First week, from January 29th to February 4th.

 

Our journey began on Monday, January 29th. I left Kouvola at 10 in the morning to make it to the airport on time for our 4:20 PM flight to Amsterdam. The plane was delayed by an hour, so we arrived later than expected in Amsterdam and, consequently, in Sneek. We reached the rented house at 11 PM, which turned out to be quite pleasant in a beautiful Dutch neighborhood. Arriving so late, we only unpacked and went to sleep, as the next day, we had to go to school early.

Our first day at school was quite interesting. The school we attended is called Firda, a vocational school with technical programs. We were given a tour of the culinary program facilities and were impressed by the spacious kitchens. The plan for that day was to learn how to debone a pig, but the person in charge of bring the pig fell ill, so that activity was canceled. However, we ended up having a very entertaining class where we learned various cooking techniques and how to use equipment we hadn't used before. In class, we were given turnips, mushrooms, and carrots, and with those ingredients, we had to create three gourmet bites or “snacks”. We brainstormed ideas with our classmates and decided what to make. Here are some photos of what we cooked.

On Wednesday, January 31st, we met with the kitchen manager of the three restaurants where we will be doing our internships. He showed us the restaurants and the production kitchen, where they prepare certain foods, sauces, etc., for all three establishments. The restaurant names are Pata Negra, Noah Burger Bistro, and Mark 23. Jordi, the kitchen manager, provided us with our schedule for the rest of the week. Each of my classmates and I was assigned to different restaurants. I spent three days at Pata Negra, a tapas place.

From February 1st to 3rd, I did my internship at Pata Negra, a bustling restaurant with young chefs and a great atmosphere. The place operates on an all-you-can-eat system for two and a half hours at a reasonable price, attracting a large clientele. Throughout the three days, my tasks included preparing for the day and handling the cold tapas section during service. It was hectic but filled with learning experiences. While I would have liked to cook more, most dishes were just plating and ready to serve, but at least now I know how to prepare more tapas.