Day 19 of 60 | Bonjour, Paris! 🇫🇷✨ Day 2 with Chef Maximin and a 5-Year Celebration! 🎉👨🍳
Today was one for the books. Not only was it our second day learning from the legendary French Chef Jacques Maximin, but our school also celebrated its 5-Year Anniversary!
As a lifelong entrepreneur, I have so much respect for what they’ve created here. The vision, the discipline, the creativity - it’s truly world-class. In fact, it’s already rated the #1 cooking school in the world and revered in chef circles … but I have a feeling it won’t stay a well-kept secret from the rest of the world’s inhabitants for long. 🌍✨
Now, about today’s recipe. Let’s just say it was complex. 😅 Instead of trying to explain it (which would require a flowchart and possibly a therapy session), I’ll let the photos do the talking. Picture this lineup: mussels, clams, apples, veal, dough, every vegetable ever grown, herbs for days, a generous ocean of salt and pepper, enough olive oil to qualify for dual citizenship in Tuscany. 🇮🇹
The result? Absolutely delicious. Totally worth the wait… even if “lunch” happened sometime after 2 p.m. 😂
There was a fair bit of standing around today - part master class, part “what’s happening next?” Chef suspense. But honestly, I had a great time and picked up a fee great cooking techniques. For instance, I now know how to shuck a scallop from its shell like a Pro. 
Our class is starting to feel like a real team. We’ve got each other’s backs, we cheer each other on, and we laugh through the frustrations (usually while covered in flour). We also sneak out to buy each other espresso shots when one of us looks like we’re gonna fall asleep standing up! 🤣 Lori amd I both excel at this role!
This chef school is physically demanding, mentally challenging, and creatively fulfilling in all the best ways. And I have to say - one of the absolute highlights of my day comes after class, when I finally get to sit down in the locker room. 👀 ????
Get your mind out of the gutter! What I’m about to describe is the moment I get to peel off my school-issued cooking shoes (which feel roughly as comfortable as snowboard boots) and slip into my cushy Nikes… that, my friends, is a full minute of pure Nirvana. Bliss achieved. 🧘♂️👟
And to wrap up this whirlwind of a day, we took our group photo. Let’s just say - good looking people in the back, culinary legends up front. 😉
