zester, one wooden spoon and my thermometer. Before putting my equipment into my rolled chef bag, I make sure my knives are sharp. I know my knives are sharp when my knife is able to cut through my arm hair like a new razor. I leave my house by 1:45 pm to arrive to the event by 3pm. I usually arrive to the event 20 minutes earlier to park my car and entire the event. Once I arrive at the parking structure the valet person checks my ID card to validate my parking. I then cross the street from the parking structure where the event is held and go through a security check. After the security check, I walk up a small steep hill to check in at the volunteer booth. I am then given a name badge and a raffle ticket to be entered into next years California Winemaster event for free. Once I’m checked into the event I’m given an assignment. Since working the event for the last five years I’m always given the same assignment equipment check. I am given a list of equipment that should be at the tables of the different restaurants that were requested by the chef. I then take a small group of volunteers to come along with me to grab the equipment if any is missing from the table and check it off the list. I also have the volunteers walk around to make sure that every table has plates, napkins, and forks for the chefs to plate their food on. Once I’m done with this assignment usually chefs start arriving and we volunteers are assigned to chef to help the chefs prep, cook or heating up their food and start plating. One year I worked with a chef from Napa Valley that worked at a restaurant called Mustard Grill. We were serving something they didn’t serve at their restaurant. It was Kobe beef slider with baby arugula and au jus. Kobe beef is the best kind of beef and most expensive beef available. This beef has a heavy fat marblings that make it so tender. The Kobe beef was cooked in its own juice and beef stock also known as au jus it was then sliced thinly and put back into the au jus. I then sliced the mini bread rolls and put the Kobe beef on the roll with au jus and some arugula to make slider.
Then I plated it with crème fraiche horseradish sauce on the side. I had the experience to try one of these sliders and they just melt in your mouth like butter. It was so tender and flavorful I wanted more. California Winemaster is one of my favorite events to volunteer for because I started volunteering for this event in 2009 when I was attending culinary school. This is a memorable time for me because I also get to catch up with old friend from culinary school when attending this event. It’s also become a new way to find new friends and develop myself at the same time, but there is much more to it than that. When taking time away from a day in your life to finding a break from one’s life which may have become unusual. Volunteering provides an opportunity to not only help others who need the help, but promotes positive growth in the community and gives way to being able to pay it forward or pay back a positive aspect of one’s own life.