A Dream Come True

There are about seven different paths I could have gone down in life and still been happy. One of them is as a chef. Culinary school always sat in the back of my mind as something that I would love to do someday…along with vocal training, an MFA, school for design (interior or graphic), training for a marathon, and art classes. I suppose it was always slightly more likely than everything else because of the practical application in my family life, but it seemed just as misty and far off as any other dream I’m not currently pursuing.

And then I just fell backwards into the luckiest opportunity ever and before I knew it I was in a kitchen in checkered pants and a funny looking hat on my head.

California has a program called ROP, Regional Occupational Program, where you can receive training in specific fields for free. Usually it’s things like Diesel Mechanics or Heating and Air Conditioning. It’s a benefit to the community to fill certain jobs, and it’s a benefit to get people more and better employment. I happen to live in an area chock-a-block with casinos desperate for trained chefs, and so for absolutely no money, I get to get training from a Certified Executive Chef in a nationally accredited program. And the best part is that it only meets one night a week.

I’m never again going to have an opportunity like this. I’ve looked into culinary schools before and they were full time and then some and cost thousands and thousands of dollars. Never again will I be able to take one class at a time one night a week and save myself that price tag. So even though I really really really don’t need one more thing on my calendar, I have to make this work.

I’m having a blast. I lucked into a fantastic team and we work so great together. We laugh and tease and scream for each other when we manage to flip an egg without breaking the yolk.

My best Iron Chef face.

My chef looks scary, but he’s a teddy bear. Somehow he manages to keep us all entertained through five straight hours of lectures. And this is my friend Ieesha. She always calls me her “new best friend.” And just last week we discovered that our birthdays are on the same day. We giggled like maniacs.

I’ve always done well at schoolwork from the book, but labwork is a little more difficult for me. I was really nervous that once I got in the kitchen I’d fall apart, but so far I’m doing really well. We have three weeks of finals coming up, a couple of practical exams and a final written exam, and I’m already having anxiety dreams about it. The other night I dreamed that Chef just started testing us on random abilities. He pulled out a big piano and started playing, and we had to sing a song on the spot. Then we had to paint a piece of ceramics, and then do a math problem. All while wearing our big chefs jackets and goofy hats. I was hoping that I’d be able to relax a little more this time through school, but apparently those pressures never go away.