Current Topics-Food Costs,Trends

I'm not used to drinking beer and tequila in the afternoons. I came home and went to bed. I could have slept for three days.
I woke up, stumbled around the house doing laundry and feeding my orchids,(poor things are starving), read my new syllabus on current topics then went back to bed.

Chef began with a lecture on Food Cost. I felt like I had been transported back to a high school math class. Here was the story problem. You are a chef that purchased veal from a distributor for $10.00 a lb. How much do you need to sell your veal dish, sides included, on the menu in order to make a 30%o profit?
I didn't sign up for this.
Actual price, edible portions. Do I really need to know all this?
I suppose so if I want to make money on this food someday. I snapped a picture of his lecture board instead of taking notes and mentally wrote an add for a food cost manager..

Chef then demonstrated some various recipes that exemplified current trends in todays'
market place such as fusion cooking, low carbohydrate verses high carbohydrate menus, alongside of some popular new grains. We made a roasted chicken with sage butter and mushrooms. Chef had some fresh morels that we used instead of shitake mushrooms that were so delicious. We served the chicken with some baked millet croquettes, a grain that was new to me. Very nutty. We made a minestrone stir (a little Asian/Italian fusion) and pork tenderloin with prosciutto and sun dried tomatoes.

Chef talked about design and food styling when it comes to plating dishes and then gave us the outline for the next final.
What! Already?
I have to create a fusion dish, type up the recipes and procedures along with a 3 page essay on the dish, have a cost analysis of the complete dish, and a equipment list and time line typed up as a full report.
This is the first time I thought seriously about quitting.
I was going to have fun playing with menus, but not with the report part.
It's a good thing that my oldest daughter is back living at home for awhile, is an editor, and needs some extra cash.

So much for a weekend filled with long bike rides, movies and going out to dinner.

Goodnight.