Let's see, fall of 1994, that's when I was baking this early. Actually not quite this early but as I woke this morning to put together a banana bread and get it in the oven just after six AM, I was reminded of my days in Culinary Arts school, at Macomb Community College, in Clinton Twp. I was enrolled in the program and was under the teaching of Chef Dave Wolf for, "Techniques of Cooking"; or something like that. Anyway, it was the first class in the program I was to take and I was to be clean, shaven, and changed into my Ice Cream Man Whites, and in my seat by the start of class, which was seven in the morning. They didn't even want you to bring in any outside dirt on your uniform, so you were to change there on site. Now, this wasn't that difficult for me because I am an early riser anyway, but some of the men and women who sat around me didn't always look top notch. Unfortunately for them, this reflected in their appearance part of their grade. C'est bien dommage! I, on the other hand, was raring to go, and revelled in the early work time.
Once I got into the restaurant business, I would always enjoy the early hours as well. With less noise in the streets, cooler temps and being one of the few peppy people that early, this is where I shined. Of course, there were a few that outshined me in my morning pep. I remember this one little red-head I worked with at Sycamore Hills Golf Club. She also always took the early shift on the weekend, and while I was prepping the kitchen for breakfast, she was buzzing around like a whirlwind. You can also tell the early morning people from the fakers or the ones who had to be there; us early risers always have smiles on our faces when we are working. Katie danced from the dining room to the kitchen, as I waltzed through the kitchen and prep areas. We chatted and laughed and enjoyed the morning...that is until the non-morning people had to get there and told us to tone it down a bit. Nonetheless, early morning baking and movement is definitely my cup of tea...or in my case, coffee. Therefore, this morning, I was up by 5:40, and had my bread made and in the oven by 6:07. True, I have a long way to go from getting the ovens going in the bakery and rolling out the dough so all the fixings can be ready when the cutomers flow into Bugatski's at the crack of dawn, but give me the job, and I won't be late a day. As of now, my only job is a household, where I just have to be up and moving before the little ones have to rise for school starting next week.
