I'm a graduate!

I didn't go to college traditionally. In fact, I railed against college, thought I was way better than school and moved to New York for the first time when I was 19 years old. It took me about a year after to realize that maybe I shouldn't be so stubborn and I should try it out. I swear, it had nooooothing to do with the fact that I worked at a prestigious talent agency at the time that wanted to promote me but only if I had a 4 year degree... I decided to move back to Georgia and try school out mainly to prove myself right, that school was for suckers and I needed no part of it. Well, it took me 5 years but I eventually got my Associates degree and decided that I was right and felt no need to go back to school traditionally again.

Deciding to go to culinary school a year ago was a huge thing for me. I had an amazing job, an apartment perfect for me and a life in New York City that I spent 7 years building. To leave all of that behind in pursuit of a dream seemed a) insane and b) impossible. With the undying support of my friends and family, I took off on a journey that has forever totally changed my life. I am without words when I think of the adventure.

I finished my program in October last year complete with a graduation at ALMA amongst my schoolmates, parents and sister. It was a joyous, memorable evening and I will never forget it:

To add to this remarkable journey, it turns out that my alma mater, ICC, decided to hold its first ever formal New York City graduation for our program at Carnegie Hall! After wrapping things up in Italy back in October, I definitely didn't think we'd have something else like this to look forward to. When I got the initial email announcing graduation, I kept thinking there's just no way I can afford yet another trip back to NYC right now after having gone back twice already in less than 6 months of living in Denver. For goodness sake, I can't seem to move on with my life in Denver when I keep returning to where my heart is in NYC! After about two seconds of thinking this nonsense that I couldn't go back, I snapped out of it and booked a ticket immediately. 

What a special weekend. It was a very fast trip, fast enough where I didn't even make plans with anyone but Allison, but I relished in every moment. Allison and I spent all of Saturday together talking, laughing, sharing...spending much needed quality time together and it was awesome. For those who don't know, Allison is kicking ass in wine school right now studying to take her first two exams for the prestigious Court of Master Sommeliers. I got to hear all about it and she even did a personal tasting with me and sure did teach me a thing or two. She's gonna be a wine badass, y'all. 

Come Sunday, I met Trisha, Mo and Dalila for coffee before we had to be at Carnegie Hall and it was so very good to see them. Although I was missing Gavin and John, it was just awesome seeing those three. What's funny is that all four of us were in the exact same spot in feeling incredibly nostalgic for Italy recently. We reminisced and talked about our journeys and it blanketed me in warm, sweet feelings. It's hard to put into words. 

When it was time to head into the waiting area at Carnegie Hall, we proudly donned our chef whites and got ready for the ceremony:

I was honored to have Allison, Stacy, Colleen and Shameer be there to share in my special day. Four people who mean the world to me. Four people who have a part of my heart and who bring an uncontrollable smile to my face when I think of them. Especially Allison. My culinary journey started as a thought, then a dream, then a possibility, then a reality. All with Allison by my side, cheering me on, picking me up when I fell, encouraging me when I burned my practical exam dishes in school...she has been my rock, my confidant, my supporter, my friend and my biggest cheerleader. I was so very happy to close this journey out with her where she'd been all along, by my side.

The ceremony was lovely. It was inspiring and moving, just like my entire culinary journey had been. How lucky am I to have had the ever so talented Colleen Putman capture my moment on stage:

Yep, she kicks ass. After the ceremony, she got this shot of me and the famed Cesare Casella, dean of my program and personal friend of mine:

SO awesome.

Sisters in the city, equally as awesome:

We all went for some snacks and drinks afterward and then Colleen decided she wanted to snap some photos in the park of us and I cannot tell you how grateful I am to her for putting the finishing touches on the day and my entire culinary adventure:

 JOY:

I adore you, Shameezle:

Colleen, you're just so damn talented. You capture the moments that matter and I get to have these memories forever. Thank you for that.

So, that was my weekend. Doesn't it look awesome? It was. It really was.

Eggs To The Rescue

While being in the land of pasta and risotto has been awesome, I'm just thrilled to introduce protein into my life again. I can speak for the whole class in saying we were seconds shy of going into a carb coma so thank goodness we have eggs to the rescue.

Remember that "incredible, edible egg" campaign years ago? Well, it's true. Eggs are incredible. They can be used for so many things and the versatility in how they're cooked is endless. This is where my inner geek comes out when it comes to how amazed I am by food, FYI. Eggs are like this tiny package of goodness all around. One egg contains an amazing amount of nutrients - something like 13% of the average daily requirements - for protein and things like vitamins A, D and E and phosphorous. Every part of an egg contributes to these statistics so it's like a compact, all in one vitamin. Tons of people out there are stuck on just eating egg whites (I've been one of them for years) because there's the whole fat/cholesterol thing in the yolk. The truth is that the yolk contains a higher amount of vitamins than the white. All in all, it's more beneficial, even with the small amount of fat content, to eat a whole egg than to eat just the white. (Ok ok, Erica. You've had a point for years and been right. FINE.) It's honestly counterproductive to give up the vitamins in exchange for leaving out a little fat. Sadly though, we live in an age where fat is the total enemy and people would rather sacrifice things that are truly good for you and pump themselves full of chemicals with fat free everything than to just have a little fat in their diet. What I can tell you with absolutely confidence is that, when you eat something that's rich, yet a true and natural product, you eat much less of it because you're genuinely satisfied. I won't even get into my thoughts on this stuff because we'd be here forever.

Anyway... After working with so many starches lately, these egg dishes were really spectacular. I don't know if that's because I did so well at cooking them or if my body was just crying out for something other than gluten. This post is a bit less interesting because there just isn't much more to talk about unless I go into the fascinating composition itself of the egg. That would take much too long though so I'll just tell you about my favorite dish of the day.

