Boot Camp with My Best Friend
by Susanne Carnell

Cathy Britt and I have always been best friends. As kids, we lived down the street from one another in Norfolk, VA, and our older sisters were friends. We were in the same play group, so I remember playing with her as far back as three years old. For the first 17 years of our lives, Cathy and I spent nearly every day together. We had an infinite number of shared experiences and we also have a similar sense of humor and compatible strengths and weaknesses.

I had been thinking for a while about ways to improve my quality of life. One was by learning to cook. My husband has done most of the cooking, since I had very limited skills. I was not at all confident in my cooking ability and I would only follow a recipe to the letter; I admired people who could improvise. I wanted to feel more comfortable preparing more family dinners for my "kiddos," who are three and five years old now. I think it's part of a constant process of trying to improve on one's life.

So when Cathy mentioned Boot Camp at the CIA, I just jumped at the chance. It fit in with my cooking goal, and the offer came at a point when I was delighted to have the prospect of a little escape.

Cathy and I weren't on the same team. I was sort of disappointed at first, because I had wanted to spend more time hanging out with her. But it worked out okay; honestly, if we were on the same team, I'm not sure I would have focused on the cooking. We would have been cracking up.

That first day was really hard since we were asked to cook a full meal—and a complicated one at that. I mean, I came to Boot Camp because I didn't know how to cook, and so it was very stressful. But I was most proud of the risotto I made (which I've made twice since I came home). Yum. I have gained confidence in the kitchen, and learned to trust my gut as to whether something is done or seasoned correctly. Boot Camp has definitely made me more interested in cooking different things and trying new ways of cooking the same things. I find cooking more fun now.

My advice for anyone considering Boot Camp? Don't eat the week before class. You'll be so stuffed, you'll be rolling home. And bring a friend!

Boot Camp Tops the Bucket List
by Cathy Britt

Although I am only 37 years old, I have accumulated a list of experiences I want to have before I die. This tally of proposed goals is known as the "bucket list," from the movie with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. Mine includes speaking better French, hiking Hadrian's Wall in England, and taking a cooking class at the CIA.

I created my list with my best friend, Susanne Carnell. I've known her since we were three years old. She's a lawyer, and I'm a college history professor. Susan said, "It's better to start checking off your bucket list goals when you are young, rather than wait until you are really old. That way, you can build on the memories and the things you've learned."

The CIA cooking class seemed like a good place to start for personal reasons. My ancestors come from the Hudson Valley, all the way back to the 1600s. I also love good food, and long to make it myself. Plus, my enthusiasm for attending the CIA was helped along by the film Julie and Julia. Susanne and I decided to go with the Culinary Boot Camp – Basic Training, as neither of us really knew very much about culinary skills.

We had so much fun. Like a military boot camp, we were there at 6 a.m. But military boot camp never tasted so good. My three favorite parts: the amazing breakfast made by students (eggs Benedict!), the knife skills demonstration and subsequent practicing, and the yummy, fabulous food at St. Andrew's Café.

The biggest challenge was the pressure of knowing that fellow Boot Campers were going to eat your dishes. It was intimidating, but it also motivated me to work hard. I knew I had to turn a recipe into a meal that tasted right, and the end results looked, smelled, and tasted good! I was most proud of the fabulous duchesse potatoes and boeuf estouffade. I defy any meat eater not to drool over this dish.

Susanne and I bonded over every aspect of Boot Camp. As closest friends, there is little that escapes our notice. We laughed at feeling like we were in college again; eating in a dining hall and taking classes together. This time, however, we were eating and critiquing each other's cooking.

Certainly the experience of working in a professionally equipped CIA kitchen was amazing. I will remember the cooking but, perhaps even more so, the conversations held over the food. I got along very well with my team, and enjoyed laughing and discussing and sharing with them. We began friendships that now continue on Facebook.

Susanne and I both loved CIA Boot Camp and it was exciting to check it off the bucket list. Now, what will be our goal for next year?