Graduation & a New Beginning

This is it! Christmas Break has almost come to an end! It has been an amazing and exciting journey! I've been blessed with having some of the most amazing and life changing experiences! From competition team to being the Alternate on the NCHS Olympic team to student ambassador, I am SOO glad I took the opportunities to be so invovled in my school and student life! 18 months seems like forever, but once you get into the program 18 months feels like nothing. It goes by so fast! Sure, things may not always go as planned and you may experience the homesickness that most new college students get, but if you don't give up and stick it out, you will be more than proud of all of the amazing things you have accomplished! This coming quarter, I will start my bachelors program! It is gonna be tough, but with a little hard work I know it will be no problem! I also get to be a teachers aid! I am so excited to have the opportunity to work along side some of the awesome chefs we have at Sullivan University! :)

    -Allysa Taranto

Pending Graduate

& it's amazing to thing that after just 18 short months at SU that i am now coded in their system as a pending grad... that means i did it! i took all the classes, finished all my labs, survived an internship, and i am now the proud holder of a college degree. i never thought i would be the first person in my whole family to hold a degree. i proved to myself that i'm not a quitter and that i can persevere through anything. making the deans list multiple times was just an added bonus..

((uhhh-mazingggg))

this time next week i will be beginning my bachelors degree and moving into the next part of my life. i am so exicited to be at this point, there are no words. i just received a scholarship last week that makes everything just that much better.

today i am preparing for Christmas with my family. this Christmas i have one of the greatest gifts of all.. a diploma. my family couldnt be more proud and i couldnt be more happy. i can only imagine how that bachelors degree is going to feel, we'll find out :)

 

Merry Christmas everyone!!! :)

God Bless.
-Carly

Time has flown by so fast. This is my last quarter as a baking and pastry arts major which means i will be graduating in december. im on my last couple of hours at  my internship and it feels great. interning at the bakery has given a great experience and a lot of practice in my field.
i will be starting on my bachelors here at sullivan in january and im so excited!

Last Break!

Student Ambassador Event!

Student Ambassadors!

It's THANKSGIVING BREAK! This means that I am currently in WV and spending time with my friends and family! :) Only about 2 weeks left of this quarter & it GRADUATION TIME! :) im so excited. January starts the Bachelors program & I already have my schedule! Macroeconomics, Accounting 1 and an online Hospitality Class! :) I cant wait! I also may have the chance to be a TA! That means that I will be an instuctors assistant! I will be in the lab again with students but this time I will be helping teach! So excited to see what this next journey has in store for me! :)

My Fav Adult Student Ambassador!

The Start To Something New.





Cake I made at Edible Creations.

Birthday Cake for mrs Melanies daughter

Sweet 16 Cake!

Today, I got the chance to schedule for the beginning of my Bachelors program! As of december I will be done with my associates! That means that in the Spring I will graduate and walk across that stage! I am sooo excited! This quarter has been the beginning of what I consider hard classes. I am in Microeconomics and it has been tough. But with a lot of studying and dedication, Im moving along just fine! :) Starting in January, I will be taking Principles of Hospitality Management, Accounting 1 and Macroeconomics! I am super excited but nervous as I have heard that this is when things get difficult. Looking back on the journey so far, I have been so blessed! Ive learned so much and had experiences of a life time. I can't wait to get back into the swing of thing with the team and in the competitive atmosphere! I live for what I do. I also received the job as Assistant Lead Cake Decorator at a cake shop in Louisville! It has given me a sense of responsibility with things other than my own. With this job also comes being a key holder and having some management skills! I am so excited to see what else this Crazy college journey has to offer!


-Allysa Taranto

Gradutation

A week ago today, I walked across the stage. I shook Chancellor Sullivan's hand, I received my diploma. I don't know how else to describe the feeling other than ethereal. I remember what happened, how it felt, what  I was seeing, but it felt like an out-of body experience. I was watching myself accept my diploma, I wasn't doing it myself. I made it back to my seat to watch the rest of the ceremony but to this day I can not remember what I was thinking as I walked across that stage. It was that picturesque moment where you see in movies where everything slows down, and even the light in the air has a certain extra sparkle. 

I worked hard to earn my degree, I gave up weekends with friends to finish projects and spent hours upon hours studying. Although, the work has not deterred me from continuing on to my Bachelors. In another year and a half or so, I will be walking across that stage again. Maybe this time I will get to be myself as I accept my diploma and shake the Chancellor's hand. I can only hope.

"Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, but strive for the mark set before you."
- George Whitefield 

Elisabeth :)

Decisions, decisions..

I've been recently finding it quite hard to work and go to school this quarter. It's not because it's difficult, it's just hard finding motivation. And I've been looking everywhere. I can tell that I haven't been trying as hard as I used to when I first started school and when I first started working. I keep asking myself why. Days and days will pass by and I wonder what have I been doing...

I started to question is this where I want to be in life. Which is something I think everyone does around this point in time where graduation isn't too far away. And maybe the reason I felt that way is because even if I had made a plan, life never goes to plan. No matter how hard you may want it to. And I've run out of things to do to ignore this ever-pending decision of what I want to do with the rest of my life...

And though I'd like to finish this post saying that I've figured that out, I haven't. But at least I'm aware now that there is a decision to be made instead of ignoring it. I'm sure it will fall upon me eventually. I'll just be patient until that happens.

Thanks,

-Nikkos

I am not entirely sure how to start this off, besides that my life has  been completely changed over the past week. My world has been turned upside down and inside out. 

A week from today, the pastry team left from Louisville Airport to go to the IKA Culinary Olympics. We arrived in Germany 10 hours later, and I experienced what it is like to have your breath taken away.

 Words honestly cant describe the beauty, the culture, the architecture. 
We spent 72 hours, barely any sleep, and left the Ibis Hotel at 4:00am to arrive at the arena 5:00 am, to set up, and be judged at 7:00am. We did not receive results until 5:00 pm. That was by far the definition of anxiety. My name was called, along with a silver medal. I could never be happier. My life has changed forever. There is a fire lit in my soul to work, discover, live for this profession forever. I am in love with Butter. Plain and simple.    

Finishing out strong!

   Ah the start of a brand new quarter! & my last quarter in my associates too! So far this quarter is awesome! I go to class 11-2 and have a pretty decent schedule. Religion, public speaking and microeconomics. At first, I was terrified to take micro, but I am really starting to enjoy it! Who knew you could receive so much interesting information from a class? I think I really enjoy the concept behind economics. Not being in a lab is really weird. I already miss it sooo much! This is it last quarter! :) Bittersweet ending if you ask me, but the memories you make in college are worth a life time and I have so many of these memories. :)

-Allysa

My Life... Simply Amazingg

     When I decided to attend Sullivan University I thought I was just going to school to get a degree. As I am getting so much closer to having my associates degree in Culinary Arts I realize what I have really gotten is much more.
     While working an amazing event for the James Beard Foundation this weekend I not only got to rub elbows with Louisvilles finest Chefs, but i was also offered positions working for them.  When the dinner was all said and done the Sullivan students walked through the dining room to recieve recognition and I must say I have never felt so appreciated and liked by so many strangers. In that moment I realized this is what I do this for. I want to spent my life doing what I love and I get to make people happy along the way. 
     I can't stress enough the amazingggg opportunities I am getting in this career and I couldn't be more sure that I chose the right path for me.

not only do i love college... i love that Sullivan is my college :)

-Carly

wow!

wow is all i can say right now! im sitting here thinking about how i can obtain a college degree at Sullivan in such a SHORT TIME! Im so excited to say that i only have 3 more months to go to finish with my associate's degree! I have been here for a year and 3 months but it feels like its only been a couple months. c-r-a-z-yyyy! 

if yall remember we told you about the two week breaks that we get in between quarters. guess what i am doing? ... just relaxing (plus sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. and eating and more lazy stuff :))  and enjoying my time off because thats what you're supposed to do on breaks, right!?

Quater by Quarter.

After everything is said and done, I am entering my sixth quarter. I am now beginning my sixth out of 6 quarters. The past 5 have flown by so fast, I cannot explain how much I have learned and how incredible my experience has been so far. 

What I have learned...

You can only get what you take.

Very quickly, I discovered this lesson. My first day in lab, I took a step back. First impressions mean everything. I could see the hard workers, the people who are self motivated, as well as the students that did not seem excited for the tasks at hand. The students I recognized as "self motivated" at the beginning of the quarter, had advanced to a whole new level by the end. The other individuals stayed stagnant, like luke warm water, and were just glad to pass. I realized you can only learn what you are willing to learn. That decision is up to you. 

Channel stress into productivity. 

II have always been a procrastinator. With Procrastination, comes stress, along with anxiety. By my third quarter, I had reached classical. You have not lived a day in the hi-paced baking world till you have survived Scott Turners lab. Through sweat and tears (a lot of sweat might I add,) I realized throwing a pity party over a mistake was not going to fix that mistake. I took my disappointment by the handles and drove it into a punctual tunnel of precision and self-motivation. Instead of crying, I chose to be great and strive for nothing less of perfect. 

