Graduation!

It's what we came here for. The magnificent journey came to a close as sadness and excitement danced together on Friday, January 21st, 2011.



Her parents arrived on Wednesday and were introduced to the New York way of travel.



As each new chef receives their diploma, they are allowed to say a few words. Jenn battled her fear of public speaking and stood tall at the podium thanking everyone for a fantastic experience.



After the speech, she took pictures with Annemarie Colbin, founder of the school, and Jenny Matthau, president of the school.



and the instructor who autographed her copy of his cookbook.



Her face glowed all night long. Picture after picture, moment after moment, the months of hard work came together in one big, "I DID IT!".



There was one last thing for us to do. We took her parents through many of the tourist traps leading up to the one we were most excited about. Before we went, though, we stopped in Little Italy for food and Cannoli.



We are on our way to the highlight. The wind chill was below freezing, but we were not to be denied.



And then we were there.



We saved the best for last. I wanted to view New York from the top after I had lived it. It would be the final picture of the land where we played and called home for five months.


This picture shows where we spent most of our time. In the top left, is the Verrazano Bridge which was a mile from our apartment. At the top of the picture is the crane above one of the new WTC buildings, and off to the right is the Statue of Liberty. Down front is the Flatiron building, which was two blocks from The Natural Gourmet Institute.



A closer view of Flatiron and the area we got to know well.



Central Park looms large Uptown.



Closer to the building, Bryant Park skaters look like ants. Next to that, I reminisce on my time spent in the Library.



This is the view toward the Verrazano from the 102nd floor. All other pictures were taken from the 86th floor observatory. For most, the 86th is enough, but they let you go to the 102nd for an extra $15 per person. It was worth it.



Behind her is the city that let her dance.



One last display of the great city.



Proud parents enjoy a moment of their own.



From the bottom, it suddenly looked different. We could see the bars above the 86th floor and knew which room on the 102nd floor had people staring in awe at the many sights of the city.



People in New York say they wouldn't live anywhere else. Many from the Midwest have said they could never live there. I would have said that too. After experiencing both, I have to say I prefer the opportunity and happiness that awaits in the Midwest. But, like Ryan Adams once sang, "I'll always love you, New York."

Friday Night Dinner

All of Jenn's food preparation and practice came down to one night. She knew it would be this way from the first day of class, and last Friday, it was time for the big show. At the Natural Gourmet Institute it is known as the "Friday Night Dinner."

Their fifteen person class was split up into two teams, each responsible for preparing and serving a Vegan meal on subsequent Friday nights, with Jenn's group getting the first shot. The preparation began about a month in advance with the menu planning. Ideas were brought forth and shaped along the way as the team created the meal from scratch. After the menu was dissected, changed, rearranged, sampled and changed again, the group was finally ready to serve their offering to the public at $40 a person.

Here is a photo of the table set-up before the guests were brought in.



The centerpiece consisted of hand peeled citrus fruits.



This appetizer was not even on the four course menu. It is called amuse bouche, and was designed to get the appetite going.



The first course called "primero" was a salad of grilled cactus paddle and blood oranges with cilantro citrus vinaigrette.



The second course, "segundo," featured an anaheim chile pepper stuffed with quinoa, black beans, and fire-roasted corn surrounded by mole sauce, jicama and red cabbage slaw over creamy grits. It sounds like an odd combination but the results were spectacular.



Third, they brought out the "intermezzo," or palate cleanser. The sorbet of pomegranate and apple is designed to get your taste buds ready for the dessert grand finale. Mission accomplished.



And last they brought out the "tercero." The warm Mexican chocolate drink accompanied the dessert "taco" made of pumpkin seed tuile filled with macerated berries, all surrounded on the dish by raspberry coulis. The chocolate berry goodness made it hard to believe this stuff could actually have quality ingredients. Jenn spent hours making these tacos appear just right.



After the meal, the proud team answered questions and showed their relief for a job well done. They even received high praise from the president of the school, something that happens only on rare occasions. Jenn shows her appreciation to the crowd through her glowing smile.



I must add that I was never a fan of Vegetarian or Vegan diets before we came here. I listened to and followed all of the stereotypes such as men are meat eaters and we need to eat meat. And I do love me a good steak.

So, it took some work to get me to believe in this type of eating and this meal may have done it. It was absolutely one of the best meals I have had in a restaurant setting. At the end of the meal, I was full, but there was no heartburn, no belly ache, none of that.

