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Category : BasqueStage
Category : BasqueStage
Disculpa, pero esta entrada está disponible sólo en English.
Disculpa, pero esta entrada está disponible sólo en English.
photo courtesy of Marco Bahena
Here in San Sebastián, we’re working hard to get ready for the III Sammic Scholarship for BasqueStage, a continuation of the amazing program that brings aspiring chefs to show their stuff and win a six-month paid stage in the kitchen of Martin Berasategui.
We have some exciting news….this round, for the first time in the program’s history, APPLICANTS WORLDWIDE will be eligible to apply for BasqueStage. Now young cooks of all nationalities have the opportunity to win the chance of a lifetime, to live, cook, eat and blog in Basque Country…and get paid for it.
The new deadlines, dates, and conditions of this year’s competition are coming soon on the BasqueStage website. Applications will be accepted from September 1st through October 16th. Our latest winners, Marco Bahena and Cameron Rolka, are just whetting their appetites in the kitchen, but we are beginning the search for the next talented winners. Stay tuned (sign up for our newsletter here) for more information on how to apply, the jury, and the selection process. Details coming soon!
Category : BasqueStage, Winners
Cameron Rolka
Hometown: Saint Johns, Michigan Current Job: Teaching assistant at Sur La Table by day, stage at Castagna by night. The Lowdown: Cameron Rolka is a recent graduate of The Art Institute of Portland, where he majored in culinary arts. His interest in a culinary career began with baking and pastry classes at a local community college in Michigan, and continued into the professional kitchen in Ann Arbor. In Portland, he assisted with culinary classes while he completed his schooling, also creating his position as the first student worker, running the storeroom and organizing the behind-the-scenes. He has worked with some of Portland’s notable chefs, including Cory Schreiber and Vitaley Paley. Favorite Meal. Ever: Aside from growing up with a big garden and eating buckets of fresh berries every spring, I would have to say Paley’s Place in Northwest Portland would be my favorite meal. Every step of the meal had great attention to detail, from the charcuterie plate—testarossa, chicken & black truffle galantine, and coppa? Yes please. Crispy Sweetbreads? yup. Spanish peanut custard, concord grape, speck chip, and salted ice cream? Of course! First Thing He’ll Eat in Basque Country: I would definitely hope it’s either something from a local favorite lunch spot, or a home cooked meal by a Basque grandmother. More Cameron: |
Category : BasqueStage, Winners
Marco Bahena
Hometown: Vernon Hills, IL Current Job: Teaching Assistant at Kendall College The Lowdown: Marco Bahena is a recent graduate of Kendall College in Chicago, Illinois, where he pursued a Culinary Bachelor of Arts. Over the course of his studies, he learned on the job at The Peninsula Hotel Chicago, where he had a six-month stage. Marco is also an active participant in competition cooking, winning contests at Chicago’s Greenmarket and regional awards in the San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef competition regionals. He was also chosen as a U.S. representative for the International Student Tapas competition in Valladolid. Favorite Meal. Ever: Hands down, the tasting menu at WD-50. The menu was innovative, playful and of course delicious. The passion fruit filled foie gras with celery was my favorite course of that dinner. Every bite brought an almost giggling smile to my face, I loved it. First Thing He’ll Eat in Basque Country: Jamón ibérico. Love it, miss it, can’t wait to eat it. More Marco: |
Category : BasqueStage, Registration, Sammic Scholarship, Selection Process
The second round of BasqueStage opened to applications last week, and the interest shown has been incredible. We are receiving the first wave of candidate applications as we speak. You will be able to keep up with the applicants just like last year on our webpage, www.basquestage.com. The first step to applying is registering your basic information: name, email and the like. Then, you must submit your resumé and an essay. The last step is filming a video that shows us your communication skills and personality. It is only after THIS video is uploaded that your name will be visible on the Candidate section of our website. Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date on the recent developments, too.
So remember: your candidacy will not show up on the Candidate List until you submit both registration AND video. But don’t worry, we have your information and you are registered. So get filming!
Being a stage is a notoriously thankless job: long hours, bottom of the ladder kitchen status, and difficult jobs that no one else wants to do. And guess what? It’s usually done all without pay. That’s right– for decades upon decades, people who want to become chefs have worked for free in kitchens all over the world.
The Sammic BasqueStage scholarship is a bit different. The deal is sweetened… not only you get to learn in a high-end kitchen in Europe, you also get paid for it. And we put you up in an apartment outside of culinary capital, San Sebastián. You can find more information here about the scholarship, whose application process opens MARCH 1st. Read on for a list of the top 10 qualities a Basque Stage should have, featuring some recommendations from our current scholars, Athena and Tracy.
TOP 10 QUALITIES OF A BASQUE STAGE
10. You must be curious about strange, new edible sea animals.
9. It helps to “have a strong affinity for txakoli.” -Athena
8. ”A sense of humor. The Basque will tease you and you have to learn to tease them back. In spanish.” -Tracy
7. You should have the capacity to live on a land where spicy is a foreign word. (But don’t worry-freshness and flavor are common currency.)
6. ”You must want to cook, eat, and live the Basque way. You are breathing Basque Country for 6 months!” -Tracy
5. “Ability to hand signal things like ‘spoon’ or ‘immersion circulator’ helps.” -Athena
4. You “must enjoy blood-infused meat and sauce products.” -Athena
3. Being a hard worker is an absolute imperative.
2. You will “work hard and dance hard. 15 hrs/day and the Basque still make time to party. They love to sing and dance, in and out of the kitchen.” -Tracy
1. You have to be ready and willing to soak it all in!