Howdy!

So, what brought a young, Texas born-and-raised girl to the crazy, non-stop city of New York? FOOD. New York City is the restaurant capital of America, and no other place will give as delicious a culinary education as living in this environment. I feel thrilled, blessed, and just a little terrified to be living here. 


I am currently enrolled in ICE, Institute of Culinary Education, to get a dual degree in Culinary Arts and Culinary Management. Basically, I get to talk, listen, and learn about food ALL DAY. It's heaven. Out of 110 lessons, I am only 14 lessons in and I already feel like my entire view of cooking has been transformed and enhanced into the mindset of the professional culinary world. I have learned how to correctly hold a very sharp knife (a deep-rooted fear that I was forced to overcome), how to properly butcher every kind of raw protein imaginable, how to cut up squid, and how to successfully kill a live lobster. It has been an astounding few weeks and I cannot wait to see what's in store for the next 96 lessons!


As a foodie, living in New York is one appetizing adventure after the another. Every possible kind of restaurant concept is practiced and achieved in this magical city. From macaroni and cheese diners to dessert bars, it creates a biting sense of urgency within me to experience all of them. However, seeing that there are about 30,000 restaurants in the city, that hope is entirely unrealistic. But I am still determined to reach as many as I can and I hope to document them all in this blog :)


The first culinary adventure I will share occurred yesterday as friends and I ventured our way to Chinatown to attend the 2nd annual Dumpling Festival. 

Being a dumpling fanatic, I could not wait to be at the festival surrounded by all of the little pockets of goodness (goodness being deliciously seasoned pork wrapped in fluffy dough and then pan fried).  The festival was packed with fellow dumpling lovers as we all spent the hot Saturday afternoon standing in long lines for warm, delicious dumplings. My personal highlight of the day was spotting the infamous chef, Mario Batali from the Food Network's Iron Chef. Seeing such a well-respected chef chowing down on cheap dumplings at a crowded festival made me so proud to be embarking in an industry that embodies such a wide variety of cultures, flavors, and experiences. After we had eaten our final bits of dumpling, we waved farewell to the beloved festival and made our way back onto the busy streets of the city.


That was the first of many new food experiences. Join me as I blog all of my culinary adventures- from cooking things I would have never imagined possible to eating places that are impossibly good. It's going to be an unforgettable year!