Expect problems and eat them for breakfast

The best way to have a successful day,  is to wake up smiling like a sunshine ray. 

"I love to smile, smiling's my favorite."-Buddy the elf. Buddy is right.  Do not Murphy's law, change the outcome of your day. If you wake up feeling groggy and unmotivated, something needs to change. When something goes wrong, fix it and make it better; remember to smile like no ones watching. Live every moment aiming for success, and by my deffinition-success means nothing less than happiness. 

August 30th, 2012. <3

learn from every struggle!

Oh my! I have 2 finals between me and the end of my SEVENTH quarter! This is just complete nonsense! I now have my culinary degree and I am half way through my baking degree with just 2 quarters to go! This is just crazy to me! I cannot believe how far I have come through the past year and a half or so! To get on with all this, I had my baking 2 final this past week! I was so ready for it! 5 swans and 5 baguettes in 2 days, I had this no problem! Day 1 pastry cream and pate choux done and perfect! I was ready to get day 2 going! Tuesday morning came; I got my baguettes going and finished my swans. My swans turned out pretty darn good, not perfect but great! I just needed to finish my baguettes! I was on it, until I got my dough out of the proofer to weigh and bench rest. My dough was too sticky to even handle n deal with! Now baguette dough is sticky tacky dough, but this was like batter. I then realized I could work flour into my dough and rest it; I did this 3 times! I was also short one whole baguette! At this point, I had bad dough, not the right amount of baguettes, and I would be late putting my finish product up. You can imagine how frustrated and upset I was. I was ready to toss it and just cry! But being the positive person that I am, I literally told myself “it’s better to be late, then to not present at all” “it’s better to have something then nothing at all!” I persevered and pushed through it all! I kept going, I finally got my baguettes baked off and they turned out pretty good besides being 30 mins late! Chef told me she was proud of how well I handled my dough being so sticky and the struggle! I left my final practical beat; I felt I had lost it all! But in the end, it wasn’t about the grade I ended up getting, it was about the struggle, the fight, and everything I learned and overcame in that small moment! I ended up coming out on top and possibly better off than the people that did really well because I fought the battle and I won! :)  All the practicals you will have to go through aren’t just to test you and your skill; it’s also for your benefit of learning how to handle all situations and struggles! Look at everything in a different perspective, a positive one and learn from what you see, take it with you wherever you may go! :) And never I mean NEVER give up! Especially if it’s something you love!

                                                                Love and happiness <3

                                                                                Gabrielle! :)

Oy vey!!

Every one says that stress in college is normal. It is, but the amount of stress that actually occurs is some what unexpected. Stress brings out so many emotions that one may not channel on a daily basis. Within a weeks time I felt anger, sadness, happiness, loneliness... just about every emotion in the book. Between school, homesickness, work, being an RA, and trying to live a happy, normal life I became just totally overwhelmed. There was a point when I felt like I just wanted to give up and go home. I sat in my room and felt as though no one was there for me, although that wasn't true. I had to push some of  the things that I wanted to do to the back burner, and that was hard. Something I had to keep in mind is that I'm here for a reason. I'm here to learn, grow, meet new people, and begin a life of adventure. I'm surrounded by the best possible people who want nothing more than to see me suceed. I believe that this rough time is coming from the fact that in just one more quarter I will be packing up and leaving the place I called my home for over a year, and the people that I basically called my family. I know that I'm ready to go and follow every dream I ever had, but part of me doesn't want my time at Sullivan to end. Sullivan has opened so many doors for me. They have been successful in helping me find a amazing job at the Brown Hotel, allowing me to be an ambassador and work closely with the chefs in helping bring students to Sullivan, and getting my name out there. Sullivan will forever be a part of me. As I continue to get over this rough patch in my life, I keep in mind that all the stuff I'm dealing with right now is molding me into an amazing person. The stress and emotions are going to make me tougher. Being a chef takes a lot of backbone, something that I have a lack there of. My future is bright and I just have to keep my head held high and my eye on the prize. These next 3 months are going to be a lot to handle but I know with the great people surrounding me and pushing me through its going to be fun! I couldn't be more thankful than to get to work with the people at Sullivan University.

                                                                                                 xox, Lori

I recently took up painting to relieve some stress. One of the best decisions ever. I have always loved to craft, and with painting I find that I can really express everything inside of me: the good the bad and the ugly. Remember: Be true to you.

