Introduction to Kitchen Craft
Mahwah, New Jersey, USA

Saturday 21st to Thursday 26th of January, 2006

Patrick Smith

"It is easy to forget that work in the kitchen is sacred: life dies
that life might continue. The sheer pressure of delivering meals on
time to hungry eaters, diet fetishists & gastro diners, is similar to
the pressures placed on professional musicians: music is not a
commodity & performance is not a commercial event, despite all
evidence to the contrary.

"How to hold a quiet & open space between the two incompatible demands
of material delivery & qualitative action?

"Part of the answer is this: reconciliation of the incompatibility
takes place within a quiet, open space. This space is where the action
takes place, where all that is valuable moves from being possible to
becoming actual. A performance space may not be quiet & open; a
kitchen may not be quiet & open. May I be quiet & open?

"So, we have a practical question to address: how may I be quiet &
open, while functioning in a busy & often pressured environment? This
is a question common to both guitarists & cooks, and answers are very
close to being the same."

Robert Fripp
August 23rd, 2005

This Course is open to anyone who wishes to attend. Patrick Smith will
direct the course, and present basic techniques. Sandra Bain Cushman
will be present the Alexander Technique as a way of learning the
correct use of the body.

Patrick writes,

"Kitchen Craft is a discipline of the head, the heart, and the hands.
In this introductory course the primary exercises for the left and
right hands will be introduced. Menus will be designed to develop
proficiency in these primaries. Specific techniques and exercises will
be available to develop our sense of presence while working in the
Kitchen.

"Opportunities exist for those of all levels of experience in the
Kitchen to deepen and broaden their practice. Personal initiative will
be encouraged and nurtured. The Kitchen Team will be supporting a
relatively small course, providing us a unique opportunity to
experiment and improvise. How far we take this work will depend on the
character of the participants.

By the end of the week we will extend the principles of Kitchen Craft
to our other work, the processes of our everyday life and beyond."

Participants will need to bring their own chef's knife and paring
knife. Proper care and use of these will be demonstrated. For anyone
who needs to purchase these, we can provide recommendations.

In order to participate please send an Application Letter, focusing on
the following questions:

Who are you?

Why do you wish to attend?

What is your Aim?

Tuition fee: $650

To apply, or for further assistance, contact Terrance Kalka at:
gcnafac at gmail dot com.

Detailed info will be sent to accepted Applicants.