FCI Graduation

My class

As the days go by, it's getting harder and harder to believe it was just a little more than one week ago I was sitting in front of a jury (in part, that included Andre Soltner and a Top Chef contestant) listening to a critique on my final dishes.  Going into the final exam, I was soooo nervous.  But, the second I walked into the kitchen & got settled at my station, my nerves were long gone and the only thing on my mind was moving through my task list.  My combination of dishes for the final (which were picked at random), were exactly what I'd hoped for since the first day of Level 6 - handmade tagliolini with roasted mushrooms & fennel cream and lamb chops with goat cheese sauce & braised artichokes.  I won't take you through the entire play by play of the night, but I will happily say it was a much better night than the midterm - I was completely focused, I felt as if nothing could break my confidence, I stayed ahead of the game and I cooked with love.  In hindsight, there are a couple small things I wish I'd done differently (but, isn't that always the case).  But all in all, I was so proud of my work and the night could not have gone any better.

Level 6 teammates & I

After the final exam, there celebration and many well-deserved beers!

For nine months, I spent my Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights in the kitchen.  I learned more during this journey than I ever expected!  When I think about this experience, I have moments of absolute amazement, joy and happiness.  And, what's truly amazing (and truth be told a little scary, sometimes) to me, is that culinary school was just the tip of the iceberg - my journey is just beginning! 

Classmates & I before graduation

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me, "so, what's next?" or "what're your plans for after graduation?", or some variation of that question, I'd be a billionaire right now.   (Ahhh, and in my dream world, if I was a billionaire, I'd be writing this post from a tropical beach with stunning blue water, and sipping on a mojito.)  That's the big question now - what exactly is next.   For right now I don't have an answer.  I really wish I did, and I'm working everyday to change that. 

While I complain about it and it's not what I want to be doing, I am fortunate that I have a full time job that pays my bills, while I figure out the next step of my culinary journey.  I don't want to just take a job, to take a job, or take the first thing that comes along.  It's really important to me, that I find a job that's the right fit for me, and hopefully it's working for someone/doing something that I really believe in.

With Chef Alain - our Level 1 & 2 Chef

With one of my favorite chefs - Chef Janet

Before I started culinary school, I had little to no interest in working the line in a restaurant.  During the past nine months, my stance on that wavered back and forth a little, but ultimately I still feel the same way.  This has been met with a variety of opinions along the way.  Most often, I hear something to the effect, "if you don't want to work in a restaurant, why did you go to culinary school?".  You might be surprised to know that there are actually a lot of different job options, outside of working in a restaurant.  While I was at FCI, I did some freelance work here and there - some catering & private chef work, and my favorite of all, working in a couple school kitchens.  I was lucky to work in schools that truly value preparing fresh, nutritious, amazing meals for kids everyday, and in the interim teaching these kids about food, nutrition and healthy choices.  I can't begin to tell you how awesome and inspiring it is to see kids (and adults) get excited about food - good, real, wholesome food; excited about eating vegetables and trying new foods.  Now, if only all kids were eating this way....but that's a whole other discussion.  This is something I feel really passionate about, and would absolutely love to work in such an environment.  I'll keep you posted on the next step of my culinary journey!