- "I, Papitchaya Sutthisoonthorn, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 60 hours 15 mins of work."
- Cite:
- http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/vanilla-cupcakes-recipe.html : For the cupcake bases that I started with. (I adjusted it to suit my own recipe.)
- http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/cream-cheese-frosting-recipe.html: For cream cheese frosting (I adjusted it to suit my own recipe.)
- Inspirational videos:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xze8atBaVEY
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyrWIF5EtzA
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8SYhPFLYEA
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7osrDuO_j8
- People who helped me:
- Marissa Jasso
- Sara Baggia
- Stephanie Pinedo
- Employees at City Thai
- Mrs. Chutima Amnat
- Mr. Chukiat Navasu
- Mrs. Sunee Navasu
- Here's the link to my independent component log: click here.
Note: My part "e" explanation is included in section: Literal, Interpretive, and Applied.
The goal of my first independent component is to create a "Thai tea cupcake" to sell in the restaurant where I mentor. I will list everything that I have done, learned, and applied to my senior project. During the 60 hours of my independent component, I did a lot of processes to just get one beautiful cupcake. I researched how to make a cupcake and what ingredients were needed. It took me three hours to find a reliable recipe that I could adjust. After that I went shopping for the ingredients and tools that I would use to make a cupcake. It took me quite a long time just to get them because this is the first time I ever baked anything from scratch. There are so many brands of each product. How would I know which one was good? Could I just observe the products or would I need to ask other people around. This process is similar to when the owner chooses where he could open his own restaurant. The key to opening a successful restaurant is location which correlates to the ingredients which are the key to create a successful cupcake.
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| Ingredients for the starter. |
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| Inspired stubbornness product! |
My first round: Yes, now is the time to bake my first cupcakes from scratch. I decided to bake a vanilla based cupcake with butter frosting. When I did that I just randomly put everything in the mixer; it was a mess. Sorry, Marissa Jasso for making your stand mixer dirty and thank you for letting me borrow that tool which helped me succeed in this independent component. I was not aware that every ingredient has their own unique properties such as, you have to slowly blend all the dry ingredients first with number one speed just to mix it together. I learned that in order to make a better dessert or food item a person should know what the ingredients do and how problems that may arise can be fixed. In the same way the restaurant manager needs to understand his employee, the chef needs to understand his food, the dishwasher needs to understand his machine, and the waitress needs to understand her customer. If people in the restaurant don't know how to work in their profession, the restaurant may be a step behind from succeeding. This is what I presented during my first lesson plan. Collaboration is the key.
Making the first cupcake: When I was following the directions for making a vanilla based cupcake, I couldn't follow the instructions. I began to question most of the ingredients like, "Are you sure that's the right amount to put in to make a cupcake?" and, "Who would share an amazing cupcake recipe to the public?" So, I decided to change or substitute some of the ingredients which I shouldn't have done my very first time. I admit that I am very stubborn when it comes to my creation. I can't just follow the rules or do something that most people do or even keep it the same style. What I changed in these cupcakes is I reduced the butter and sugar because I feel like there was too much in the original recipe. I also added M&Ms to the base cupcake because just tasting the softness of the cake is not enough. For the butter frosting, I did not use the food coloring because fresh strawberry is healthier and gives the same color and smells great.
Thinking outside of the box sometimes can be good. It expands variety in food that we all love but sometimes not following directions can hurt your end result, as well. Everyone has their own way of working in a restaurant. The recipe represents the role models who have been working in this field for so long. We can follow them but we also have to see if this method will fit well for you or not. We are able to classify which ones we want to follow. Working with others gives us opportunities to learn what the best skills are in each of your role models and we can adapt them to our own style. Never stop learning because the world still has many things to invent or discover.
Testing the cupcakes: Once I had a finished cupcake, I passed them out to my families and my friends for recommendations and comments. Most of the people said they were in love with the base cake but not so much the frosting. I asked them what they didn't like about the frosting. They said there was some weird combination in the taste of frosting but they really couldn't tell what it was. I told them,"It's probably the vanilla extract with the strawberry". They said, "yes, that's right". See, this is an example that creativity has some pros and cons. Before I tried the second round I did some more research about how to know when it would be time for the cupcakes to be ready. Believe it or not this was the first time that I feel the researches are essential to my project. Besides that I watch videos about how to pipe the frosting.
