Thursday, July 31, 2008

Crazy Baking Shoes

I'm currently:
Flipping channels between 'X-Games' and 'So You Think You Can Dance'

Savoring a ridiculously fudgy brownie that I made earlier today

Some thoughts:
Tonight's baking session at the Tea Shop turned into a bit of a bust. When I arrived, my employers were up to their ears getting ready for tomorrow's opening, so their focus was on tea and coffee, not baked goods. They were planning to still bake one thing for tomorrow, so I stuck around. However, shortly after I was there, the battery of the scale died, and the hope of baking went along with it.

The ride home on the PATH was brutal. We were packed like sardines... in an oven. When I got off the train the hot platform actually seemed refreshing. I schmoozed with the man selling ice cream in a Mr. Softy truck across the street from the station, and he dug out an ice cold bottle of water for me.

As I waited for Adam to pick me up from the station, I tried to think on the bright side. I capped my nearly drained water bottle and looked down at the ground. The bright side was right under my nose: My crazy baking shoes.

Earlier today I stopped at Macy's in search of a pair of comfortable (and close toed!) shoes that I can wear to the bakery. The result? A pair of multicolored keds complete with cherries, badminton rackets, and lots of plaids. The shoes are a little out there, which I think fits quite well with this whole endeavor-- it's ALL a little out there! Quitting my job? Crazy. Deciding to work for free as a baker's apprentice? Crazy. Multicolored Keds-- well they actually seem a bit normal in comparison.

Lets hope they bring me some luck!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Private Event! Tea Shop Tasting

I'm currently:
Watching 'So You Think You Can Dance'

Enjoying no longer wearing heels

Some thoughts:
I was invited to attend a 'tasting' at the Tea Shop where I'll be baking. I had no idea what an official tasting event was, but I wore a cute top, skinny jeans, and my most comfotable (yet sexy) peep toed pumps, figuring that I might as well look good. On my walk over I stopped into a little Thai food place and ate some Chicken Pad Thai with lots of lime. (my favorite!) My friends told me I proably shouldn't eat before something called a TASTEing, but I didn't want to show up starving and grumpy.

Well, good thing I ate.

The tasting turned out to be very laid back and relaxed. The door to the Shop said 'Private Event', which made walking in special (in it's own small way). But after that, everything was a blur of crowds and passing cups of colored tea with bubble and big straws. I didn't stay too long. Just enough to have a cup of decaf red tea with tapioca and to congratulate my two new employers.

I'm very excited to go back there tomorrow night and bake. As much fun as it was to be in the crowd watching the opening, I have to admit that sometimes I'd much rather be in the kitchen watching the oven...

Strawberry Cupcake Senioritis

I'm currently:
Daydreaming about baking strawberry cupcakes topped with vanilla frosting and maraschino cherries.

Super excited about the tasting tonight at the Tea Shop!


Some thoughts:
Instead of giving my current job two weeks notice, I decided to give them two weeks... plus a full month. This seemed like a good plan for everyone: I knew it would be difficult for them to find (and train) someone in only two weeks, and on the flip side, having me start at the bakery in September was best for my new boss. I've also quite enjoyed working here. Although this is not my passion, my coworkers have been wonderful to work with, and it will eventually be sad to go.

However, as I sit here in my cubicle, I can't focus on emails or spreadsheets any longer. The hum of the AC is all I can hear aside from the faint tapping of computer keys around me. My mind keeps drifting to tonight's Tasting at the Tea Shop (PS- How exciting is that?! I don't even know what a Tasting is, but I'm imagining it will be extremely glamorous and fun!) See, there I go on another tangent. I can't stop daydreaming about baking...

I've got to admit that I'm developing a severe case of senioritis! In front of the blurry text in my inbox I'm imagining images of assorted baked goods and me happily piping icing onto cakes while tuned into my ipod.

The thought is enough to make even a stronger person fidgety... and hungry, to boot! August 28th is only 30 days away... let the countdown begin.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Taking the Plunge

I'm currently...
Eating yogurt with peaches & 'morning mix' granola out of a fabulous bowl from
Fishs Eddy.

Contemplating going to the gym.

Listening to Yankees vs. Orioles on tv. Also listening to Adam shread a never ending pile of junk mail.

Some thoughts:
Many people have told me that they dream of quitting their desk jobs to pursue a fantasy job where they live out their passion each day. Well, I took that dream one step further.

As you may know from my baking blog, I Heard You Bake Cakes, I have a serious passion for baking. Over the past few months I've thought more seriously about this passion, and about what it would be like to bake for a living. I looked into Culinary Schools, I called numerous bakeries in NY/NJ, and I talked to past professors in the NYU Food Studies department. The more I learned, the more I loved the idea of baking professionally.

So, I've taken a huge leap. I've quit my (steady, well paid) job, and I've accepted an offer to be a (lowly, unpaid) apprentice at a well known bakery in NJ. I've also agreed to bake one or two nights a week at a small tea shop in NYC. On top of all the baking, I'll be working retail in bakeries, too (since a girl's gotta afford rent!) This experience can make or break my dream. And I'm hoping for the former.

I hope to write in this blog daily to keep a record of this extreme change in my life, and to hopefully give some wisdom (or warning!) to others who might be considering the pursuit of their secret dreams...

Here goes nothing! Wish me luck!