.  But he is also one of the best, and the rules he lays out and the high standard he's held us to have produced great results.  I'm here to learn as much as I possibly can, and become stronger, more refined and more confident in the kitchen, so I want someone to be tough on me day in and day out. 

In hindsight, I can see that during this level we've been broken down and built back up.  It took me a while to realize this (or, at  least this is my take on what's been going on).  I spent most every class for at least the first half of Level 3, convinced that I must be failing.  I second guessed myself all the time.  I wanted more than anything to be at FCI, but I really questioned if I actually belonged, and if I had what it takes to be successful.  And then one day something changed.  I can't pinpoint the event or moment that prompted this, but in the course of one class my entire mindset did a 180.  I've always felt focused and on top of things, but this felt different; I felt a new sense of confidence.

Level 3 at FCI is all about speed, timing and refining your cooking.  We started off in this level rotating through a different kitchen station each class - Garde Manger (appetizer), Poissonier (fish), Saucier (meat) & Patissier (dessert) - and were required to produce one dish each night, due a specific time.  We learned pretty fast how important speed & timing would dominate this level.  Every night our dishes were due at a set time....30 seconds late and we might as well throw our food in the compost bin because Chef wouldn't taste it and we received a zero for the night.  Over the past 6 weeks we went from producing 1 dish a night, to 2 dishes a night, sometimes 2 dishes from the same station & sometimes dishes from 2 different stations, sometimes working solo and sometimes with a partner. 

I do not have one photo from Level 3.  There was absolutely no time for photos during Level 3.  Nor, do I think Chef would have appreciated me whipping out my camera during class.  What fun is a post without photos though!

Night out with my classmates

Next Saturday is my Level 3 final and FCI midterm.  (I can't believe I'm just about halfway through the program so far!)  This exam is 50% of my grade for this level, which is slightly terrifying.  The final consists of preparing 2 dishes from the 16 recipes we've worked on during this Level - either an appetizer & meat or a fish & dessert.  Here's the catch....we don't know which recipes will be on the exam, nor do we know which combination of recipes we'll be cooking.  We find out the night of the exam by drawing a folded slip of paper from a bowl.  There's a bit more work I can do, but at this point I'm about as prepared as I can be.  There are some recipes with which I have complete confidence, and a few I pray not to see next Saturday.  What really makes this exam tough is the time limit, especially because it's tighter than what we've had to work with during the past month and a half.  In order to be successful, you need to be absolutely organized, focused, at the top of your game and you have to hustle.

Deep breath and fingers crossed.....