MEET CHEF SMITH-RANSOME

Chef Smith-Ransome knows better than anyone how hard it is to rise to the top in the culinary field and it didn’t come any harder than the way she came up. Through every adversity life could throw at her, she overcame it and pushed herself to excel. Don’t try to sell her a sob story about not having homework done because of the long hours you have been working…she did it with a baby on her hip, selling cakes which she delivered in her Vega station wagon to support herself. Don’t sight a difficult upbringing as the cause for your rebellious attitude. Chef Smith-Ransom left home at a very early age and against all odds and through great sacrifice and dedication, she rose to the top of her profession and now, because of her love of teaching, she has come here to our school to inspire, to encourage, to challenge us all.

Aside from teaching classes here, she is currently working on a six part series that will air on WQED about the mysteries of cooking. She is assisting Mr. Zappone with the online classes at AiP and has worked on curriculum development. She is currently working as an SME, Subject Matter Expert and as a Facilitator. She is chairperson of the faculty for the entire school and working on her masters in Education and Curriculum (with a 4.0, I might add!) and that’s just to name a few. Most of the students know her from the Girl Scout Cookie competition that she heads up every year. But did you know that she also was named Educator of the Year 2004/2005 and given the President’s Achievement Award 2004 by the ACF, PC? Or that she was involved in the U.S. Navy’s Adopt-A-Ship program where she provided training sessions on nutrition and American regional cuisine for 120 culinary specials on a navy ship? How cool is that? She also in her “spare” time loves to do various crafts, crochet and work in her vegetable garden. She is not one to sit still. She loves to be constantly busy.

We have all heard her mantra over and over “Get it in your portfolio”. We all give out a collective groan as we agonize over the task of stuffing shoe boxes full of pictures and certificates and trying to locate any remnant of accomplishments long forgotten or eaten. But, oh the day will come, trust me on this, when you go for that big job interview after you’ve toiled your way through the ranks and you pull out this collection of your achievements, this snapshot of your successes full of the memories of your short stay here at AiP and then the long overdue appreciation of Chef Smith-Ransom’s nagging and prodding will hit you like a ton of bricks.

So align yourself in Chef Ransome-Smith’s path, seek out her advice and learn from her vast knowledge and experience. Let her be your role model for your success.

Here are her 2 cake recipes from her Vega Station wagon days!

Chef Odette’s Cheese Cake

(Yield: 1-10” cake)

Ingredients:

Filling

2 lbs. Cream Cheese, room temperature

1 cup Sugar

4 ea Eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

½ ea Lemon, juice and zest, chopped fine

Crust

1 cup Fine cookie crumbs

2 Tbsp. Butter

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare 10” spring form pan by coating bottom and sides with butter. Sprinkle Cookie crumbs in pan and coat bottom and sides by shaking the pan. Wrap with a soufflé collar.
3. Whip cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and whip until fluffy.
4. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated.
5. Add flavorings and mix well.
6. Pour batter into pan and smooth the top.
7. Bake in a water bath for 60 minutes.
8. Allow to cool completely to room temperature.
9. Refrigerate overnight.
10. Cut into 16 portions using a hot knife.

Chef Odette’s Decadence Cake

(YIELD: 1- 10” cake)

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound Dark Chocolate, chopped

1 pound Butter (not margarine!), cut small

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Water

8 ea Eggs

PROCEDURE:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Melt the first 4 ingredients together.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs until the yolks and the whites are combined.
4. Temper the chocolate mixture and the egg mixture together.
5. Wrap the bottom for a 10” spring form pan in foil to avoid the batter leaking out or water leaking in.
6. Pour batter into pan and place in a water bath.
7. Bake for 55 minutes.
8. Allow to cool for 1 hour.
9. Refrigerate overnight.
10. Cut into 16 portions using a hot knife.