Kitchens - especially those that are professional - are noisy places,
consumed by banging pots, sizzling vegetables and shouting orders.
Servers come and go in systematic chaos delivering courses that have
been doted over for days, placing it in the right place, with the
perfect wine and a well-practiced smile, and it's all in the hope of
bringing a good meal to the diner.
The only sounds in the kitchen of a local couple's home on Sunday
evening were the soft humming of a torch crisping crème brulee, and
silence.
But, the goal in both places was the same.
Standing around Hotel Jerome Executive Chef Chris Keating, six students
watched as he put the finishing touches on their dessert. Their gourmet
pizzas were already done and ready to be served.
The only difference between these students and those Keating otherwise instructs is that these learners are deaf.
And even that is something he, along with the group, doesn't see as a challenge in the kitchen.
"I've been asked if I think deaf people can work in the kitchen," he
says. "And I say absolutely. You can make anything you want to work,
and you can never be afraid of defeat."
The apprenticeship is the first the Aspen Deaf Camp has done for those
interested in working in the kitchen. It's a program that started
because of a sister hotel to the Jerome - one also owned by Rock
Resorts - had a professional deaf chef in Vail. Others in the deaf
community showed some interest in expanding their skills, and voila,
Deaf Chef Camp was born.
"It's been great that we're all deaf, but we're trying not to let that
be a factor," says Clint Woosley, a programming organizer at the Aspen
Deaf Camp, who is not only participating in the cooking class, but
acting as an interpreter between Keating and the students. "We've
learned what makes us happy (with food) will make other people happy."
Although Keating is a chef with more than 20 years of cooking
experience and at least 15 here in Aspen, he had none with anyone who
is deaf.
"But the same challenges would exist that already exist for anyone in
the kitchen," says Keating. "And that's trying to get people's
attention so I can demonstrate what I need to as a chef."
And the first thing Keating learned in his new surroundings?
"Facial expressions are very, very important," he says with a laugh.
The Deaf Chef Apprenticeship was a four-day immersion in cooking
techniques, classes and meals at private homes, the Jerome and at the
Aspen Deaf Camp in Old Snowmass. Participants came from around the
country, from as close as Lakewood, Colo., and as far as Minnesota and
Montana.
One of these attendees was Kelly Gibbs, a 49-year-old woman from
Lakewood. For many years, she's worked at camps and in the school
system, with 18 years here at the Aspen Deaf Camp.
"My dream is to be a chef," she says, through an interpreter. "I love
the smells, and watching what happens to food when it's cooked, and I
love cooking for my friends and family."
Learning about herbs and how to cut them was one of her favorite
lessons, but she said that all the nuances in the kitchen were things
she wanted to discover.
"There weren't really any challenges," she says. "Nothing was too hard,
but I want to be able to do the timing at home. ... It takes not only
physical preparation but mental preparation too."
Classes involved everything from food prep, knife care, planning menus,
doughs, facts on sustainable agriculture and kitchen tours to learn
about the underbelly of the commercial side of cooking.
In the group, only one participant - an 22-year-old female studying the
hospitality industry - had the aim to be a professional chef, and then
it was a sous chef rather than executive. The rest wanted to improve
their own skills for family and friends, or because they had recently
discovered their passion for cuisine.
Jerrel Matthern, a 24-year old from Montana, says because of this workshop he's more interested in a culinary career, however.
"It's been recreation for me, I started cooking in college for myself
because I had to and then it's skyrocketed from there," he says. "But I
want to keep my options open."
Under the guidance of one of the better chefs in the Aspen area, and
with careful attention to detail, the camp was one of the best places
to get that experience.
It's watching a love for food in action and the ability to speak to people through more than just words.
"When I'm cooking, I just want everyone to have a good time and be
happy when they're cooking," says Keating, about a philosophy he
institutes in his own kitchen - one that puts out meals for two
restaurants and room service at the Hotel Jerome.
Studying under someone with a solid reputation could have been
intimidating for the participants, but they all said it was an intimate
and caring environment. Keating was the one who was actually a little
intimidated at first, he said.
"I kept expecting a secret ingredient," says Woosley. "But we learned that's it's just preparation."
And the only challenge for Woosley?
"It's been not sneaking a piece of cheese off the plate."
christine@aspendailynews.com
