Job, CHECK! Apartment, CHECK! (As of today)

Just moved into my new Chicago apartment!!!! I live above a sushi restaurant with a wine bar and wine shop across the street. Call me crazy, but I think that it was meant to be. This is so exciting because it is my first real apartment! It's an adorable two-bedroom with pastel colored walls, very CHIC, if you ask me. CHIC in Chicago for sure! I am excited to officially be part of the Chicago scene and all it has to offer. As nice as it was being able to stay with family for my first two months before moving downtown, it is nice to not have to rely on the trains every night to take me back to the suburbs. The public transportation in Chicago is awesome, so I can go anywhere! And I have an iPhone to help me get around, so that's a plus.

Check back frequently for more stories as I acclimate myself with this exciting city!

The Creation of My Chicago Blog: First Post

And again I have changed the focus of this blog. It started off as a blog about what I did in culinary school and then once I graduated I focused on post-graduation stories. Well, I have made the big move onto the big city, CHICAGO!! I am going to have this blog focus on my time here in Chicago as a culinary school graduate; talking about experiences as a restaurant worker, what it is like to live downtown, fun city adventures, and general stories about living in the windy city. It's going to be EPIC!! Subscribe to become a follower so you can see when I write new posts!

The Chicago Chapter

So I have neglected my blog for quite some time. Here is the long story short:

I left my job in Manchester, NH mid-May, packed up my life (minus some memoirs that my mom let me keep in the attic), and then my friend Julia and I drove cross country to Chicago! Why Chicago, you ask? It's Cold!!!!! is what everyone says. Psh, I grew up in NH, I'm tough. I moved to Chicago because the food scene is amazing, and as I told many people, its a cleaner, friendlier, smaller version of NYC, and I have family and friends in the area so its not like I'm moving to a foreign city where I know no one.

I moved in temporarily with my aunt and uncle outside of the city until I found a job and an apartment. After a couple of interviews at various restaurants, I got offered a job at my favorite one! I was using the idea of Goldilocks when talking about how much I loved the restaurant by saying that the other places had either beds too small, porridge too hot, or chairs too big. But this place is JUUUUUSSSTTT Right!

Long story short: I HAVE A JOB!!!!! I'm no longer unemployed!!!

Now I gotta find an apartment...

The Days of Unemployment are OVER!!!

Upon graduating I told myself that I was going to take the rest of the year off from everything (work, obligations, etc). I just needed a break. Well China was certainly a great way to start of life as a graduate. The whole time I was there is was just nice to know that when I returned to NH I was returning to more relaxation, compared to the other times I have gone on micro-vacations and had to return to school afterwards. No returning to reality this time!

So anyway, I got back and continued to relax for the whole month of December. Joined a gym, cooked delicious food, and did a whole bunch of nothing. Certainly a month of recharging the battery.

Well, I met this trainer at my gym who knew a chef at a restaurant in Manchester and she said she would set me up with an interview. I said yes right away to the interview, but in my mind I was thinking, "dude, what happened to a month of relaxation and not thinking about jobs till the new year?" This was clearly a blessing in disguise though because once January did come around I was going to have to start looking for jobs. Rather than start that process of throwing my resume around Manchester, the interview came to me! Thank you Rachel!!!

Interview went swimmingly, went in a couple days later to "stage" (pronounced staaaaj), its a form of shadowing in the kitchen so both you and the chef can see if its the right fit. Well, it was. Got hired immediately, yay!! Guess my culinary education did something for me after all!

They say you can't plan life. I disagree. I did plan on getting a job once 2012 rolled around, I just didn't plan on searching until January until this interview fell into place. So here I am, following my plan. I have a job, its January, I am cooking, and getting paid to do it. Can't complain!

Oh yea, and I would like to thank my mother for letting me live at home for free while I make money that I don't have to spend on rent.

Adventure #1: China!

I'm taking vacation. I need a vacation, especially after 3 1/2 years of non-stop culinary school. So I'm GOING TO CHINA!!!!!!!!

It is a 2 week trip designed by one of the chefs at school for CIA graduates, so there are 7 of us going on a full blown culinary tour of China. This is more than just seeing the major attractions (pandas, great wall, temples). We get to go to a cooking school for a couple days, eat at amazing restaurants, visit a tea farm, and more! It is going to be so much fun, especially since it isn't like the trip to Italy in which it was a class (we had to write response papers and take quizzes). There is much more freedom in this trip, so I'm quite excited.

See you in 2 weeks!!

Welcome!

Welcome to my "new" blog....it's really the same blog as before with all the stories from culinary school, but this time I am sharing my "Post Culinary School" stories. I hope to include more adventures, more recipes, and more ways to expose you to the culinary world.

Graduation: time for the real world

I graduated from CIA on Thursday with my Bachelor's Degree in Culinary Arts Management.....I AM DONE SCHOOL FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!! It really feels amazing to know that I am finished with that chapter of life. I guess i can cross that off my bucket list now. A part of me wants to discontinue this blog since it is all about me being in culinary school....but I do find it is a great way to communicate with all of you about my culinary adventures...I may just change the vision of this blog to more of a life of the "culinary graduate"....thoughts??

Oh when I said that I was done school forever, that certainly does not mean I am done learning. Life is always about learning. While I am no longer enrolled in an institution, my brain keeps absorbing new information and I am always on the constant look out for new opportunities.

Wish me luck in the real world. It's been one heck of a ride....