changes

Dear internet,
I know that I have been neglecting you. But you knew from the beginning that my heart lies in other places, that it can never truly work between us. I've been busy exploring Tuscan cities, visiting farms, and cooking in the kitchen for goodness sake. So, I'm sorry internet for not paying enough attention to you, but i don't think it can really be any other way.

I found out where i'll be doing my restaurant internship. I'll be at a restaurant called "La Pineta" on the coast of Tuscany, near Livorno. The head chef is named Luciano Zazzeri, and he's been awarded one Michelin star, which is a big deal. I know very little about this place besides the fact that I'll be doing lots and lots of fresh seafood, and that it is literally right next to the water. Apparently, the head chef used to be a fisherman. While searching the internet for more information about where I'll be going, I found a picture of Chef Zazzeri holding a whole huge fish with just one hand while standing in the middle of his restaurant dining room. And that sounds promising, right? I leave Colorno in about a week, and hopefully I will find myself in a place that uses fresh, local, seasonal ingredients, and a place that cooks with heart, passion, and humility. Only time will tell.

I'm feeling sad about leaving my friends. There are people here that I have seen literally every single day for the past nine weeks (not to mention the two months we spent cooking together in new york), and who I would gladly continue seeing every day if I had the chance (also, there are those who i would gladly not see for a very long time, but let's not get into that). We've cooked together, lived in the same house together, and spent our free time together. And I get this sinking feeling in my heart when I think about the end of all of this. But, change always comes, and I will continue forward with an open mind and an open heart, because what else can a person really do. Plus, I am excited for the next adventure (even if I still can't speak Italian very well).

Yesterday was our final time cooking in Central Kitchen. We were also there one time last week, and I don't think I wrote about it. I'll jumble both experiences into one and summarize quickly - had to clean a huge and infinite-seeming amount of baby calamari but it was fun to cook them quickly and delicately (they turned out very tender), worked with fillets of red mullet, roasted a bunch of birds that weren't chickens but were similar to chickens, carved the birds up and served the meat, but was able to save a few of the best tiny juicy bites for me and my friends in the kitchen. Teamwork, "Vai tutti!," successes.

I put all of my heart and soul into a risotto the other day in an effort to try and match the risotto our head chef had made for us a few weeks earlier. And i think i came quite close to his example. It felt nice.

This past weekend I was inspired by some very dedicated farmers in Tuscany who make the best goat cheese I've ever tasted. I was also inspired by the stars above me in the town of Siena.