my espresso life

as i wrote in the intro to this blog, this is a space for me to share not only what i'm picking up in school, but also my experiences beyond the classroom. i'll be the first to admit that there is a lot that i still need to learn; i have too many firsts untasted, unseen, and unknown for my liking. but i digress. for now, i'd like to share with you what my "off days" look like.

i'm in class only three nights a week, but that doesn't mean that i'm sitting doing nothing the rest of the time! quite the contrary, actually.

almost two months ago, maybe a little less, i was roaming around on the web, looking for jobs, because even though i already had two AND school on my plate, i wouldn't be able to sustain any sort of life, let alone pay the rent, on what i was making. and then, during my search, i got distracted on twitter.

but this distraction ultimately proved useful, because a tweet from @goodfoodjobs is what essentially led me to my rent-paying, "off-day" job as a barista. and i should add, my first real food related job. for those who don't know, goodfoodjobs.com is basically a job search website compiled of listings of openings ONLY related to food. any and every aspect of the food biz is represented, but the food&drink focus is definitely there. no more searching and finding completely useless, unrelated jobs--this is a useful site, and it's free to join! (which makes it even better).

anyway, back to the job. i found the listing and gave it a shot. but remember those food firsts i'm severely lacking? i applied for the job and was immediately petrified, as i am no gourmand de café (i barely drink it), i know very little of wine (it's also a wine bar) and again...since this would be my first food job, i have absolutely no prior industry experience.

somehow the stars aligned and my "i know i have a lot to learn but i am totally willing to learn it the right way-your way!" attitude got me the job. maybe the fact that they needed the help and i was a body willing to do the job and not quibble about pay also helped my cause. but i quickly found that the process of getting the job...was the easy part. i've been learning and reading all i can about different coffees and espresso-based drinks, since my training was espresso style at best: a rush of information over a very short period of time. since i started working though, i've gotten through the "uh oh they just ordered a ____ and i've never made that before!" jitters, and have gotten the tips to prove that. coffee people are a very specific breed-when it's not done right, you know, and i'm happy that i've made the progress i have.

this learning curve hasn't been without its share of laughs (thank goodness!). it was tough at first to contain my excitement of getting my first macchiato right for example, because that's not the sort of thing you should tell a customer. so i just smiled like an idiot when he took a sip and was happy, since he was relatively unaware of the internal monologue i had going. there was also the time that i tried to make iced coffee...without having previously set up a pitcher of coffee in the fridge...haha, oops.

but more than funny stories, this job has also given me tools for the future. (cue inspirational, lifetime movie music).

on tuesday, i went out to work as usual, and had a relatively productive day. i made one of those guinness cakes, and had the place happily humming along as the day came to a close. and then, a half hour before i was supposed to close up shop, a regular came in with her daughter. they came in, ordered lunch, and sat down together on one of the couches in our seating area. and once served, it felt like something changed. i almost felt like i was intruding when i was clearing their plates; they exuded such peace, and were both enveloped in a blissful calm together that i would have hated to interrupt. and so i didn't. if there was one more thing i could do for them, it was going to be to not ruin the moment.

the mother, upon realizing that i had kept the shop open longer just for the two of them, thanked me profusely. i said it was no problem, luckily i didn't have to run off to class, and quickly cleaned up once they left. and i wasn't saying that to be polite, either. i felt like i had gotten just as much out of the dining experience as they did. i had seen their looks of satisfaction, i felt their happiness, and i knew what i needed to do to satiate my own hunger. i knew that i wanted to capture that moment, and that one day, with my food, that i wanted to create that feeling (and then some!) for those indulging in just a bite, or more. every so often, i find myself wondering if doing any this was right, and it's moments like this that give me the affirmation i need. and that's some food for thought i'll gladly take seconds of.

my first star sighting, it's a sign!

today on a walk in the meatpacking district, feeling totally glamorous after a wonderful (and free!) haircut at the bumble&bumble salon, who should i cross paths with but stephen. no, not that steven. we're talking -ph, not -v: this one!

for those who are unaware of who stephen is, and why on earth it would be a sign that he was my first star sighting here in new york, allow me to explain.

in 2006, bravo tv started a little competition. twelve contestants, twenty one days. eleven hopefuls and only one star would rise to the top. this mes amis, was top chef season one. among those first contestants was stephen aspirino. he made it a good portion of the way through the entire series, ending up getting eliminated in the eighth of twelve episodes.

without going back and watching the entire first season of top chef again, i don't really remember much of stephen's performance that time around. it is of note though, that this would not be the last time we would see stephen in the top chef kitchens. he came back for a charity episode before season three, and was a contestant in a holiday episode. more relevantly, he was a top chef all star.

i have nothing to say of his performance on the show itself, because it serves no purpose to gush, guffaw, or gossip about his cooking. it's a difficult task to rise to, and i don't envy his position, returning to such a cutthroat competition after not being directly in the kitchen for so long.

and with all of this in mind, here i am, wandering the streets of new york, feeling wonderful and i almost walk directly into stephen. stephen, who is a successful, and well-known chef. stephen, who knows what's what in a kitchen. stephen, who is, for what it's worth, an all star. i had been writing a text message and had i not looked up right when i did, would have completely missed him.

no, i didn't stop him. (we were walking in different directions). no, i didn't get to talk to him. (he was talking with two other people, about something that seemed relatively important). i did get to make eye contact (so yes, it was him!) and beamed for the rest of my walk to union square.




i feel accomplished.