You know, for a while there I wasn't sure what I was doing with my life. Yeah, I was going to school at BYU-Idaho and loving it, but I was majoring in University Studies which really didn't set me up for any career. People would ask me, "What are you going to do with that?" Honestly, I had no idea. I still have no idea. It was just something where I could mix and match and study the things that interest me (spanish, english, and dance.) It was exciting, because I loved it, but the future was this big, looming thing quickly approaching that required so much more than I was preparing. I knew something different needed to happen.
With the emptiness of my bank account last Fall, things changed. I went through the whole stay home and work until summer, Oxnard college, and then Westlake Culinary. And now I've got this job at The Bread Basket. I don't know how it all happened, but somehow all the pieces have fallen into place quite nicely. Better than I had ever dreamed, actually. I've found my niche in baking (or cooking as a whole) and now everything is working out. It's relieving, to say the least. I have money in the bank, two jobs, one soon to be replaced with a job I only ever dreamed of having (serious, I dreamed way back that I had a job at this bakery and I woke up thinking I've never ever ever get it), and I'm able to be home with my family, providing the help that they need.
I'm just so...content. And happy. And giddy.
I can't wait to see what life has to offer. Whatever it is, I'm sure there'll be cake...
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Suspense
Today is the day I'm going to receive a phone call telling me whether I got the job at The Bread Basket or not. The interview went really well, I'm feeling confident. But with every passing minute without the phone ringing, I can feel my confidence slipping. What if they're still debating? What if I have terrible availability? What if I rubbed Linda the wrong way? What if someone else had a more stellar interview than I did?
I can't take it. I baked lemon cupcakes and watched an entire episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to pass the time. While the cupcakes turned out delicious (and I'm very pleased with my decision to make mini ones) and I nearly cried when the Ty told the Stagg family that CVS was paying off their medical bills, I'm still a bundle of nerves.
Please, Bread Basket, call me soon. Hire me. Teach me. Accept me. Love me.
I can't take it. I baked lemon cupcakes and watched an entire episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to pass the time. While the cupcakes turned out delicious (and I'm very pleased with my decision to make mini ones) and I nearly cried when the Ty told the Stagg family that CVS was paying off their medical bills, I'm still a bundle of nerves.
Please, Bread Basket, call me soon. Hire me. Teach me. Accept me. Love me.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Bread Basket
When I first decided to so towards baking, my mother told me I should get a job at this one particular bakery that makes cake to die for. It's a little place called The Bread Basket and it's not too far from my home, though it is a bit of a drive.
A couple weeks ago I was going around to bakeries seeing if they needed help, and The Bread Basket was pretty much the only place to accept my resume and ask me to fill out an application (despite not hiring at that moment.) Last weekend I got a call. They would like to interview me. It's just a job working at the counter, but it's still a job in an awesome bakery.
My interview is bright and early tomorrow morning and I can't wait. Wish me some St. Patrick's Day luck!
A couple weeks ago I was going around to bakeries seeing if they needed help, and The Bread Basket was pretty much the only place to accept my resume and ask me to fill out an application (despite not hiring at that moment.) Last weekend I got a call. They would like to interview me. It's just a job working at the counter, but it's still a job in an awesome bakery.
My interview is bright and early tomorrow morning and I can't wait. Wish me some St. Patrick's Day luck!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
21 days
I've got a countdown on my desktop to when I start Culinary School. I'm kind of excited about this. 21 days! And following day (22 days), I head out to Virginia for Kiersten's wedding. Not only do I get to partake in this wonderful, exciting day with her, but I get to visit both Madison and Randi. I cannot be more stoked for this trip.
In other news, I have been rocking Brookstone lately. Our demos are pillows, right? Yeah, I sold eight (yeah, eight) on Saturday followed by another three today. Both of my managers are impressed. Heck, I'm even impressed with myself! But seriously, these pillows rock. I want one.
I also want a kitten. But that's not news.