Balancing

I've recently acquired a job at Rocky's Pizza and Panini, and it has definitely had an affect on my life and studies. I have had to learn how to balance homework, sleep, and work. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to balance them all equally though. I have had to sacrifice sleep just to make sure I complete all my assignments and take extra naps when I have the free time. Finals are coming up now and I will need more time for studying than usual. It's great that I have managers that are flexible and understanding. It's all about putting priorities in the right order and making sure that the important things aren't surpassed in favor of less important things. I still have a lot to learn about that!

Live, Love, Slay, Study!

-Nikkos

One More Quarter to Go!

sugar showpiece

This has been such an amazing quarter! I've had the opportunity to learn so much. Lab is coming to an end with practicals starting on monday! Plus friday really helped me perfect the skills i need to do great on it! :) Make sure you are taking advantage of these days when you arrive on campus!
    I started a new job this quarter! & i LOVE it! Captains Quarters is so much fun. It is my first job is a restaurant and so far im doing great! I love the kitchen atmosphere. It is fast paced and stressful at times but at the end of the day, it always a great feeling when you look back and see how well you did during the rush! This fall I get to help create the menu for the next season! I am super excited to have this opportunity! :)

Wedding cake

   Next monday, I start my internship at the Bakery! Thanks to competition team, I only need to complete 50 hours, but i am so looking forward to it. For the first time, i will get real bakery experience. No more classroom labs. It is all hands on deck and working in an actual bakery serving people! :) Competition team is starting back up for me here soon! its been a nice break being able to focus on school and work, but im ready to jump back in there and get back to competing!
  If you are dedicated and want to get the most out of your education, Sullivan U has so many things to offer you. There are unbelievable oppurtunities out there, but it is up to you to put yourself out there to better yourself! :)

-Allysa Taranto

celebration cake!

Learning Languages

     When people think of learning languages, most would think of spoken languages like French and English. In the computer program here at Sullivan, the languages we learn are programming languages. The programs that you use on your computer are all written in a programming language. The webpage that you are looking at right now is written in a language called HTML. The program will soon (hopefully) be expanding to include even more programming languages. Right now, when you finish the Associates degree you will know:

• HTML
• CSS
• C#
• MySQL

      They are hoping to expand it to include Java and JavaScript programming. There will also be a higher level class that will focus on Android mobile programming. I am excited and looking forward to be able to take those classes.

Thanks

Elisabeth

hey guys! Mei again.. well just wanted to agree with Allysa, im in the same lab with her and i love it as much as she does. always learning new things! i hope you guys are excited about coming to Sullivan! i dont want to bore you by making you read all this :) so just make sure to check out our facebook page and sullivan.edu and just familiarize yourself with this wonderful school.

Final Stretch

I can't express how much I truely LOVEEE this lab that I am in this quarter. Global Pastry Design & Techniques is AMAZING! The class is so laid back and involves no stress at all! Of course it is challenging, but it is our LAST LAB! Spending this time we have left with our friends while we can! After this quarter, some of us will be done and some will have our internships left. After that, many of us will move off to start our careers or decide to further our education. My choice is to further my education. One of these days, my dream is to become an Executive Pastry Chef and eventually have my own bakery. A little over a year ago, I would have never dreamed I would be where I am today. All it took was some hard work and my chef instructors and the competition team to push me to be the best I could possibly be.
This quarter we have also learned about gluten free baking! So many people have been diagnosed with gluten allergies and Celiac Disease. This means that their diets and food eating habits have to be changed alot. They can't eat regular bread, cookies, cake or brownies. The products available are extremely expensive and not the best tasting. This section of the lab especially interested me. When I was younger, my older brother was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. He has never really been able to eat desserts with us and now I can go home and make him some GREAT TASTING foods and desserts with no worries of him getting sick or even worse. The disease can kill you so this class has made quite an impact in my life!

