Hello, everyone!
I just noticed this introduction page and figured it's probably time I did just that.
I'm 22 years old living in Michigan and working at a restaurant I love. We do a lot of German, Polish and Cajun food, kind of eclectic, really. It's not fine dining and probably wouldn't pass as polished, but it's certainly no diner (no offense to any diner lovers out there) and I love it.
I've been working in restaurants since I was 16 and I started as a dishwasher. Since then I've been a server (nearly four years) a bartender (only for a few months because I ended up leaving that restaurant), and finally a line cook. I wanted to be a neuroscientist until about two or three months ago, and changed my mind. I have always loved food and cooking and after a good year of eating junk food and nothing but junk food I decided to our start cooking again and fell in love. I've decided that I want to be a Chef (one day) and that I love the restaurant craziness.
So, I quit serving at the restaurant I currently work at and began cooking. I also quit my other job serving/bartending because I want to devote more time to learning and cooking at home. I've really made a study of cooking and have dived into books, blogs, videos, and practice.
Going from serving at two jobs and making outstanding money (though not feeling fulfilled) to the bottom of the totem pole in the kitchen has been hard so far, and money is tighter than ever, but I love it, and I love going to work.
I'm really excited to have found this forum and Stella Culinary in general. This was one of the first resources I found when I started researching food more, and I feel very lucky.
Anyway, I'm excited to become a part of this community and excited to read about everyone's experiences and share my own.
Thanks for being here, everyone.