Gallery Blog
Cooking up a Hot Career!
Written by Susan MillerThursday March 11, 2010 at 8:51am
Platt College School of Culinary Arts
I didn’t know what to expect when we decided to go to Platt College Culinary Institute in Oklahoma City to begin work on our April show focusing on the culinary arts, but I certainly didn’t expect to find so many respected chef’s who’ve worked all over the world. I intended just to have a segment on Platt showing how they teach the culinary arts to students. But let me tell you, this is a full blown, all out, high level culinary school. It is accredited by the American Culinary Federation and as such, must adhere to the industry’s highest standards of teaching.
The Oklahoma City campus is headed up by Chef Mark Cochran, a chef with so many levels of achievement that any fine restaurant would be thrilled to have him at the helm, but after 38 years of working in virtually all aspects of the food industry, Chef Cochran has returned home to Oklahoma to share his knowledge with the next generation.
12 chefs, all tops in their respective fields work under Chef Cochran teaching everything from knife skills to pastries, to international cuisine to restaurant management
Platt Culinary Students in Class
The classes are full of students, some fresh from high school, and some fresh from finishing up their first careers and looking for a new start. All of them share a single interest…passion for cooking. In every class we saw nothing but serious dedication. This is no cooking school, this is truly an institute that is training students to be the best and while some of the chefs told me “It’s nothing like you see on television”, it is just a little bit. There is a high level of respect, but there are high expectations as well and the chefs don’t let students get away with a single error. The students are like soldiers, the chefs are drill sergeants, colonels and generals keeping an eye on all. “Keep your station clean!” “Yes, chef!” “You overcooked your protein! Do better next time.” “Yes, Chef!” “Are you sending out that plate with food on the edge?” “No, Chef!”
Chef Travis Williams
With more than 150 students, top level chefs, a full restaurant lab that is open to the public AND a competitive culinary team that will represent Oklahoma in the AFC Regional competition in late March, we found a full show for our viewers at the Platt College Culinary Institute. If you want to see the culinary arts in action in Oklahoma, be sure to watch Gallery on April 1st at 8:00pm.
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Functional Fusion
Written by David TamezWednesday February 3, 2010 at 10:59am
Functional Fusion
They’re used to working alone. They’re used to bringing their ideas to life unhindered by restrictions. They’re used to being singularly accomplished artists in their individual fields, but when they’re thrown together to carry out a common mission full of regulations, there’s no telling what these Oklahoma artists will come up with. State art maven, Laura Warriner knew it would be wonderful, but challenging when she asked 50 Oklahoma creatives to design artistic and functional furniture for an entire house. The process was exhausting, but the results? You won’t believe just how artistic your home furnishings could be. You can see the “Functional Fusion” of art and furniture on Gallery in February.
Model Trains on Gallery!
Written by David TamezTuesday February 2, 2010 at 3:42pm
Many model train enthusiasts spend lots of time and money collecting and running model trains. Kevin Huffman, model railroad collector and salesman at OKC Whistle Stop shows us the difference in sizes, types, and the most popular scale for the beginning model train collector.
Gallery 1006 Extra
Just in time for Christmas!
Written by David TamezTuesday December 15, 2009 at 10:36am
Santa’s Mustard Seeds
He is one of America’s “real life Santas.” No glue-on whiskers or foam pillows for this Santa, his beard and his belly are real. So is his message to Oklahoma children. Find out the extraordinary story of a man known to his neighbors as Dan and to children around the state as “Santa.”
A heart-warming story for your Christmas DVD collection.
Gallery Episode #504
(Originally Aired on 12/7/2004)
The Thespian - NEW!
Written by Susan MillerMonday December 14, 2009 at 10:01am
I’m always blown away by the talented and exceptional Oklahomans I meet every day in my job with Gallery. The man we will feature in my segment of January’s program is no exception.
Jonathan Beck Reed is a favorite on the theatrical stages and movie sets here in Oklahoma, but did you know he was and IS a favorite on stages around the nation and abroad? You’d never know it if you met him. He runs errands around town with his 20 month old twins in tow, enjoying his first taste of fatherhood. He teaches aspiring young actors how to make the most of their stage presence in a private studio and as a professor at Oklahoma City University and he performs in productions for a theatre he founded with old college friends, the Oklahoma City Repertory Theatre, one of just two unionized theatre’s in the state.
The night we went to shoot his interview at City Rep we also planned to shoot him performing in a production of A Tuna Christmas. We did the interview first and while I had HEARD Jonathan was a good actor it really didn’t sink in until I saw him on stage. Sometimes you know when you’re being blessed. Watching Jonathan perform all the different characters he portrayed in that play was something to behold. I was supposed to be working, but it was hard to concentrate. He literally became the character and ceased to be himself.
It’s little wonder that he had no trouble winning leading roles in national Broadway tours. It’s little wonder that after working in New York City for 12 years he could come back home, knowing theatres would come looking for him. His auditioning days were done. He is an established, nationally known thespian who calls Oklahoma home.
Gallery will introduce you to Jonathan Beck Reed January 7, 2010 at 8:00pm on OETA. I hope you can make the curtain call.