Love these girls

Next quarter I will begin my INTERNSHIP! AHHHH! I haven't decided what I want to do. A bakery, hotel or restaurant?! They are all so different but I enjoy every aspect. Guess I will need to be making my decision soon as it is WEEK FOUR already!! crazy how time flies.
Last week, I had the opportunity to help out with a chef shadow day. It was amazing to see so many highschool seniors interested in becoming chefs and attending SU! My job was to help those students interested in the Baking program with their recipes for the day. I got the chance to answer questions and one girl told me that my experience at SU made her really want to become a student. Its amazing watching students grow and have such a passion for what I get to do every single day. :)

The start of my Minnie Mouse fat carving

-Allysa Taranto

Learning

I've been at Sullivan for over a year now. I've met some cool people and learned a lot more than expected. It never occurred to me that there would be than just going to class and doing homework. There's so much more to the "college experience" than that. And it's also not all about going to all the parties and partaking in every activity that goes against the rules. I've found out a lot about myself as a person, a student, a friend, a son, a brother, and a human being. And one of the things that is most important is to take everything as a learning experience. Everything will change and nothing stays the same. I've learned how to adapt with change pretty well and keep going despite what anyone tells me. And I've also learned to accept my mistakes and things that I've done that I probably shouldn't have done, and I try not to be so hard on myself. I'm still young, and I still have a lot to learn. And a lot more fun to have! No matter what happens to you, it's not the end of the world. Unless you want it to be!

Thanks,

Live, Love, Slay, Study

- Nikkos

Beginning 5th Quarter

A year ago today, I started my first day at Sullivan University. What? One more time? Is this real life? 
Yes, yes indeed, this is real life. 


I cannot express to you, how much my life has changed in such a little amount of time. 

Hahaha! I remember my first day, carrying around that ridiculously heavy brown paper sack containing my uniforms, my shoes, and my knife kit. I had to actually pick out my outfit that morning! LOL. The next day, I didn't even know how to tie my neckerchief, I forgot all my pens, and misplaced my thermometer. Oh how funny is that? Now, I can get ready, blindfolded, in about 2 minutes (not that I have tried.) Every day I am learning something new. Now that I have reached the 2/3 mark, I am intimidated to think I am almost completely done with school for the rest of my life. Bittersweet is the only way I can describe how I feel. 

Time Flies

Wedding cake!

It's JUNE! :) That means I have officially been in Louisville for a year! That also means that many of you will be moving in next week! We cant wait for you all to arrive! Stop us if you see us around!

Graduation cupcakes!

   This quarter I have decided to move out of the dorms! its pretty exciting to finally see how life really is on my own, but nerve racking at the same time. The dorms were nice because I didnt have to worry about bills or food & all of my friends were right there. But ive decided im ready to take on some extra responsibility!
    This first year of college has been amazing! 6 more months & im moving onto my bachelors! Here recently I have started doing cakes on the side for some close family & friends! Ive had the opportunity to make a wedding cake and a graduation cake! It was really exciting and Ive been give the oportunity to to make many more in the future! :)

Graduation Cake! :)

Allysa :)

Hey everyone! Hope you all had a great Memorial Day Weekend! Whether you spent it with family or friends, out by the pool, or simply by sleeping in, I hope it was a nice break from the everyday chaos. I sure enjoyed it! I got to spend part of the weekend with my amazing roommate in her hometown of Knightstown, IN. We got to go swimming, do some 4 wheeling, and just enjoy the country. One great thing about being in college is all of the new friends that you make! I'm very grateful that we randomly became roommates and I hope that we stay in touch long after our days at Sullivan come to a close.
   As for school, things are quite busy around Sullivan! Since I last blogged, we had an extremely fun Spring Luau in mid-May. (I got to sell massive amounts of cotton candy to raise money for Christian Fellowship!) There was a dunk tank, all kinds of inflatables to race friends on, a delicious free BBQ, and much more. It was a nice day out of class where you could bond with other students. In addition, some Sullivan students took a trip to Cumberland Falls, and this coming weekend they will be visiting a giant Go Karting Track! All of these activities help you build closer relationships with fellow students.
    Last week in lab we worked on dead dough showpieces. We had to come up with our own unique design and use various dyed, dead doughs to make the designs come to life. I've always loved palm trees and beaches, so I chose that as a theme! At times it was difficult to get all of the pieces to come together, but it was worth it in the end. (View my pic at the bottom of this post.)
   Since Week #10 just started, it's Final Practical time! This can at times be stressful, but the Chefs here are always willing to help with any questions or problems that a student may face. Since I'm in Artisan Theory, our Final consists of making 5 French style baguettes along with presenting some decorated pate choux swans. Luckily, our final is split in to 2 days, so there is plenty of time to get everything done. We also make work plans which helps to keep everyone on task. I'm hoping to get a high grade on Thursday when I present my finished products! Next week will be the end of the quarter and we will all take our written finals. The weather sure is beautiful outside so I'm ready for a break!

My roomie (and lab partner) posing with me to show off our finished napoleons! They sure were a challenge to assemble.

