Let's get it started

Classes start up, for real, tomorrow. They put us through two days of orientation and registration which easily could have been combined into one day (if not one morning), but hey, I'm not complaining. On the schedule for tomorrow are Intro to Management, Menu Development, and Restaurant Law. Of the three--of all five classes, for that matter--I'm most looking forward to Menu Development. It could be a total dud, of course, but the course material looks the most promising.

After returning from externship, the general rule is that if you had AM classes before you left, you'll have PM classes when you get back. There was a group of us who wanted to switch from PM to AM this time around, but more requests than spaces. Here's a big thank you to John "The Man" Kliefgen, who gave up his AM spot for me. It appears that things will work out and that he'll be able to join us in AM after this block (once we're back in the kitchen), but I appreciate it nonetheless.

Chef Vanoli, who I had for Skills I and II, told us back in the day that he was going to give teaching at the CIA a try for a year before deciding if it was for him. I talked to him today, and he's decided to give it another year. That's good for everyone--he's a very good instructor with a lot to offer. If the CIA is smart, they'll get him over to Caterina post-haste, where his wealth of knowledge of all things Italian would be put to the best use.