Welcome To My Kitchen

It must seem odd to start a blog based on my classroom in March, but I've been thinking about doing this for almost a year. If I put it off until August who knows what could happen.


First a little  history. My career began, though I didn't realize at the time, when I was 14 years old. That's when I was hired by Jack's as a summer employee. Jack's is a fast food hamburger chain in the south. I was trained in both front and back of the line, but was much too shy at that time to do the register well. I ended up in the kitchen working the fryers, and I loved it. It was followed by years of waiting tables, working banquets, working in prep kitchens, time as a front desk clerk, clerical work in sales and catering, food & beverage cost control, beverage manager, cafe manager, food & beverage director, gourmet food & cheese buyer, designing and opening a quick service restaurant, and then 10 years as a high school business teacher. I did manage to get a degree in hospitality management from Florida State University and completed the education courses required to become a certified teacher. When an opportunity arose to join the career center as a culinary arts teacher, it was the perfect blending of my two careers. I truly feel like I've found the perfect job for me.