A very pretty (and tasty!) strawberry shortcake. Sable crust on the bottom, 2 layers of yellow chiffon cake macerated with a savarin syrup, then layered with strawberries and Bettercreme!

My finished dead dough showpiece! I'm not a very artsy person so I was shocked that my palm tree design actually worked! This took quite a while, but it was definitely worth the extra effort.

 

Coming to an End

Chocolate mousse with raspberry icecream

These next few weeks are going to be kind of bittersweet. Last quarter, I really started to question whether or not I wanted to do this the rest of my life. I knew I didn't have a passion for bread, but I wanted to be a pastry chef. This quarter has truely made me fall in love with what I do. Modern Pastry & Techniques is the most amazing lab I have taken so far. Chocolate, plated desserts, tortes and petit fours along with celebration cakes are what I want to do forever. This class has exposed me to the reality of what being a pastry chef in a restaurant would be like. Chef would give us 30 minutes and tell us we had to havea plated dessert with a sauce and garnish. Sadly, I only have a few more weeks left until I move on to my final lab, Global Pastry & Design. It has definetly been an exciting journey and I cant wait to see what this field has to offer!

Chocolate candies & showpiece!

  This quarter, I also decided I wanted to get my bachelors! Having an associates is nice, but a bachelors will really help me further my career and skills! :)

<3 Allysa

Celebrity Chef

Hey guys! Mei again:).
So a couple weeks ago i got the greatest opportunity yet... i got to meet Chef Cat Cora from Food Network's Show Iron Chef America!! If you dont know who she is you should start watching Iron Chef. I took a picture with her!


She came to Louisville to do a demo at Macy's at Oxmoor Mall. It was Derby weekend and she was going to participate at Taste of Derby so thats why she was here in town! She made delicious Meatballs on a Pita Bread and Hummnus. I know it sounds crazy but it was delicioussssss!

This was really cool. Not only is she an awesome chef but she is the only female chef on the show.

International

International <3


          Starting the middle of March, I have been in International for Baking and Pastry arts. I could not be happier with all that I have learned. It honestly feels like I have traveled the world. But it makes sense right? This industry allows us to speak a language of food, you can literally communicate with anyone. It is its own world, food is a necessity, a way to sustain life. How lucky are we, that we can speak to anyone with a plate of love and passion? To wake up everyday, and do something we love? 

          The first week of International, we entered the world of Austria and prepared a traditional Sacher torte. It dates back all the way 1832. How crazy is that? The fact that we still prepare a torte that is almost 200 years old, just infinitely blows my mind. Franz Sacher, was only 16 years old and created this torte last minute for Prince Clemens Lothar Wensel Metternich. Talk about pressure?


International has expanded my horizon of the Baking and Pastry world, and I couldn't be happier <3


Love always,
Halie :]

Meet Me Half Way

     So we are half way through the quarter and I can't even believe that we are this far! Five weeks of learning and studying new material all to come down to midterms that I feel pretty confident on! In fact, the 92% on my Advanced Technique in Breads final was such a relief! 

     We had an extra day to practice, special thanks to Chef Straw, and so many of my nerves were calmed that first day. Then day one of my midterms, I had to bake the horns of the cream horns and make my dough for the egg bread. Not to bad, and a quick day, with a lot of time to clean. Then on day two, the fun started to pick up. I divided out my dough for my six knots and the three portions for my braid, as they bench rested I started my turnovers, filling them and chilling them. I finished off my bread by rolling it out, forming the braid and knots, and getting them into the Proofer after a slight egg wash was applied. Everything was falling into place. I filled my cream horns and began washing up my dishes before my food went into the oven. My turnovers went in just after my bread that had proofed to the max, I feared they may have started to over proof. But, being one of the first people to put my food in the oven meant that there were several other people that began to oven the oven door letting all the heat escape. My bread came out perfect without a flaw other than the rolls not being as shiny as the braid (I used a more watered down egg wash on the rolls than the braid). My turnovers, however, were taking forever. because the lost in heat wouldn't allow the puff pastry to rise like it should. Finally, they puffed up in the last few minutes and had a slight golden color from the sugar on top. I was ready to present with time to spare and it all was worth it. I do owe a thank you to Chef Woerhle, my theory instructor, for making us write out a work plan even though Chef Straw didn't require it, because by planing out every step to the precise  five minutes helped me get my head together and it definitely helped calm my nerves. 

