And so here I am with a career. . .

School’s out, and I lucked out and got an amazing job as my very first job as a chef. I am the Demonstration Chef Specialist for Whole Foods Market, Union Square, NYC. Quite a mouthful, I know. What it means is that I create recipes and food programs using the products we sell at Whole Foods Market, and then do “demos” on the sales floor. Sometimes these demos are simple; sampling an ice cream, olive oil, or beverage the company is excited about and wants to sell. The demos I love and the ones that really allow me to shine, though, are my creative demos. I create recipes highlighting something in the store; our farm-raised catfish, jicama, our private label dried pastas, etc. I test the recipes. Our store graphic artists put these on my official recipe cards (cool, huh). Then I cook the dish on the sales floor and answer questions about the recipe. I also get to do similar demos exclusively for the staff. In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t even imagine a job like this existed, blending my passion for food, and my background in public speaking, writing, and teaching.

Finishing school, leaving my old 9-5, and starting this new job has really enveloped me, and poor little Culinary Casual has been the hardest hit. From here on out, however, I vow to no longer leave my blog and its faithful readers in the cold. I will be posting new entries weekly, every Monday morning. So, tune in, read, cook, and comment.