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| 6 Flavors shall we try |
I'm ready to do my second trial which happen to be on my birthday party! Sara Baggia was very generous for giving me a best recipe for vanilla base cupcakes. I reduced the size and ingredients to one third because if something happen I can just throw those away and not wasting that much ingredients. This is a pretty good idea to reduce it because trying out somethings always have an enormous possible error. People who working in the restaurant have developed time and supplies managing skills. The employees have to find a way to shorten the time as much as possible but yet everything still efficiently produced. The owner is not only managing his employees but also managing a supplies in the restaurant such as doing inventory. For this second time I came up with 6 flavors of mini cupcakes which happen to be Thai tea, Corn, Berries, Peach &orange, Almond with chocolate, and apple with honey. This idea was created when my mother and my father came to visit me. So I would like to something that is symbolic of the three of us. I decided to make all of the flavors that we all like. During I come up with this idea, everyone thinks I am crazy to make such weird flavors. If you keep the same tradition that everyone did then what's new? Having everything the same throughout the seasons. What's the challenge? This idea is to be able to apply this in the restaurant as well. Theme and food in restaurant is affect of deciding to come to the restaurant. Even though you have an crazily amazing dish that people want to eat it everyday. Let's face it, how many times will you eat the same exact meal in two week period? Twice is an enough of a number for me. So which mean If I like their food I only visit their twice in half of the month. How can the restaurant become successfully with that? Instead of that try to invent more food that people will like and come to eat throughout the year or you can make it into season. Not only increasing the customer's loyalty but also save your money when you buy supplies following in the season. I brought to the party and I start to see people's eyes are focusing on the cupcakes the most. So, I told everyone that they can serve themselves and after that I explained what all of the different kinds of cupcakes were that they saw. Everyone love it and they brought some home as well. Of course, there is still some error in the cupcakes. That's when researches are come into play.
Now, It's time for Winter holidays such as Christmas and New years. I asked my mentor for allowing me to pass out my "Thai Tea" cupcakes to the customers and he approved it but this whole idea was a nightmare. I baked a 200 cupcakes a day before Christmas. It was horrible to the products but what I found is incredible to describe. I have found a love of my life. I can't even believe myself that baking can make me feel I have met a right person and easily fall in love with. My heart start racing, my face start blushing, my body is heating up. I heard a song called, "Clock", it's a Thai song. The chorus said, " a minute may enough to know each other, an hour may enough to like each other, and a day may people connect and fall in love." The reader properly think that I'm over exaggerated. I am not I just letting my passion to become purpose and one day it will be my profession. The passion will help you to focus and ready to learn a new skills in your working habits. When you have a passion working in the restaurant, you will try to find the way to improve the systems and learn just how to serve customers. Every mistake you have made will become your reminders for the next situation.
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The first set I did it came out great because I take my time and experience in love. This time I created a Thai Tea cupcakes with the cream cheese frosting with my own invented recipe. I also have to make a Thai Tea on my own as well. For the rest of the set I was mixing and baking with talking to my family in Thailand with a serious problem which all of the cupcakes that I made that time is just horrible. This events make me believe that all the food that we make need love into it. Everyone suggested to make the base more fluffy so I had to do more of my research. I tried to make a Thai tea crepe to test how to able to be fluffy and what are the trick. I found that you have to sift the flour to make it fluffy and soft. What I learn from this is there are many ways to a on answer but if you don't try how you are going to discover or know which is the best method. Similarly, there is a hundred ways to serve a customer but which way is the best to use for your own personality.
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| My final product! YAY! |
Now it's become to my last try before the independent component is due. I passed it out during my Lesson 2 presentation. It's turn out quite well. One of my first suggested that could you make into a bigger size? The others asked me that they can be my tester for every experiments for my dessert of food. I felt so proud of myself that I made it. I personally make a food or dessert just to give and see other people reaction about my food. I'm not really too obsessed to eat my own food and my friends told me that's just crazy. I love to see when people react to my food. That's how I found and feel my happiness. Food is a creation in art. I have learned a lot from this component about how to manage a business and passion in what you do.
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