If you’re looking to learn something about cooking, this isn’t the post for you. This is an addendum to my first post. I never was big on filling out “About Me” sections. I’ve wanted to keep this space about cooking, recipe development, inspiration and my food adventures. I do, however, want to share a little bit about myself as time goes by.
The past 2 years have been pretty challenging for me. In Jan 09′ my mom went to the hospital because she wasn’t feeling well. By that April, she had died due to a brain tumor which was untreatable. She was 68 years old. My dad, who wasn’t the model of health, had a hard time dealing with it. I’m pretty sure he just gave up. Last March he was found dead at home from a heart attack. He was 71. I never thought that I would be an orphan at 35.
Much of the past 2 years were spend traveling between my home in Maryland and my childhood home in Massachusetts. I am an only child, so it was my responsibility to take care of the estate. I had to take a home filled with 40 years of memories, treasures & junk, and finding something to do with everything before cleaning, remodling and selling the house. It was bittersweet when we sold the house this past October.
Being a chef is tough. It is exhausting mentally and physically. It’s hard to detach sometimes. I remember placing orders while in the hospital lobby after visiting my mom. People who aren’t in this business don’t always understand what it takes to keep a kitchen running. The positive side to this is that you’re so busy that you don’t necesarily have time to stop and think about everything else going on. Now, some of the dust has settled and it’s time to start moving on. Every day I push myself to improve. You start to find inspiration in unexpected places.
I want to thank all my family and friends who have helped during these tough times, as well as the chefs who have inspired me in the past few years. On the other side of things, my wife and I are expecting twins. We’ll be having a boy and a girl around the end of July. I apologize in advance for any crazy ramblings.
