Hello and welcome to my brand new blog!  To get an idea of the who and why, wander over to my About page.  Then come on back and join me as I go back to school.

After deferring acceptance to The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts Pastry Program for a year I decided in December 2014 that it was time.  Time to move on and start the next chapter in my life. Having spent 10 (mostly) satisfying years in corporate financial planning & analysis I wanted to pursue the training and on-the-job experience I know I need to someday open my own food business and perhaps even offer business consulting services to others in the food industry.  Leaving a cushy corporate job and becoming a poor student again was more than a little daunting, it was terrifying.  But putting it off even longer seemed even riskier.  The long hours and physical aspects of kitchen work are not easy at 27, and at 37 I sometimes start to feel my “age”.  So, I enrolled, resigned and started classes (in that order!) in January 2015.  Initially signed up for the certificate program it looks like I will probably continue onto the professional program, graduating in early January 2016.  What I’ll be doing over the summer break and after the program ends is uncertain.  Focusing on learning, studying and practicing all things pastry is the plan for now.  We’ll see what’s next.

In the next post I’m going to get caught up on thoughts and pictures from the first 8 weeks or so of school.  Unfortunately the snow caused school cancellations 3 weeks in a row.

What we found when we returned home to Gloucester one Tuesday in February (so many storms, who the f*ck remembers which one?!?!) to shovel.

The little sliver of dark blue in the background is the main entry. Drifts about 6-7 feet. NO MORE SNOW. Breaking records? STFU people.

We did a couple of make-up classes and some double-up days.  Not ideal, but we made the best of it, as everyone has this winter.  Now all caught up and moving into spring, french butter cakes and the five week food management seminar.

Other topics I plan to explore in the next few weeks are stages, living in Somerville Monday – Friday and Gloucester on the weekends, favorite restaurants and cafes, books and a host of assorted random thoughts.

General warnings to readers – I am an atrocious food photographer.  I love to cook, bake, feed people and eat, but finding the patience for taking really great pictures of food is something I haven’t managed to do, no matter how hard I try.  But I’ll still share my awful pictures. I talk incessantly and passionately about my dog, my husband and food.  I don’t have kids, but I like them.  Some of them I like a lot. I am unapologetic in my obsession with all things nautical, preppy and related to Nantucket.  I have a big extended family and they drive me nuts, but I love most of them, most of the time, dearly and hope they’ll let me include them here from time-to-time.

My 2011 Jeep Wrangler on Nantucket in September 2014. One of the more remote beaches. “Cha Cha” was my late quarter life crisis present to myself.

SO MUCH FUN!