Donna and Rob Horton are giggling as they separate eggs into stainless steel bowls. Rob is a little clumsy with the eggs; he gets yoke into the whites at one point and they have to dump the bowl. He also narrowly misses getting egg shells into the yokes.
But, by the time the couple gets through separating 32 eggs — the yokes of which will be used to create a maple crème brulee — Rob is a competent egg-separator.
Kellie Vitis, apprentice chef at One99 Restaurant, pulls a substantial portable torch from beneath the work station and lights the blue flame. Donna’s face turns to a look of horror; Rob’s eyes light up.
“I’ll do it,” he says excitedly.
Donna laughs. “Rob is definitely a tool guy,” she says.
The Hortons, who own and operate F-Stop Cameras in the Orangeville Mall, refer to One99 as one of their favourite restaurants. They are spending their afternoon learning tips from the kitchen pros during the “Cook with a Chef” program.
Rodney Hough, one of the proprietors of the restaurant, says he came up with the idea for the program about seven years ago. Theatre Orangeville asked him to contribute a dinner for a fundraiser. He told the local theatre company “no” but then added he wanted to contribute something a little different.
“We were trying to be creative, to stretch our minds,” he says. “We wanted to give something that would make us stand out.”
The interactive one-on-one day in the kitchen takes you behind the proverbial curtain of the fine dining restaurant. During your day you will job shadow and work alongside the chefs learning how to create recipes, plate and garnish dishes and basic cooking skills.
Donna says she thought Cook with a Chef would be a romantic thing to do with her husband.
“I’m also kind of hoping he’ll learn a few things,” she says, laughing.
When asked what Rob can make in the kitchen, he grins widely “grilled cheese.”
“Maybe if he learns a few things he can cook a meal for us once a week,” she says.
Rob says he thought it would be a neat experience to see the “other” side of the restaurant.
The couple starts their afternoon learning “garde manger” — the craft of the cold kitchen. Along with crème brulee, the chef teaches the couple how to make pineapple salsa, which the restaurant uses as an accompaniment to salmon and shrimp. Rob and Donna take turns chopping the pineapple, red pepper and cucumber for the salsa — teasing each other for being so slow.
Rob is shown how to curl his fingers under while chopping so he doesn’t cut himself; as he practices this new technique, his chopping gets even slower.
The Hortons also get tips on food storage, take a peek into the kitchen’s walk-in fridge and learn different applications for the food they are preparing.
Executive chef Michael Duffin is at the “saucier” station, prepping salmon for a catering event that evening; but he keeps a watchful eye on the garde manger — making sure everyone is having a good time. His brother, sous chef Craig Duffin, is mixing a filling for puff pastry.
Michael, who has been top chef in the kitchen for more than a year, jokes they should put the program on TV.
“We could call it Angel’s Kitchen,” Craig pipes in.
After all the hard work, the Hortons will get to enjoy the fruits of their labour; they will sit down to a gourmet meal in the restaurant.
Donna says she’s looking forward to taking home the recipes and trying them out herself. She asks the garde manger chef about one of her favourite desserts on the restaurant’s menu — Chocolate Banana Fudge Cake. Vitis says she’ll make Donna a copy of the recipe.
The Hortons finish up “garde manger” and move over to the main side of the kitchen.
“Now we’re into the serious stuff,” Donna says. She’s working with Michael on chicken stock, which he says is a staple in the kitchen; they use it in their homemade soups and sauces.
Rob is shadowing Craig, learning how to make bread pudding.
Both Michael and Craig give quiet tips to their “shadows” as they all chop vegetables.
Rob is chopping much faster than when he started — his fingers nicely tucked under.
“Maybe they’ll hire him,” Donna jokes.
For more information on Cook with a Chef, call One99 Restaurant at 519-940-3108 or visit their website at www.one99.ca. The cost for Cook with a Chef is $437 for two guests or $287 for one person.