Hill Yeah

Day 46

Dan is the man.

Dan Barber, that is. The chef, who opened restaurants Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, is someone I truly admire. Not only is he an amazing chef (hello Michelin), he's also an

avid supporter of sustainability: The menus at both restaurants feature food straight from the farm in Westchester County, N.Y.

On Saturday, I was honored to have the chance to work with Barber and his team at Le Grand Fooding, a culinary extravaganza which pitted New York against San Francisco chefs. Each team highlighted one dish. The Blue Hill group made beet sausage grilled on carbonized pork bones; it was accompanied by an apple cider mustard, beet ketchup, yogurt, pickled vegetables and a beet puree. Perfect.

I helped plate the dish and then passed them to chef Barber to finish. I had to keep reminding myself that this was really happening. I know that probably sounds crazy to some, but it's true. I usually don't get star-struck—except when it comes to chefs. They'll stop me in my tracks.

Still smiling inside from Saturday, I walked into class today with my daily recipe in hand, hoping for the best. I was poissonnier again, so I was assigned the fillet of barramundi, American style. Looking at the number of steps involved, I was a little worried about completing everything in time. Turns out I had nothing to worry about: The sauce was perfect, and the fish and mussels were cooked well. Oddly, the shrimp—which should be the easiest part—were undercooked. Overall, though, a successful dish.

I'm making the dish again Friday. I'll be sure to check on that shrimp prawnto.