In other news, I have been rocking Brookstone lately. Our demos are pillows, right? Yeah, I sold eight (yeah, eight) on Saturday followed by another three today. Both of my managers are impressed. Heck, I'm even impressed with myself! But seriously, these pillows rock. I want one.
I also want a kitten. But that's not news.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Orientation
Just so we're clear about things, I'm taking a break from BYU-Idaho in order to pursue my love of cooking and baking. I've have several different plans as far as culinary school goes, starting with he desire to attend Le Cordon Blue in Pasadena. Unfortunately, I don't have $50,000 nor do I want to go into debt, so that is absolutely out of the question. Last winter I was told about a program in Scotland at the Edinburgh School of Food and Wine. I looked into it and it was a bit more affordable running around $15,000 including housing (however, that doesn't include any travel costs.) But still, I don't have that kind of money and working two jobs wasn't going to get me that kind of money any time soon. So I settled on going to Oxnard College and doing their two year culinary program. Oxnard is close, I could live at home and still keep my jobs. But first I had to get into the program...and transfer my credits from BYUI (which wouldn't all transfer)...and then I had to pay just about $1000 tuition for one semester because technically I'm not a California resident because I've lived in Idaho for three months out of the past year (who cares is my permanent residence is in CA and that I'm registered to vote in CA and that I was only in Idaho as a temporary resident for fourteen weeks.) All in all, I'd be spending over two years at Oxnard college trying to complete the culinary program as well as my associates degree (which I am just a few credits short of at BYUI) while not getting into the culinary class needed to continue on to any other classes my first semester.
That's when I found Let's Get Cookin': The Westlake Culinary Institute. I'd heard of it before, my mom has thought about taking a couple classes there. I met a guy at the mall who went there and now works at a cafe in the new Nordstrom. So I knew it was there and I knew the price was somewhere around $5000. I researched it and found that it's a six month program that's about $4,500 and, if you pay the deposit, you're guaranteed a spot. I thought about it. I prayed about it. I went to the school and made my deposit. This is the place for me.
Last night I finally got to do something more than sit around in anticipation for school to start. I had orientation at the school and I got to learn a little bit more about how they got started, who is going to be teaching me, and some interesting details about the hospitality business.
Let's Get Cookin' started in 1978 but was bought by it's present owner, Phyllis Vaccarelli, in 1984. Originally Phyllis started only teaching classes for home cooks, just to give them more information about how to work in the kitchen, but in 1988 a professional course was introduced because many students had expressed interest in learning more. Now it's a full six month professional course that gets you certified to work in the hospitality business. The school has been recognized as one of the best part time culinary institutions in this area.
Tim McGrath is the chef who teaches the professional course and I really can't wait to see what he has to offer. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and has since then worked as a chef in France, New York, San Francisco, opened a restaurant in Long Beach, and now he currently runs and owns a catering company he started called Cooks Gathering. He's been featured on a couple television shows and he's been the personal chef of Julie Andrews. Seriously now, I can't waaaait.
But wait I must, because class has been pushed back two weeks and now we don't start until April 7th. However, on March 31st I get to go to the knife skills class required for all the students who take the professional course. At the knife class we will also be fitted for our chef's uniform. So stoked. So stoked.
So that's it in a nutshell. I have about a month until I actually start attending classes and then class will continue all the way until late September. I'm so excited. I found what I want to do, I've looked at different programs and schools. I've decided on one and worked hard to save up the money necessary to pay my own way without relying on my parents. I'm essentially living my dream.
I think this is what carpe diem means.
That's when I found Let's Get Cookin': The Westlake Culinary Institute. I'd heard of it before, my mom has thought about taking a couple classes there. I met a guy at the mall who went there and now works at a cafe in the new Nordstrom. So I knew it was there and I knew the price was somewhere around $5000. I researched it and found that it's a six month program that's about $4,500 and, if you pay the deposit, you're guaranteed a spot. I thought about it. I prayed about it. I went to the school and made my deposit. This is the place for me.
