I am at the stage in my class work that I have to begin thinking more about the future.  I remember getting a book by Dr. Seuss from a teacher when I was graduating called “Oh The Places You Will Go”, but who knew I would be deciding on what restaurant to go to, to get my kitchen experience in order to complete my dream of earning a culinary certification?  So I lost a lot of sleep researching every restaurant that was on the list that the school provided.  I have a few things that of course creates a bit of anxiety for me.

  • The externship must begin in October 210 hours
  • I have a fulltime job to work around, so my availability is limited to weekends, and evenings if I can get to the city in time.
  • I am selecting a restaurant that is located in New York, so the commute is another challenge
  • Finally, I am used to going into interviews confident that I have work history to back up what I say, and in this instance I have to call the contacts that the school provides and set up a “trail” at the restaurant.

A trail is basically working a shift at a restaurant for no monetary compensation, and it serves as an interview for both parties, me deciding if I am interested in working at this restaurant, and them deciding if I am skilled enough to join their team.  Bottom line… its an audition.
I recognize this post seems slightly whiny and not as exciting as the past posts sharing my journey, but I think it is important to share the great moments and the moments of uncertainty.  This is just the reality of making my dreams come true, it is not all fun and tasty food, it is about difficult decisions and discomfort, and just processing and deciding my next moves.  Ultimately I know that I will be where I need to be, and if it were simple everyone would be leaping toward their passion.
I have selected my top 3 places that I would like to get my externship, and now it will just depend on my schedule and the restaurant’s flexibility with my schedule, once I impress them when I trail :).  I know that the reward at the end will be worth the discomfort of a few more months.
This past couple of weeks have been focused on breakfast and sandwiches.  I will share some of the photos from those lessons to end on a more exciting note.