A couple of years ago I wrote about how I'd resigned from cooking at our local senior center. I was sad, but relieved at the same time.
I knew I was going to miss going in every week, was going to miss my great volunteers, a couple of whom have since passed on.
And I did.
I missed the people, I missed the kitchen, I missed the adrenaline rush I would get every week, racing against the clock to make sure that lunch was ready, right at noon.
And we made it most of the time. There was a time or two that we were late, not more than 5 minutes or so, but I'd say we made it with seconds to spare, most weeks.
Well, I got back in the kitchen again.
Started in January, and got that lovely adrenaline rush again, racing against the clock, and made it, every single week.
I was the kitchen manager this time round, I set the menu's, make sure we made enough food. And that can be a tricky little detail, cause I never knew how many people we were going to be feeding. I ran out of food a couple of times, well, ran short that is. I totally overestimated how many people would come in and had a surfeit of food left over. But that was just part and parcel of the whole experience.
I really enjoyed watching our numbers climb week by week, most weeks that is.
But, it was time for me to bow out again, I just didn't have the time to devote to cooking every week. Not only was I going in once a week to cook, but I had to take time to plan menus, take time to do the shopping, the prep work and it got to be too much.
I did enjoy myself, the volunteers were fantastic, the food was well received and it was a positive experience.
All good things do come to an end sometimes, and this was one of them.
So...
I'm back in my own kitchen again, experimenting, having fun and have the occasional offering to the Kitchen Goddess, otherwise known as the garbage can.
But that's life.
I knew I was going to miss going in every week, was going to miss my great volunteers, a couple of whom have since passed on.
And I did.
I missed the people, I missed the kitchen, I missed the adrenaline rush I would get every week, racing against the clock to make sure that lunch was ready, right at noon.
And we made it most of the time. There was a time or two that we were late, not more than 5 minutes or so, but I'd say we made it with seconds to spare, most weeks.
Well, I got back in the kitchen again.
Started in January, and got that lovely adrenaline rush again, racing against the clock, and made it, every single week.
I was the kitchen manager this time round, I set the menu's, make sure we made enough food. And that can be a tricky little detail, cause I never knew how many people we were going to be feeding. I ran out of food a couple of times, well, ran short that is. I totally overestimated how many people would come in and had a surfeit of food left over. But that was just part and parcel of the whole experience.
I really enjoyed watching our numbers climb week by week, most weeks that is.
But, it was time for me to bow out again, I just didn't have the time to devote to cooking every week. Not only was I going in once a week to cook, but I had to take time to plan menus, take time to do the shopping, the prep work and it got to be too much.
I did enjoy myself, the volunteers were fantastic, the food was well received and it was a positive experience.
All good things do come to an end sometimes, and this was one of them.
So...
I'm back in my own kitchen again, experimenting, having fun and have the occasional offering to the Kitchen Goddess, otherwise known as the garbage can.
But that's life.
