On the Right Track

What an amazing past few weeks.

In the previous blog I said that I was waiting to hear back about a job that would be perfect... I heard back from them, and as most of you know I got the job! Today was my second day there and I'm seriously so excited for what my life going forward is looking like.

So first to explain the job. I am the manager of the upper school (high school) restaurant at the Latin School of Chicago. Call me Lunch Lady Leo, except please don't. If anyone has seen Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, which I was obsessed with when it was on TV, you'll understand exactly what the food system at this school is like. Everything is made in house with fresh, organic ingredients which are obtained through local sources whenever possible. They have an executive chef, a sous chef, a pastry chef, and a small army of other cooks at their disposal to feed the three different schools on site. This school does everything in house; they make their own yogurt, pickle their own kimchi and sauerkraut, and bake ever pastry they sell. This year they will be switching all of their sandwich bread (which they used to buy from a local organic provider) to sourdough bread made on site by the pastry team. My job is to maintain the front of house for the Upper School location, and help to educate the student body (and faculty) of the importance of eating the food being prepared in our kitchens rather than leaving to grab McDonalds for lunch. My boss and the executive chef share a food mentality so similar to my own I get far too excited while talking about them.

I've long felt that many of the problems we face as a nation could be fixed with proper nutrition and adequate education regarding the food system. Working in the public school system for the last 3 years I was frequently frustrated by the junk the "kitchen" there tried to pass off as food. I feel so privileged to be a part of this program, which is growing every year, because I feel like I'm finally helping to make the change needed.

The job is something I was passionate about before I even applied, and now that I'm in on the ground floor I couldn't be happier. It also helps that the salary I'm earning is enough to live off of. I won't be needing help from my parents, I won't be living paycheck to paycheck... I'm going to be comfortable financially for the first time since I was still living with my parents. I can't express how amazing that feels.

I've been in Chicago for almost 2 months now, and already I can tell you it was the best decision I could have made. I'm having the weird experience of everything just kind of working out. I'm happy. Really really happy.