Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Showstopping Fruit Platter



Wow, now that is a fruit platter that makes your mouth water!


My youngest daughter will 
be graduating from 
Culinary Art School 
this week and I just had to feature
her final project.  She graduated last year with a one
year certificate and this year she will be finished with
her two year certificate.  She had to complete a 10 hour
project of her choosing and this huge culinary creation
is half of her project.  The other half will be putting on
a pizza party using our pizza oven for her classmates
where she does all of the prep and manages the fire
and of course the clean up.


I wanted to get photos as this project was so impressive
and I knew my readers would want to see it.  She was 
surprised to see me show up at school and said she could
have just taken photos with her phone!
Ha ha - I need better photos to post than that.


I love this part of the presentation - she has scooped out the bottom
of a pineapple and filled it with chocolate covered strawberries.
These were actually the first Bling Bling Berries we made
even though I posted the others first.
She dipped all of the berries herself.


She did all of it herself, including coming up with the idea.  I just love
the pineapple flowers with a grape center.


Everything sits in a large watermelon that she flattened the bottom of
and then took the top off.  The parsley comes from our garden and is
held in around the rim with floral picks or wide bobbie pins.
Then clusters of black and green grapes alternate around the rim of
the melon.  She filled the center with skewers of assorted fruit and
then placed more parsley around the bottom and tucked in additional
chocolate covered strawberries in assorted chocolates.


I caught up with her when she wasn't quite finished.  It was fun
to see her work and to see her classmates come over to 
compliment her on how beautifully it had turned out.




She started her first year in a much smaller kitchen but the school
built a wonderful new building with a
  3.1 million dollar kitchen.
What a wonderful place to learn and to cook.

It makes me want to go to Culinary Arts School!



Wouldn't this be wonderful for a wedding or a shower or other
special occasion?



Here she is with her teacher Tony inspecting her final project.
How fun to have been there to see her finish putting it together
and showing it off.



We are so proud of her accomplishments  -
now we just need to get her to cook for us more!!!!

Actually, doing this was what inspired her wonderful
fruit bouquet that she gave me for Mother's Day!



I want to show this off at


27 comments:

  1. Wow!! That is very impressive! Love it! Congrats to your daughter for such a wonderful and delicious idea!

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  2. First of all, she is adorable! This shows she will be a huge success. I know you are very proud, as you should be. The fruit platter is making my mouth water: I LOOOOVE fruit! XO, Pinky

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  3. WOW, that IS gorgeous...and delicious-looking! Congrats on her achievement.
    Catherine Denton

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  4. That is the end-all of fruit platters, that's for sure! Your daughter looks darling and happy in her role as chef:) Congrats to her on her accomplishment! Hopefully you will reap some tasty benefits from her success, Jacqueline:)

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  5. She's so Lovely and Tallented.
    Congratulations!
    And her creation is fabulous, one of those things it seems unfair to destroy but oh so tasty looking who could resist?! Not me.

    Congratulations on her graduation and wishes of a Sweet and Fortunate Future!

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  6. Very pretty! Congrats to your daughter, I'm sure she's excited to be graduating-enjoy:@)

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  7. This looks insanely good!!!! What a gorgeous display - so creative and fun! I truly love it! Congrats to your daughter on her accomplishments. You should be extremely proud! Now I need to go back in time and go to culinary school. She has an exciting career ahead of her. And lucky you....you get to taste all the samples : )

    Danielle xo

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  8. Congrats Amanda it's beautiful!

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  9. That is an impressive culinary masterpiece! Congratulations to Amanda!

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  10. OMG! Seriously that is amazing. Congratulations to your very talented daughter, you must be so very proud! Thanks ever so much for sharing. Cheers SpecialK XoXo

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  11. What a talented young lady! But then the apples doesn't fall far from the tree. I think she has had an excellent role model in the kitchen at Purple Chocolate Home. ;-) Congratulations to Amanda!

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  12. Congratulations Amanda!! What a grand finale!! I'm sure your teachers had to have been impressed and ALMOST as proud of you as your mama! :)

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  13. I'm so happy for both of you...CONGRATULATIONS! If this is any indication of Amanda's talent, she has a brilliant future ahead of her! Thanks for showing off Jackie, I L O V E it!

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  14. Super huge congratulations, how exciting!! and LOVE the fruit platter!

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  15. Congratulations to your daughter!!! That is so cool. I think I know where she got her creativity ;) What a beautiful presentation!

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  16. Congratulations to your daughter! She should be very proud of herself, and I know her momma is :-)

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  17. Congratulations Amanda! I know just how proud you must be, popping buttons over her BIG accomplishment! With the entertainment industry so lucrative, she has chosen a wonderful career! I can imagine that fruit arrangement at a fancy resort buffet, and I would be first in line to taste...

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  18. Congratulations to your daughter! She obviously gets her culinary talent from her mom. Her project looks delicious! Chocolate strawberries are my favorite!

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  19. Awwwwwww, how cute your talented daughter is!!!! I know you are so proud of her accomplishments. Way to go!!!!

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  20. Fruit and chocolate, mmm! Her platter looks like a little garden of deliciousness. It's clear the foodie talent runs in your family!

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  21. Your photos are just amazing! I am so in love with them!

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  22. Wow - a total show stopper! Almost too pretty to eat. But, I think I could indulge in those white chocolate strawberries. Must success to your adorable daughter.

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  23. Congrats to your daughter, her platter of fruit looks beautiful, I am ready for a bite.

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  24. How neat! Thanks for being a part of Seasonal Sundays.

    - The Tablescaper

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  25. This looks delicious. Thank you for sharing!

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  26. Hi, Jacqueline! I'm back...just had to see that fruit masterpiece! It is absolutely gorgeous--and impressive. I never would've thought to add chocolate-covered strawberries to it. What a great idea!! Our son went to the Culinary Institute in Hyde Park, so as I was ready your proud mama comments I was right there with you. I, too, wanted to go after I saw the cool things they were doing! LOL Congrats to your daughter on a beautiful creation and on her graduation, and best wishes to her. ~Zuni

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  27. Congratulations to your beautiful daughter!

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