As I struggled to wake up early in the morning, my alarm angrily blared at me for the hundredth time. It was time to get up. I’ve never been a morning person, but today was a special day and I wasn’t going to miss it for the world. Today was sushi day and for the Gulf Coast State College culinary program – that means fun.
Learning the Lingo
As I walked through the swinging doors which separates culinary’s kitchen from its classroom, I felt a moment of quiet suspense. This was my first time observing a class and I had no idea what to expect. Chef Fravel welcomed me warmly and instantly put me at ease. All the students, up-and-coming chefs in their own right, were just as inviting. Although it was too early in the morning for me, there was energy projected in the room. I could tell that the students were there to learn and it was inspiring.
Chef Fravel lecturing to his students about different types of sushi rolls, by Joshua Lake
The day began with a long, but incredibly interesting lecture. We learned just about everything we could about sushi in just an hour’s time – and it was clear we were only scratching the surface. Chef spoke about the history of sushi, its wide array of ingredients and ultimately its impact on the western world. While I’m sure many already know, I had no idea that sushi first arrived in the United States through California. Hence, the famous – or infamous – California Roll.
As we neared the end of the lecture, Chef prepared his students for the sushi-making to come. A quote on the smartboard read, “The rice is the soul of sushi…” So, we started with the rice.
Culinary students in the classroom, by Joshua Lake
Rolling the Sushi
After a short break, we moved into the kitchen and the students began prepping. Surrounding me were knives, cutting boards, and raw fish ready to be sliced. Although the lecture was interesting, this is where the true fun began.
Here, the students could get hands-on experience and work with the ingredients to make their own sushi rolls. This aspect of culinary is one of its strongest points and reinforces the students to be able to excel professionally.
As he demonstrated the steps, Chef was both energetic and animated. The students were engaged and Chef juggled between teaching and interacting without missing a beat. He took the students through each ingredient and showed them how to prepare and cut them for sushi.
For each ingredient, there was a simple and effective technique which streamlined the process. I simply watched, feeling lucky for the opportunity to learn all that I did without actually being in the class.
The Meaning of it All
As we reached another brief respite, I took the opportunity to get a quote from one student who actually lived in Japan when she was younger. While no stranger to sushi, she had never rolled it herself before.
Culinary students prepping to make sushi, by Joshua Lake
“I enjoyed living in Japan, although I was young. It’s really nice revisiting my childhood and making sushi for the first time.”
– Macy Thomas, second-year culinary student
One of my biggest takeaways from this whole experience was the fact that we, as a collective people, very rarely eat truly traditional food. There are many cultures with distinct cuisines who did not originally eat that way. Cuisines evolve and shift as people interact, share, and trade throughout all of time.
I think this is a beautiful way to conceptualize how we are all connected – if not through our own good will, then at least with good food!
If any readers would like to explore Gulf Coast’s culinary program and discover some adventures of their own, you can check out their page here! You can also find out more by following their Instagram and Facebook pages.
