A little background. For the past 3 years I've been working as a sous chef at a small seafood restaurant. Though I've really enjoyed it, in the past year or so I've been thinking about moving on to something else. About 8 weeks ago I applied to culinary school (the New England Culinary Institue, in case anyone is wondering). They were taking forever to get back to me, and I was really starting to get stressed, despite the fact that I was pretty confident that I would get in.
Last week I got a call from some former employers of mine. They wanted to put me in touch with a friend of theirs who needed people for a restaurant he was running in Maine(he had just been promoted to chef de cuisine). After a few emails I arranged to go up there for an interview. I decided to split the trip up into two days, though I easily could have done it in one.
On the drive up I finally got a call from admissions at NECI, informing me that I had been accepted for the January term. I was over the moon! After checking into my hotel in Methuen, Mass I drove into Salem for some food and beer. I had a great meal at a funky little joint called the Lobster Shanty, caught a fantastic recital of Mozart's Requiem at town hall, and even found some Lost Abbey beers in a local beer shop (they are surprisingly hard to find in NY).
The next day I woke up really early, worked out at the hotel fitness center and had a big breakfast, totally expecting to have a great day. I checked out of the hotel and went out to the parking lot, only to realize that someone had broken into my car during the night. My GPS, Ipod and cell phone charger were gone, the front passenger window smashed in. I called the cops and filed a report. By the time I was done I was running very late and knew I had to catch a ferry in Portland by 10AM. So of course I got pulled over for speeding in New Hampshire on the way up (94 in a 65- NICE!). Called the chef and told him I was running late. Thats OK he said.Get here when you can. Don't speed. Ok chef
I finally made it up there and the restaurant was just fantastic. It's on an island in the casco bay. I've always loved Maine and the idea of working at a place like that thrilled me to death. I would only be there for 3 months since the place closes in the winter, but it seemed like a great opportunity. Chef had me work the sautee station that night and I totally rocked it. He offered me a job at the end of the night.
I left the next day. The trip home was uneventful. When I got back I realized that the airlock had been knocked off my carboy full of saison. ****. Later that day my mom told me that one of my oldest friends had been committed after having a psychotic break. The cops found him wandering in a park stark naked, ranting and raving.
Sorry for the long post. Just had to get this one off my chest. Funny how everything seems to happen at once.
Last week I got a call from some former employers of mine. They wanted to put me in touch with a friend of theirs who needed people for a restaurant he was running in Maine(he had just been promoted to chef de cuisine). After a few emails I arranged to go up there for an interview. I decided to split the trip up into two days, though I easily could have done it in one.
On the drive up I finally got a call from admissions at NECI, informing me that I had been accepted for the January term. I was over the moon! After checking into my hotel in Methuen, Mass I drove into Salem for some food and beer. I had a great meal at a funky little joint called the Lobster Shanty, caught a fantastic recital of Mozart's Requiem at town hall, and even found some Lost Abbey beers in a local beer shop (they are surprisingly hard to find in NY).
The next day I woke up really early, worked out at the hotel fitness center and had a big breakfast, totally expecting to have a great day. I checked out of the hotel and went out to the parking lot, only to realize that someone had broken into my car during the night. My GPS, Ipod and cell phone charger were gone, the front passenger window smashed in. I called the cops and filed a report. By the time I was done I was running very late and knew I had to catch a ferry in Portland by 10AM. So of course I got pulled over for speeding in New Hampshire on the way up (94 in a 65- NICE!). Called the chef and told him I was running late. Thats OK he said.Get here when you can. Don't speed. Ok chef
I finally made it up there and the restaurant was just fantastic. It's on an island in the casco bay. I've always loved Maine and the idea of working at a place like that thrilled me to death. I would only be there for 3 months since the place closes in the winter, but it seemed like a great opportunity. Chef had me work the sautee station that night and I totally rocked it. He offered me a job at the end of the night.
I left the next day. The trip home was uneventful. When I got back I realized that the airlock had been knocked off my carboy full of saison. ****. Later that day my mom told me that one of my oldest friends had been committed after having a psychotic break. The cops found him wandering in a park stark naked, ranting and raving.
Sorry for the long post. Just had to get this one off my chest. Funny how everything seems to happen at once.
