Realizing I could have great future opportunities

So since my last post I have volunteered for two different causes. The first was a breakfast for the homeless at Union Station in Pasadena. I had a good time with this, met a few people and got to help out some hungry families. I helped out two days in a row, the first night was prep and the next morning was the actual breakfast. We fed maybe 80 people scrambled eggs with ham, cinnamon rolls and a fruit bowl. We then fed them seconds of whatever we had left. Everyone was extremely grateful and a lot of them came up to talk to us all. I didn’t really learn that much, I just got a few hours towards my iron toque pin and some experience. That was last week, but today I helped out at the Trump National Golf Course, Beer and Wine Festival, in which some of the proceeds went towards benefiting the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy and Peninsula Committee Children’s Hospital. It was such a good time. I met new friends, new friends with common interests. I really love the people involved with the culinary profession. You see Gordon Ramsey’s show and expect it to be extremely uptight and stressful in the kitchen. I mean eventually it will, but from what I’ve seen so far it’s just a good time with people hanging out doing what they love. Today the kitchen was packed. I met a girl who was doing her externship at this kitchen. That says to me that this is a great opportunity for me to be there. Out of all the places she could have picked to do her externship, a chance to go out and experience the real world of culinary arts and where I’ve heard you will learn more than you will ever learn during your classes, she chose this kitchen. It wasn’t some soup kitchen in which they let anyone volunteer. I had this opportunity because I am a student of Le Cordon Bleu, College of Culinary Arts. Some of the students got offered externships here while they were working but I didn’t expect that considering how new I am. Speaking of new, I got a new nickname today “fresh-meat.” I got this nickname because apparently I am pretty tough for showing up to volunteer at these things so early. Most people wait until their second term to start getting involved, this way that have at least a little experience, I waited until my second week and so far it hasn’t been a problem. It is scary to sign up for all these things when I don’t know if I’ll get sent home or not for not being able to be a help to them. Usually they find something for me to do though. Today was my first day in a real kitchen and it was so great, I never expected to love a kitchen like this but it was such a great environment to be in. The chefs were singing, everyone was involved and helping each other out. I absolutely loved it. Afterwards we got to walk around and check out what was going on at the festival. Apparently Donald Trump was there, but who really cares about that?