The Final Stretch

I have three weeks left of grad school. Three weeks! In some ways, it feels like I just moved to Boston to begin my first semester of classes. But in other ways, when I really think about everything I’ve learned, experienced, and accomplished, it’s hard to believe it has only been one year.

I was able to walk in my school’s graduation ceremony in May, which was wonderful, but also a bit cruel. Cruel because I still had three classes to go in 12 weeks before officially receiving my degree. Needless to say, the first half of my summer didn’t feel like summer at all as I holed up in the library studying for my wine and nutrition courses. There was a lot of reading, researching, test taking, paper writing, wine tasting, and nutrition analyzing that had to take place in just 42 days. Despite all of the work, I really enjoyed both classes and walked away with a solid overview of both topics.

I am now taking my last class – a culinary lab – which is quite possibly the most amazing way I could end this program. After studying food from seemingly every angle, heading into a professional kitchen to gain first-hand experience has been incredible. I’ve learned so much about techniques, flavors, and cuisines, and found it so satisfying to prepare a variety of dishes each night. I’ve had the chance to make everything from beef bourguignon to cheese soufflés to sabayon with fresh berries – and I’m just getting started. In the next few weeks, I’ll be learning from chefs who have specialties ranging from Indian cuisine to seafood.

A culinary class creation: frisée salad

I love that I’m able to take what I learn in class and apply it directly at home in my own kitchen. I’ve always loved to cook, but now have a much more solid culinary base to work from. As I prepare for another cross-country move, job search, and all of the other things that will accompany my transition back to the West Coast in the next couple of months, I’ll definitely be turning to the kitchen for some therapeutic relief.

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