At Salumeria Rosi, Cesare's amazing Tuscan restaurant on the Upper West Side, he does a salad called insalata di uova e carne secca del pontormo that's unlike anything I've ever had before. It's a mixed greens salad served with warm pancetta vinaigrette and soft scrambled eggs. Apparently, this dish was a favorite of the 16th century Florentine painter, Pontormo (hence the salad's name). It's a favorite of Cesare's as well and he makes it delicious. When I saw that it was one of our recipes for the day, I was all kinds of excited. Chef Jessica said pretty frankly that it's the best hangover food, ever. It's also one of those dishes that's pretty awful for you despite the fact that it's a salad. I mean, you make the vinaigrette out of vinegar and the pancetta fat that renders out after cooking it. Um, delicious:

We also practiced poached eggs, which turned out really well for me, and we did a vibrant spring frittata that was so lovely. Though spring ingredients aren't yet at their best, it was still so nice to have a variety of vegetables cooked in after such heavy laden pastas and risotto:

I successfully flipped my frittata in the pan too which was a mighty exciting moment.

I have all sorts of ideas for new egg dishes after learning so much more about them. I just love that I spend my days in the kitchen dealing with things that are equally yummy and educational. It ain't too shabby, that's for sure.   

The Path Is Being Carved

In the past few months, I've been seriously making my way through some incredible restaurants. I've been rather dedicated to trying as many new places as I can before life might lead me away from this amazing city. Around every turn, there is something new to eat or drink and I don't know why it's taken me so long to throw myself into experiencing as much as I can. In February alone, I tried over ten new places and each experience was just awesome.

Last week, I had the pleasure of being treated to dinner at Hearth, Marco Canora's incredible restaurant on 12th and 1st. Chef Canora has been very well established for a number of years but he most recently rose to the rank of "celebrity chef" as he competed on the 'Next Iron Chef' show. He lost by a very thin margin to Marc Forgione (whose restaurant I tried a week prior, in fact) but he's become even more well known now due to his television debut. I'd wanted to go to Hearth for a while so the evening was really exciting for me already but Chef Canora is known to be in his restaurant regularly. I was hoping so much that I might have a chance to meet him, especially since our reservation was on the early side.

First of all, the restaurant is so pretty. It's so much of what I'm drawn to with the dim lighting, dark wood, dramatic red wall. It was inviting and cozy while being romantic and a little seductive. I felt really at home there which I happen to think is deeply important for a restaurant. We'd asked the server if Canora was there and he was in fact with his family in the back room so already I was thrilled. There were six of us dining so we decided to try a bunch of different appetizers which were all fabulous, namely the octopus and the quail with farro. I'm telling you, never would I use the word 'tender' to describe octopus but that's exactly what it was and it was divine. The quail was perfectly cooked as well and so delicious. They do half portions of their pastas also (only two on the menu) as an appetizer if you choose so we had the bolognese. Homemade pappardelle, a touch of ricotta, and a sprinkling of fried rosemary which was just heavenly. I swear, I'm not even sure how I had room for dinner. As we finished up the appetizers, I was wondering if I really would get to speak with Canora and, next thing you know, he's right next to me saying a big hello to all of us. I almost died and, like a five year old child, looked at him and said oh my gosh, can I give you a hug?!?. Yes, I said that. Yes, I gave him a hug, too. I was totally embarrassed but that awesome red wall cast just the right amount of color to hide how much I was blushing. He stayed and talked with us for some time, particularly about my chef aspirations, and then proceeds to say well, I think you need to come spend a couple of nights cooking with us in the kitchen here. Holy. Crap. I'm pretty sure my heart stopped for a minute. He was dead serious and I just don't even really have words for something like this. He told me to get ready to be crushed which turned on my competative switch instantly. ;) I like that kind of challenge and I'd welcome the chance to get beaten up by Chef Canora. We all know I usually learn best the hard way, ha. We talked for a few minutes more and, as soon as he walked away, I cried.

How often do we 'wander around the desert', so to speak, looking and searching for answers in life? I mean, I've spent a decade trying to find meaning and purpose and focus yet I feel like I've done that from a place that has been so wrong and confusing. It's only been in this last year and a half that I have gained new ground in terms of who I am as a woman, as a christian, and as a person. My life stems from the very lifeline of who god is and my focus is on listening out to hear where he is calling me to go. I'm not concerned anymore with the anxieties I once had and what used to be self-doubt and fear in my life is now hopeful anticipation, joy, and excitement. It's been one long road but my life is no longer about what I can't do and fully about what I can. Having this talk with a master of Italian cuisine is yet another step forward. I can hardly believe the things that have happened to me in just this past year be it Jewels and Jill, the wonderful Cesare Casella, or now with Marco Canora. This path of mine is being carved before my very eyes and I'm being shown where to go, one step at a time. My passions are being affirmed and I feel that god is totally directing my steps. I trust so whole-heartedly in his perfect timing and, for the first time in my life, so many things are just easy. I used to think I'd always have to encounter something terribly difficult in order for me to learn a lesson yet my heart has always been in such a tumultuous state. I've never been at ease or at peace with who I am or what I believe yet, now that I AM, I feel like life is really happening just as it should. I'm in awe of the experiences I've had and of what's happened to me recently. It is divine and magical and it's like a dream in some ways.

I called Hearth today to set something up and the smile on my face couldn't be bigger. Am I freaked out about getting my behind handed to me? Of course I am but you know what I'm not? Scared. That is exactly how I know I am meant for this.

PS - I have to note that we had the apple cider donuts, warm chocolate pudding cake, and mascarpone cheesecake for dessert and I did everything but lick all of the plates.