At home, Jenn has been practicing her cooking on me and I must say, with less meat in my diet, I feel less sluggish, and overall I actually have more energy. It seems logical to me; my body uses less energy digesting all that meat, therefore giving me more to use in other areas of my life. As they say, food for thought.

With the hardest part of the program behind her, it is time to finish up our stay in New York and move on. There will be some touristy things to come as her parents fly in for graduation next week. But the big news for now, is that our next stop will be Denver as Jenn obtained an internship at a place called Watercourse Foods. There she will learn a bit about the healthy food business in the "real world" that we can bring back home to Manhattan.

New Year's in Times Square

Times Square is probably the world's most famous New Year's Eve Celebration. So we knew we had to go see it to at least say we had been there. We arrived in town at about 7:30 to grab a bite to eat and locate a spot down the street so we could see the ball drop. All streets were barricaded and originally an officer told us we could go down to Times Square as they hadn't started blocking people in yet. When we got near the Square however (42nd St), the police were directing traffic toward 57th Street. Here was a side view of the ball from 42nd.



We stopped to get New Year's attire from a street vendor.





Once we got to 57th the police were routing people like sheep across 59th St, through Central park, and onto 7th Ave where we found ourselves in a mob about fourteen streets back from the ball.



This was as close as we would get.



The police stood watch at every intersection to herd the crowd.



It was about 9:30 and the temperature was a pleasant forty-two degrees. With over two hours to go, this was our view.



We were there, and we were festive.



The countdown begins!

We filmed the countdown from one minute to 2011 but Blogger had problems with it. We've all seen better versions on television anyway.

Our first self picture of 2011!



Behind us in Central Park we have a good view of the firework show.



It's all over and it's back on the Subway for the hour and a half ride to Brooklyn.

Pinstripe Bowl

When Jenn came up with our Little Apple to Big Apple slogan, we had no idea that we would hear the same slogan come out of the Kansas State football team less than six months later. But that is exactly what happened as the Wildcats came to New York City to play Syracuse in the Pinstripe Bowl.

This would mean that Kansas friends would be coming to the city and we would get a taste of home to bring in the New Year. The snow storm slowed us down but we were finally able to meet with them on Tuesday. I began the day by meeting my old boss for lunch. I then spent the afternoon with Mark his family while Jenn was working, and went with them to check out the Toys R Us in Times Square. After she was off work, Jenn and I went to dinner with some friends from Kansas. Once dinner was finished, we invaded O'Brien's Irish Pub and found a K-State stocking cap at the bar. The sign above it must have been an omen.



Bartenders will do anything for tips! This New Yorker was a great sport in donning the purple and white.



There is nothing like having home brought to you.



The next day I went to the pep rally in Manhattan. Willie was welcoming the Cats fans in the hallway of the Roseland Ballroom.



Wyatt addresses the crowd as the cheerleaders look on.



Cheerleaders perform a routine as the crowd awaits the player bus, which was late due to the big city traffic.



Hundreds of fans look on while the band sits in the mezzanine above.



The fans were treated to a collage of pictures describing the team's trip so far. It began with boarding in the Little Apple.



Landing at JFK.



Snow covered streets as seen from the bus.



Their view from the Empire State building.



The players finally arrived and it was made a big deal that they walked an extra block and a half to get there because the bus was stuck.



Before they talked, the classy cats had put together a New York style number for the players.



It was nice to see all the purple from the Little Apple wandering around the section of the Big Apple near the Sheraton Hotel. The city honored Kansas State and Syracuse by lighting the Empire State Building in purple and orange the night before the game.


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It's game day and Jenn and I ride the Subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan to pick up our Kansas friends.



Next to the hotel where the players and fans were staying, the K-State equipment trailer proudly displays the K-State tradition.



We've gathered our friends and are looking for the D line heading to Yankee Stadium.



As we entered the stadium, the teams engage in their pre-game rituals.





While looking for a place to buy a $10 beer, I ran into another guy from Manhattan, Kansas that I did not expect to see. I love the dedication!



K-State fans fill up the sections and are waiting to cheer on the Cats!



The defense takes on the Orange as the sideline watches.



The offense drives late in the game in an attempt to come back and tie the score.



After the infamous salute, the team gathers together as one and runs into the locker room.



After the game Jenn finds an opportune moment to take a picture with a former Wildcat basketball player, Chris Merriweather.



Having the Cats in town for a bowl was an unexpected surprise that filled up our week between Christmas and New Year. Aside of the zebras taking away those kids chance to extend the game, it was a great time to be from Manhattan...Kansas that is.