The last service 

Yes!! The last service and final work day is now behind and time to start packing💪😎💼 and of course celebrating little bit.

A small look about of important things what I had learned here:

 Much about Spanish and Basque food cultures, got to know many new raw materials and learned how to use and handle them. 

Improved my cooking skills; improved my techniques and mixed them with techniques what I have learned.
Improved my fiah handling skills a lot and got to know how to handle birds.

 Used my imagination, taking risks by testing things; gained courage.

Improved languages; English and learned little bit spanish.

This trip is now coming to end and it has given and grown me a lot, as a person and as a chef. And maken more me to want tobecome excellent chef.

There will become new challenges when I get back to home, other practice at Finlads oldest Michelin star restaurant, Demo. Curious to wait to get to learn more!!

This will be my last post during my time here. On friday I finally catch my flight ro home.

 Hopefully you, dear reader, have enjoyed for small trip to Basque country and my posts.

Like people say here:

AQUR!!

Few days to go..🇪🇸🔜🇫🇮

One week to catch the flight back to FINLAND!! 
Even I have had such a great time here, I'm really excited to get back to home.

At monday I'll meet Carlos and one of Ikeas bosses at Mendizorrotza cooking school for my assessment conversation. 
Today I was helping to prepair somethig special food what don't exist in restaurants menu.
Fried squids and they are served with ink-white wine- onion sauce. 

The final countdown 10..9..

Ohh yes!! Two weeks to go, and  working days💪💪 Feeling great at the moment.

It has been nice time for last few weeks and actually really fun. 

This week one student started his practice time, luckly he speaks english too😄  

There is now four students and it is much easier to work when there is someone helping little bit all the time. 
I have improved my fish handling skills a lot.

In this week I have fileted monk fishes and red mullets every day, and it has been really nice and important for me. 

That was one of the skills what I wanted and needed to learn here. 

There is also my latest vision and the best plating this far about red mullet dish.

Three weeks ahead💪

Flight to home is coming closer and closer all the time..I can't wait!! 

Few last weeks have been really nice. Lot of all different works and things at Ikea have been better than before.

I have had really fun time. On monday I visited at Tudela at olive oil factory, 

it was itresting to see how the process goes from field to botels. 

Even I didn't understad much what the workers said.

Today there started another student at restaurant, so there is three students now and one more is coming still.

Today I also did something new and really iterrsting..I was cutting PIGEON, yes!! I separated breasts, legs and wings. Some really nice thing to know😎. 

And I have also done some new dishesh in this week.

Counting days

Time has gone really fast. There is 3,5 weeks left before I catch my flight to home.
 Even time flies at the moment it could go even faster.
Tomorrow I am going to visit some olive oil factory with Carlos and local cooking students.
In this week at Ikea, there started one cook student for practice and there was also some chef/student practicing plating for competition.
All chefs had change to test some platings from materials what that student brought and that is my vision.

Tasting experiences

During my exchange time I have tasted many foods, some are totally new foods 

and I couldn't even imagine to taste them, 

like cows stomach and goose barnacles. 
Here is picture of goose barnacles and some tasty cheeses.😋😋

In this week there has been lot of works like usually😅. I have done many platings and get to know some few new diahesh also. 

I also travelled in this week little bit to kmow some Basque culture. I visited in city called San Sebastian.

There is other my vision of red mullet dish. Also one dish what I have made a lot, vegetables and crab. 

Picture also of prepairing truflles.

Busy days

This week has been really busy. There has been lot of works beacause restaurants staffs are spending their winter holidays.

 It's good for me, so I can improve myself better to do things little faster. 

The services has been also busy, many customers every day and many events. 

 I have done few new 

dishes during this week. 

Saturday nights service was really fun time, I helpeld a lot at plating and prepairing dishesh. And the kitchen master said that I did really good work👌. Feeling great💪

Visions🤔🤔

In this week I have done many  things, learned a lot and improved some skills.

Today I planned and did my own visions about red mullet dish. It was fun and interesting to express myself.

There is some visions that I plated.

I have also made many platings by my own, there are few dish that other chefs let me do almost every time.

There is also some works what I made this week. "Sand" from red mullet heads (it is used in red mullet dish and looks like sand),

Cooked kale chips (also for red mullet), 

made truffle puree and cutted squids for monk fish dish.

Something new

I had get to know many new, little strange raw materials, like truffles, artichokes, different fishes and mussels.

Today was busy day at work. There were lot of customers and I did many different jobs. 
I finally figured out how to fillet fishes well.
I have improved other skills also
 like knife handling and used some new machines.

Here is some new materials that I said earlier and also hake chin, malanga madr new way, Dublin bay prawns and fly fish roe

1/3

Okay, so I've been at Spain almost 1 month now.  Today my spanish lessons started. There is one cook student, Getari,

 who is giving me private spanish lessons about kitchen things and of course spanish grammar and so on..

I am little confused right now because there is lot to go. But I think I'll learn it quickly. Actuallu I need to learn it, so it would be much easier at work.

And what comes with working, I have learned a lot amd there is much to go💪. Almost everyday there is something new, even some little work that I haven't done earlier. And every day is different. 

My learning isn't all about working, I have learned many things also while cooking at home, testing new things and so on.

Fish week

In this week there came lot of different fishes. It has been nice week so far. I have done all kind of works, preworks, 
prepairing foods, helping at plating and prepairing dishes by my own.

And  I finally filleted some fishes, red mullet and monk fish.

here is some fishes: shrimps, monk fish, flounder, sea bass, red mullet

today I also made these some kind of cookies

New stuffs

Today I handeled some new raw materials and was helping prepairing food and helping at plating. 
 New raw materials were lobster and malanga vegetable. It is family of potato and taste little same and is used as same way but looks different.

I made mashed malanga with bacon, it is served with Black Angus steak.

This beautiful dish, red mullet brings sea to the mind.

Getting ready for night shift, few hours and second week will end💪

Second week is running

This week is going little bit better, I'm getting more into the works and 

restaurant. Every day is different, there is always something new to learn

 I am struggling with spanish.. But Carlos is helping me for trying to look some chef student who can help me to learn spanish and kitchen word and so on.

Here is hake and clams in cooked with green sauce

Today I also made these oxtail raviols.

First week is now behind

First week on working is now done.

I have learned a lot of new,

like new raw materials and how to use them

and ofcourse a little bit spanish,

especially kitchen and food words.
But there is still much to do.

Yesterday was relly fun, and there was so many customers so 

I was helping for the first time for other chefs at plating dishes. 

Hello!

I'm really enjoing my time in Spain.

Yesterday and today were really interesting

Some new raw materials came today and I had chance to do some preworking on them

like this sea urchin

 and octopus

Today on I will also have my fist night shift, curious to wait it.

The first day

Yeah! Today was my first day at the restaurant. I was looking around the kitchen, and already got to make preworks and finishing dishes.

There is 4-5 chefs and 3 waitress and few of them speak little english(luckly😅). 

I already handeled new raw materials like bulls tail and baby squids. Here is few dishes that we made today.

Some deer dish.

Some sweet, banana and sorbet

and some starter

Hello!🇫🇮🇪🇸

I arrived to spain on monday 9th of January. Got my jorney from Bilbao to Vitoria-Gasteiz. 

I met Carlos, and he took me to the aparment, where I live.

The host, Ruth is very nice and there is also other exchance student, Dominic, and she comes from germany.

Today, thuesday, me and Carlos get to know to restaurant Ikea.

 The chef I talked about seems to be really nice. And the restaurant also looked nice. I start my jobs on wednesday. I'm excited how my first day is going to be.

Hasta luego!