Friday, January 21, 2011

The New Beginning

So I work in the restaurant business.  I cook in downtown Bend, Oregon, home of bicycle enthusiasts, boarders from California, outcasts from small outposts throughout the United States, and luckily enough, people who care about local artists, artisans, business, and food.  I moved here from the little known town of Haverhill, Massachusetts, on account of my neverending quest for the chance to feel free.  Drawing much inspiration from my being born in Oregon but never experiencing it, the decision was made to move to the place I was born in hopes of finding myself. 
So here I am after two short years of being on my own and I am almost positive that I've never been happier.  Things are different here.  Smaller and larger at the same time. You can smell happiness, people are nice, they give you the time of day then ask you to have a local brew with them, maybe watch the Ducks or the Trailblazers while indulging.  Needless to say, I feel lucky.  Things could have turned to shit when we moved out here but instead, we're doing just fine.  Kristen, my girlfriend, is working on her opticians license while I humbly work the busy lines of cookdom.  Working the hot side of a sports bar in a state that has no sports...thank god Bend is a melting pot.  I wear my Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots gear as much as I can, just to rub it in...and if you were wondering, New York sports teams can jump off the nearest bridge. 
I wanted to write this blog to share my life as someone who loves food in all its glory.  The simpleness of a meal as it comes to the table of hungry bellies at home or as it goes out the window of a high-end restaurant.  We all love food, one way or another.  Mainly for survival, most recently for indulgence.  Whatever the reasoning be, it starts from the bottom and works its way up.  This blog is about my way back from being spoiled, to being appreciative.  No better place to start than here.