Alumi, Hors d'Oeuvres, and Wine (ahem...water)

On Monday I had the opportunity to go my culinary school for a gathering of graduates. I picked up my great friend Jennifer from a nearby metro station, and we went together. Jennifer was in another class right before mine. I had the same internship as her, and then followed her to Just Cakes where we really got to know each other and remain good friends. We are slowly working on a business idea together which would be awesome if we got it up and running. Maybe someday.

Can I tell you how strange it was going back there? So many memories came flooding back- the smells, the voices, the commute. My Chef greeted me with open arm and exclamations, and I was delighted to see a couple of my class members there. I wasn't in school for a very long time, but it was a pretty concentrated and intense time, and we saw a lot of each other. We met my old instruction classroom to get settled in and hear why we were all there. We all had to stand up and tell what was going on with our lives, mostly in the way of pastry, if you were still doing that. A lot of people had started up big and successful businesses, restaurants, and bakeries all over the US. Others were back at their old jobs as web designers, dental hygienists, or staying home with kids, etc. Then we all went to one of the giant kitchen classrooms to chat, eat and drink. Yeah, the couldn't stop mentioning to drink up all you want and everyone just kept laughing like it was the first time anyone ever said it. Will that joke ever get old?

It was amazing to see what has come out of the students. One of my best friends was sadly not there, but I heard she is the executive pastry chef at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront. I am so proud and amazed with her and the other students, yet I couldn't help but feel a little weird that I wasn't doing anything to prove how much I still know and how much I still love it. I would always tell my friends in school that as much as I loved pastry, I would love a family more. I was only 19 then, wasn't even dating KC, and they thought I was crazy. But here I am, working on my family and enjoying it much more than I would working most hours of my life in the basement of a hotel. I think the people that came out to this were the ones that actually had something to say. I don't want to feel inadequate since I know what I'm doing with my life is exactly what I should be doing, but it was interesting to see what I could've become. My life was competely taken over by the pastry arts for a couple years, and I was just beginning. I could tell that if I kept going, it would've consumed my life leaving no room for what I am meant to do. I'm so grateful for those couple of years, but now I know what is right for me. And I'm completely content with it.I loved catching up with my friends from that part of my life. It was a huge character building and learning time for me, and I'll never forget it. It was why I moved here after all. I love what I my life has become since coming here ever if it doesn't mean a tall chef hat, and hiring my own interns. They said these kinds of meeting will occur quarterly for all of us to network, find jobs, find employees, or just catch up. I think I'll just let the others have their parties with out me. That was enough for now.

By the way, the picture above is with my class at our first buffet at the end of our first of three phases. A lot of my family were able to come. I loved that day.

Here is Chef Francois, the founder of the school giving his spiel in his thick French accent.
My classmates Mike and Janice.
My friend Jennifer.
The beautiful spread of sushi that provided.
My plate. I asked which ones were vegetarian. I just like those better. I tried one that wasn't. You can't see, but I think it had caviar on it. There were other bite sized snacks there, but this was the prettiest.

Chef Mark, my instructor. I pointed out that someone had left lipstick marks on his jacket from all the hugs going around. He thought it was hilarious and made me take this picture.