Last night I finally got to do something more than sit around in anticipation for school to start. I had orientation at the school and I got to learn a little bit more about how they got started, who is going to be teaching me, and some interesting details about the hospitality business.
Let's Get Cookin' started in 1978 but was bought by it's present owner, Phyllis Vaccarelli, in 1984. Originally Phyllis started only teaching classes for home cooks, just to give them more information about how to work in the kitchen, but in 1988 a professional course was introduced because many students had expressed interest in learning more. Now it's a full six month professional course that gets you certified to work in the hospitality business. The school has been recognized as one of the best part time culinary institutions in this area.
Tim McGrath is the chef who teaches the professional course and I really can't wait to see what he has to offer. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and has since then worked as a chef in France, New York, San Francisco, opened a restaurant in Long Beach, and now he currently runs and owns a catering company he started called Cooks Gathering. He's been featured on a couple television shows and he's been the personal chef of Julie Andrews. Seriously now, I can't waaaait.
But wait I must, because class has been pushed back two weeks and now we don't start until April 7th. However, on March 31st I get to go to the knife skills class required for all the students who take the professional course. At the knife class we will also be fitted for our chef's uniform. So stoked. So stoked.
So that's it in a nutshell. I have about a month until I actually start attending classes and then class will continue all the way until late September. I'm so excited. I found what I want to do, I've looked at different programs and schools. I've decided on one and worked hard to save up the money necessary to pay my own way without relying on my parents. I'm essentially living my dream.
I think this is what carpe diem means.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
A tale of iPhones and murder
I bought a new phone last September and I was soooo excited because it was a sweet sliding texting phone. And it was green. Uber cute.
I loved it. Until it started being the worst. phone. ever. But I dealt with it for a looong time because I didn't have enough money for a new phone, even though an iPhone was soooo tempting and I wanted one soooo badly! I got the lame phone replaced THREE TIMES in a week period or so. Still the same problems. It froze all the time when opening and closing, it connected the audio on phone calls maybe 35% of the time, the rest of the time I had to just wait about 15 seconds before I could hear anything. I hated that phone.
So, with the help of my brother's upgrade and a refurbished phone, I bought a 16GB 3G iPhone for $100. Yeah. Amazing. I love it. It's my best friend (sorry girls.)
So last night I went to an institute party (twisted taco night) and we played twister and pool and ping pong and it was all around a blast. Eventually we started playing Werewolf, which is like mafia, and this kid Eric and I totally dominated.
That game lead to about 3+ hours of playing murderer in the dark. If you've never played that game, just know it's played it a completely dark area and you walk around and "kill" people by tapping them on the shoulder and then people find "dead" bodies and the lights come on and you accuse people. It's fantastic. We've broken a lamp at my house playing it before.
WE played until about 2:15 AM. It was epic.
I loved it. Until it started being the worst. phone. ever. But I dealt with it for a looong time because I didn't have enough money for a new phone, even though an iPhone was soooo tempting and I wanted one soooo badly! I got the lame phone replaced THREE TIMES in a week period or so. Still the same problems. It froze all the time when opening and closing, it connected the audio on phone calls maybe 35% of the time, the rest of the time I had to just wait about 15 seconds before I could hear anything. I hated that phone.
So, with the help of my brother's upgrade and a refurbished phone, I bought a 16GB 3G iPhone for $100. Yeah. Amazing. I love it. It's my best friend (sorry girls.)
So last night I went to an institute party (twisted taco night) and we played twister and pool and ping pong and it was all around a blast. Eventually we started playing Werewolf, which is like mafia, and this kid Eric and I totally dominated.
That game lead to about 3+ hours of playing murderer in the dark. If you've never played that game, just know it's played it a completely dark area and you walk around and "kill" people by tapping them on the shoulder and then people find "dead" bodies and the lights come on and you accuse people. It's fantastic. We've broken a lamp at my house playing it before.
WE played until about 2:15 AM. It was epic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)