     On top of all the excitement of midterms, two friends and I signed and were approved for our new apartment, and we started our scheduling for the next quarter! Tentatively, I'm scheduled from 7AM to 2PM with four classes, one being Modern Pastry Technique were you get to work with chocolate and do some cake work (I Love Cake!!!!).  Even though I have had a busy week with school and working twenty-five hours on top of it, I have also had such a exciting and fun week! I hope everyone else is having an awesome time with their learning and life, because I couldn't choose a better place to be a student at then Sullivan University.

                                                                                                               -Hunter Erbentraut 

                                                                                                               Baking and Pastry Arts Major

Next Chapter

I have been anxious lately, and I've been wondering why. The feeling came to be at the beginning of this week, which is "Advising week." It seems scheduling my classes for next quarter showed me how little time is left before I graduate. There is only a few more quarters left, and I'm ready to get going! I'm ready to see what else is out there for me. I want to see what everyone is talking about when they say how challenging life is. I have vigorous motivation that will always be there to keep me going. I feel like a schoolkid again anxious for his first day at high school. I'm just ready to see what else is out there for me!

Thanks,

Live, Love, Slay, Study

- Nikkos

love what you do!

AHHH! Its midterm’s week ALREADY! I can hardly believe it! Time to crack down and study hard, the quarter will be over before you know it! I can't wait to see new smiling faces walking the halls! I've been one busy lady this quarter. These past 5 weeks have been literally nonstop for me! Since I started the quarter I have 2 classes in morning, my internship, a job, and now another job I'm about to start as well! The only days I've had off so far is when I went home for Easter! I know your probably thinking,"dang that's whole lot, why would anyone want to do all that?" My answer to you would be, "This is my passion, I'm doing what I love, and I wouldn't change it for anything. The hectic craziness, sleepless late nights, and stress are completely worth it. Every bit of it is molding me more and more to who I am and who I'm going to be. It all makes me stronger and better in my career field." Culinary/Baking and Pastry is my complete life and has been since I was a little girl and I couldn’t be happier with life than where I am right now! Now, I challenge you to follow your dreams and do whatever it takes to accomplish them! Trust me it’s an amazing feeling! :)

                     Gabrielle :)

activities!

hey guys! hope you all are excited because college life is getting closer and closer! it'll be here before you know it! i wanted to share one of the many things to look forward when coming to Sullivan. we have the student activities website... ya'll should check it out! these are great opportunities to have fun and enjoy the college life.. http://www.sullivan.edu/student-activities/
-Mei.

Life Changing Experiences

Carryin my cake to load up before the
trip to CINCI!

The judge that gave me a perfect
score giving me my award!

    Last month, I competed in my first competition! It was soo exciting! The 11 weeks before the competition taught me soo much. Winning gold was just a plus. Its not about the shiny medals, its about what you take back with you. Looking back on the first week of working on the piece, i realize that i didnt know anything. I didnt even know what royal icing was, let alone how to pipe with it.

After award! :)

Me working on my piece with Chef
Spendlove! He's in charge of the
Baking Program & the baking team!

     One of the judges told me something that really made me realize that what we do is truely amazing! He hadnt given a perfect score in over 20 years & he had given me, out of all people a perfect score. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had. You never realize how much of an impact the things you do can have on people. I can't wait to see where this career takes me, because this is only the beginning. & its all gonna get better from here. :)

Before the cake was judged! :)

    June marks a year since ive started school here at Sullivan University. Seems like time flies by. I've learned so much from my chefs. They are all fantastic people & amazing at what they do. This quarter, I am in MPT or Modern Pastry Techniques, previously known as Classical. We have been working with all kinds of fun stuff!  Breads and basic desserts are nice, but I want to do the more extreme things! Cakes, chocolate work, plated desserts and tortes. I finally found what I truely love about baking and pastry! In a few short months, many of you will be here on campus with us!

-Allysa

Exploring and Taking Risks

College is an important time in everyones life. Being in college means it is time to start taking risks and exploring your options. I have come to learn that a culinary degree opens up thousands of doors all over the world. Recently I took a trip to Seattle (by myself) to explore my options. I know that Seattle is a place that I would like to end up at some point in my life, therefore I took the risk and traveled there for spring break to make sure it was right for me. I fell in love, but I know there are a ton of steps I need to take before I can get there. Sullivan also holds an incredible career fair which showcases many fantastic businesses that will be a great way to get experience in your field. I met tons of amazing people, who I know want to help me get my foot in the culinary door. For me, it is important to take the risks that will lead me in the right direction for my future. If you don't take risks and put yourself out there, you may never find what is right for you. You will find things you are good at and things that you absolutely hate, but if you don't try you will never know. Just remember, there is no holding back when you are doing something you love.

