Hello everyone!! I have so many more updates from the last time I posted. Genuinely can’t believe I’m saying this, but I decided to leave the corporate world and make a full switch to culinary.
But Karena, do you have another job lined up? No!! I am taking a massive risk with this but I’m stress baking my way through it!! I have a whole new resume and a career fair this week, so hopefully we find someone who wants to pay me to come learn in their kitchen 🙂 I would love to work in one of the restaurants at the top of my Beli list at some point, but I have many many hours to put into this craft before I get there.
I’m taking it day by day, and to get some more hands-on experience I am about to start volunteering in a kitchen that makes meals for people with severe illnesses. We’ll be hands on prepping and cooking everything to make sure that they have nutritious meals to eat without having to worry about cost or accessibility, the meals are delivered directly to the people we serve.
One of the slightly unexpected things that has happened since I started telling people that I’m in culinary school is that they have started asking me questions about their own cooking. In the past couple weeks, I’ve had a few instances of helping out during dinner parties. mostly just chopping and tasting, but it’s been so fulfilling being able to sit and chat about time and temperature adjustments and how to get your vegetables to taste good through a range of cooking methods. The aforementioned stress baking has also been pretty well received.
apple pie with lattice crust
lemon olive oil cake with an almond crumble
pumpkin cupcakes with ginger cream cheese frosting
caramel apple mini pies
caramel cinnamon rolls/monkey bread situation
I’m still like, in awe that this is my life now. I can just do stuff I like doing all day and be surrounded by smart people who feel the same way? Everyone in my class is so fun, the time flies by when we’re all cooking and eating together. People come from such different backgrounds, and I feel like I have something to learn from each of my classmates.
Our practical is on Tuesday the 21st, and I am mildly stressed about it. Last night I dreamt that I diced my whole onion instead of saving half for my sauté slices. But honestly, I’d take those dreams any day over my ones I was having about putting the wrong numbers in a deck to a client that was probably never going to read it anyway.
This journey would not have come about without so much support from my family, my friends, and my special little apartment pod of boyfriend, dog, and cat. Thank you all for pushing me to do what I’m passionate about. What an adventure this is going to be!
Second Bite 