Sunday, January 12, 2014

HI I'M BACK SORRY

Hey guys I'm back and I know it's been a really long time.
Life has been so weird and hectic and amazing recently and I just got that itch again to share a little bit about what I'm doing!

So, I had one post in the middle of summer last year on this blog, and I think we have quite a bit of catching up to do, now don't we?

In December 2012, I got accepted to my dream school: Kendall College.


I graduated high school in June 2013


And then started the longest summer of my life! 
I started at Kendall in October 2013, and it was everything I wanted and more.


I had days last quarter where I was at Kendall from 8am until 9pm, and I dragged myself back to my apartment feeling worn out but somehow still so ready for the next day.
I learned a lot in my first quarter, mostly about time management and being able to work well with others. 
My first chef instructor at Kendall, Chef Altieri, was exactly what I needed to succeed in that class. She was very hands-on and helpful and willing to explain in detail why things work the way they do. 

I also developed a little obsession.
Grant Achatz.


Okay, so I live in Lincoln Park and every single day on my way to school, I pass by this unnamed, black building on Halsted. I really thought it was somebody's house. 
[It's not]

I knew about Grant Achatz before, because my hair stylist 
{who dyed my hair purple for three days did I mention that was a thing? It was fun do it if you can. Being yelled at by your father about it is super invigorating ;)}
Well, my hair stylist told me all about this chef, Grant Achatz, who has this fine dining restaurant in Chicago and his whole mission is to "Redefine the way we eat". Some would call his food the pinnacle of molecular gastronomy, but he doesn't like that term, according to his memoir. It's unique, it's artistic, and it's everything I aspire to achieve in my career, and I didn't really know that until I started researching him more and more.

And once I put in a little bit of time researching, I figured out what that unnamed black building on Halsted is. It's Alinea, Chef Achatz's restaurant. 

Passing that building every day on my way to school was the most inspiring thing for me. Every once in a while in class, my chef would mention Chef Achatz and I would get super emotional because his food and his approach in the culinary field just get to me. 

Honestly, it gets a little out of hand.

But that's exactly what I want from this career. Because I know being a chef is hard work, but if I end up doing it right, and if I end up creating beautiful food that is a work of art, that makes people feel things, then I know I will have succeeded.

But anyway, Now I'm one week into my second block, or quarter, at Kendall. I'm taking Cooking Methods class right now, and my chef is French and is also very good at explaining his unique way of systematically thinking about cooking. It's extremely fascinating and I absolutely love it.

I just wanted to give a quick update, and I hope to keep up to date from now on, but no promises.

xoxo
Emily