Welcome to Spring!

Hey! I hope everyone is enjoying these blog posts and learning more about the wonderful opportunities here at Sullivan. First off, I should probably introduce myself. My name is Carrie Scheiber and this is my 3rd Quarter here at Sullivan, but my first quarter as a new Student Ambassador. I am currently working on my Professional Baker's Diploma, while also pursuing an Associate's in Business Management. My dream is to someday own my own bakery in a small town setting. I love small towns, especially since I'm from one! My hometown is named Kendallville and it is in Northern Indiana, about 4.5 hours from Louisville. It's about 30 minutes from Ft. Wayne, if you've ever heard of that. :)
    After only being here for about 7 months, I've already learned so many things! In my first Baking Lab, I truly enjoyed making such a variety of baked products. You name the dessert, and we probably made some form of it. I think my favorite week was plated dessert week because it included molten chocolate lava cake, creme brulee, and bananas foster (just to name a few.) Currently, I am in Baking 2 which focuses primarily on breads and the artisan process. All of the chefs that I've had in class have been so knowledgeable and helpful in showing me all aspects of a baking career. I've also gotten better at working with other people because of how teamwork based our lab classes are. I would definitely encourage anyone who has a passion for food to check out Sullivan University!

Delicious, gooey Molten Chocolate Lava Cake with macerated berries.

Super cute (and tasty) layered carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

Me (on the left) and my awesome roommate Amanda enjoying some sunshine (and the view of the bridge) at Waterfront Park.

    Besides going to school, the city of Louisville also has a lot to offer. I've enjoyed playing tennis at Seneca Park, walking along the Ohio River at Waterfront Park, visiting the Slugger Museum, enjoying the tasting food and unique setting at Lynn's Paradise Cafe, and much more. There really is a lot to see and do if you just explore it.
    I hope that you've enjoyed reading about me, and I would LOVE to get to know you. If you have any questions or would just like to chat, feel free to contact me either via this blog or on one of the Sullivan Facebook pages. Hope you all are having a great week!
(And here are a few pictures showing some of my experiences here at Sullivan.) :)

La Pieta

This is my second sculpture, La Pieta


The original piece was completed by Michelangelo Buonarroti, all the way back in 1499. La Pieta happens to be the only work Michelangelo ever put his signature on. Now, the sculpture resides in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City. Michelangelo's breathtaking work is portraying Jesus after his crucification, laid across  Mother Mary's lap. 
Breathtaking is the very reason I felt compelled to recreate this masterpiece. Even though the sculpture is beautiful alone, the meaning behind it spoke louder. This piece reflects my beliefs, and is a very dominant portion of my life that affects me day by day. 


As a result, I brought home a silver metal after the competition. I have never been so proud of my work. 

Tell me about you....

Hey loyal blog readers,

I have spent months telling you about myself and now I want to hear about you. I want to hear about school, work, friends, family, prom, graduation, excitements, fear, expectations, regrets, future plans... Anything you want to tell me I will listen. Especially high school students, everyone who writes in this blog has probably been in the same situation you are. Share it with us, laugh with us, cry with us, dance with us, love with us, but most importantly live with us. You are living a crazy beautiful wounderful life just like the rest of us... So why not share the experience :))))
Feel free to comment...........NOW!!!!

Carly
(if anyone wants to share in private i can be added on facebook as well )

Busy, Busy, Busy

It has been a busy couple of weeks for me. Over break I used my skills in Hardware Troubleshooting to build a computer with my friend that is now up and running with Windows 7 installed on it. Last week was the first week of the quarter. I have to say, I love all of my classes so far, all of them have something interesting to teach me. This past weekend I went to the State Leadership Conference with Sullivan University’s chapter of Phi Beta Lambda and competed in two competitions.

Me Working on the Computer

Building the computer was a wonderful experience. It was hard at first trying to figure out what to do next and what needed to go where. With the class at school we had only worked with fixing individual pieces of the computer. I had to take all of those little pieces and integrate them together to make a complete and working machine.

Our Chapter Members at the Competition

At the time, with the competition coming up, it was hard to concentrate on how fun the classes were because I knew how much studying I had to do. The studying paid off though.

My Two Awards

 I won two first place awards, one in Help Desk and the other in Computer Concepts. The rest of the competitors in Phi Beta Lambda also did very well, almost everyone who went placed. This means that in June that we are all going to the National Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas. 

I am so excited for this wonderful experience.

~Elisabeth Feeley