What am I doing here anyways?

This is the dessert I created for my Restaurant Desserts class,
a pear tart with vanilla ice cream (it didn't freeze so I used it as a
sauce) and balsamic reduction sauce.

I only need 8 hours of credit to complete my degree in Management from the wonderful University of Georgia. Its crazy to think how quickly those 121 hours flew by! These 8 hours could be in ANYTHING, so I took this opportunity to study abroad. I'm at Florence University of the Arts studying at the culinary school Apicius, and to get even more detailed, I'm in the Pastry Arts Program. I'm taking 5 classes and getting credit for my internship working at the bakery run by the school. I'll describe these things in a little more detail below! I can't believe we just had midterms and that my time here is already halfway over! 

After my first week in the front I can foam the milk, by the
end of the semester I'm hoping to be able to make a bear
like my friend Rafaelo! 

Internship: The pastry students run a bakery here in Florence called Fedora. The 7 of us in my program are split into two groups, so every other week each group works in the morning preparing things for the shop. We make cakes, breakfast pastries, individual desserts, and sandwiches. One person also gets to work in the front of the store making coffee (espressos, macchiatos, lattes, etc.) and serving the customers. The we have to get to the store around 6:15 am so we can start right at 6:30. For me this means waking up around 5:30 am! For those of you who are late night fans, I'm getting up about the time you're starting to watch Kimmel!

This is by far one of the most interesting desserts I've ever
made: Tomato Ravioli in a mango "pasta". I was skeptical,
but it was really good!

Restaurant Production Desserts: This class is taught by Chef Ilaria. She is so full of energy! In this class we learn about how to create a menu for a restaurant, how to plate a dessert, and how to prepare a dessert in the proper amount of time for a restaurant. 

My version of a Sacher torte

Chef Simone teaching us how to make cremino

Italian Confectionery Art: This class is also taught by Chef Simone, and its a little more broad than the others, but lately we've been focusing on learning about gelatin, pectin, and xanthan gum. We've made chutneys, jams, glazes, and jellies.

Baking Techniques 2: The other students in my class took the first part of this class last semester so that's why its number 2. This class is taught by Chef Andrea, and we have 2 culinary students that join us. In this class we learn about the different types of meringue (did you know there are 3?), what type of dough is suitable for different types of recipes, and how to balance a mousse.

Dessert Styling: This one is also taught by Chef Simone. We learn about how to market and package desserts depending on the style of the shop, how to properly cut and dry fruits for decorations, and the art of piping! Thanks to all those "Happy Birthday"s I write at Bruster's on cakes, my piping is pretty darn good!