Shola Reflection- Erika

Yesterday we went to visit Shola at his kitchen. Prior to going in, I didn't expect his kitchen to look the way it did. He had so many interesting things and the amount of spices and ingredients was very cool. The food he made was surprisingly very good. I expected it to be alot different then it was because of what we read and heard. He started off by making cornbread, which was good but it was a little plain for me but it was still good. The way he made it was interesting because it cooked so fast which was because of his oven. After the cornbread, he made a base for the soufle. How he made that was actually very cool because he used an induction stove which only heats metal that magnates to the stove. So, if I put my hand on the stove I wouldn't get burnt at all. The soufle was not my favorite thing to eat but it wasn't awful. The texture was different than I expected from soufle because I always assumed it was more of a dessert type of food. The pizza was by far the best thing he made. The way he made his own dough from the yeast and how it rose was different and cool. The sauce and toppings added so much flavor. Using the brick oven outside was so interesting to me because I would not have expected him to have one of those and it made it taste and feel like Italian pizza. The pasta was the last thing he made and that was the most interesting to watch him make because he made the pasta from scratch and the machine he used to shape the pasta was so cool. The meat sauce with the artichoke dressing was also very good and the way he presented it to us was neat. Overall, the experience was different than a normal meal-going one but I actually enjoyed it more because you got to taste a little bit of everything.

I can't really say that Shola is a chef or a cook because to me, both are like intertwined. I see a chef and cook as being practically the same thing. He prepares food and cooks it the same way that a chef/cook in a restaurant would; the only difference is that he makes it in his own kitchen. He still serves it to people and tries new things but on a smaller scale.