Day in the Life of a Baking & Pastry Arts Student at NOCHI: Manolete edition
Written by Raley Curry
There’s a few things that come to mind when I think of presenting food before the public. Will they like it? Will they understand and appreciate the vision? Will they dig their fork in for a second, third and fourth bite?
Serving food can be a pretty vulnerable experience, but also an extremely rewarding one. The moment when something you’ve practiced and perfected is placed on a table, you hold your breath; you’ve put a little piece of yourself on that plate. It’s a risk. But once they take a bite and their face explodes in delight, the risk is worth it.
About mid-way through our curriculum at NOCHI, all the students were split into groups to come up with an original pop-up restaurant concept. Manolete was proposed, chosen and from that moment on, we worked on bringing an authentic Spanish cultural experience to life. For 10 days, we tested recipes, experimented with flavors and played around with portion sizes. As the baking and pastry team, we created five desserts: a deconstructed Miguelitos, Basque cheesecake, a rice pudding tart, flan and churros. Testing desserts was like feeding a little monster that would only be satisfied by perfection…as weird as it sounds.
For example, it took three trials to perfect the cheesecake. Not because the first trial tasted poorly, but because we knew it could be better. After the second, we knew we were almost there, but we hadn’t come to culinary school for “almost.” It was delicious, but the little monster told us perfection had not yet been achieved. After the third trial, we looked at each other with contentment. “That is it!”
I can say, with extreme and utter confidence, that there was not a single dessert we created that was subpar in the end. Every detail was considered and perfected, whether it was how long we baked the puff pastry that was served with the Miguelitos or the thickness of the shell on the rice pudding tart. Our menu could have easily been compared to some of the finest desserts across the country.
Being in a restaurant kitchen was a new experience for me. Up until the first day Manolete was open to the public, I had no idea what a “running” kitchen looked like. Or sounded like for that matter. The sizzle of a pan as it achieves the perfect sear on a pork chop. The hustle and bustle of a kitchen pushing out order after order. Phrases like “86” and “all day.”
It was a satisfyingly organized chaos. Like dancing the tango, each part of the kitchen worked together to create a memorable experience for the guest. The first few days we might have been stepping on each other's toes but by Manolete’s last day, we had perfected the movements and were swaying to the beat.
Getting to create a pop-up restaurant in all of its entirety was an incredible opportunity. Everything we had learned was put to the test and served for all to see…and taste. If you missed the opportunity to dine with us at Manolete, be sure to put the next pop-up on your calendar! It’s a culinary experience that can’t be beat.
Raley Curry, Baking & Pastry ARTS Class of June ‘24
Raley was originally born in Salisbury, North Carolina, but it was in San Jose, California, that her love for turning simple ingredients into delicious desserts was born. Nearly eight years after moving to Louisiana, and one year after graduating high school, she discovered NOCHI’s Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate program and believed it was the next step in God’s plan for her life. Raley hopes to open her own beachside brick-in-mortar bakery in the future, soaking in every step along the way.
