What the hell? What is happening??

It's been quite a year.  I've gone MIA, but for good reason.  My life took and interesting turn in September.  When I returned from Italy, I rolled right into Culinary School at Le Cordon Bleu Chicago.  What an experience!!  It had it's ups and downs, it's twists and turns, it's bumps and bruises, and quite a bit of experiences both good and bad.  Overall, the time spent there, learning the basic foundations was a good thing.

The next portion was my Externship.  This was where it started to get a bit rocky.  I had the most incredible opportunity to work in the kitchen of a truly remarkable restaurant in the Gold Coast.  The restaurant is part of the group-One Off Hospitality.  Nico Osteria, with Chef Erling Wu-Bower at the helm, is sure to mean continued success for Nico.  The quality of product and the care that the staff puts into producing quality plates was what turned me on to want to complete my externship there.  I also had to remember that I a full time job, that suddenly became demanding with mandatory overtime due to a sever shortage of Paramedics on the street.  This proved to be too much after a few weeks into my externship and because I didn't want to be a hassle to the Chef, I pulled the plug, especially since I knew I wouldn't be able to secure the necessary hours I needed to finish the program.

After speaking with my career services person, we had things worked out.  I spoke to another chef, still in the One Off Hospitality group, Chef Perry Hendrix at AVEC.  He was very patient and willing to work with my work schedule.  AVEC is a much smaller operation, however not any less quality.  I was ready to go!  Then, it happened.  The day before I was to go in for my first shift at AVEC, I was at work.  During the course of my duties I felt a pop in my Bicep and felt a shooting/stabbing pain, leaving my left arm useless.  To make a long story short, Strained Bicep which aggravated Calcium build up on my rotator cuff(comes with over use).  I am currently undergoing 4-6 weeks of physical therapy, which I am seeing much improvement with my arm.

So, there will be more to come in the next few weeks, but I'm not going to reveal that now.  Just stay tuned and I promise you will know what's happening.

I'll leave you with a few photos of things I've been able to do, with the assistance of my stand mixer and one good arm.

Thanks!!!!

The Beekman Boys 1802 Heirloom Dessert Cookbook-Lemon Lavender Bars