In New York, going where dreams are made of.

Oh man its been a couple of weeks since the last entry haha. I kept procrastinating on the update. I realllly want to upload pictures but I can't find the stupid USB cable to connect my camera into the computer. It's labor day, and I just got finished walking around exploring and eating at some more small places around the city. I think everyday that goes by, I love this city more and more. I seem to find peace and more about myself every time I go out with no destination. There's all sort of people in this city, rich to poor, short to tall, black to white, sad and happy. I feel as if the world just compacted itself in to these five boroughs. Everyone here is either doing their best to survive or is content with whatever they have. So I feel like I belong here more than anywhere else. Before I chose to move here, I had several options presented for me from my previous chef from LA, SF, to Florida. I think I chose here because everyone says that if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. I really want to see if thats true. From history, immigrants from Europe came here, with nothing. Some became nothing but some became more than they could ever imagined. Perhaps it's also another reason why I feel like this is a proper choice for the beginning of my career. Aside from the fact that majority of the US's top rated restaurants are here haha.

I've been at the restaurant for three weeks now, and I gotta say, I've gained so much respect for the restaurant, its' employees and everyone in the business in general. There was a meeting which the heads of the restaurant expressed how they felt about a recent event that brought a dissapointing mood to the place. Everyone expressed how they felt on their face, I looked around and see how heart broken the employees were and the sadness they felt. But by the end of the meeting, everyone encouraged each other to move on, to work as one. I saw how dedicated all the employees were, how much they love the restaurant. The meeting gave me confidence and a drive to keep improving and work harder, for myself, and for all those who love the restaurant. I never realized it til now that a restaurant is not just a place to eat, or to make money. It's also home to many hard working folks, it's a living breathing environment with the blood and soul of all the workers embodying it. I guess how much work, and love that is poured into a restaurant will ensure it's survival. So next time you go out to eat, take time to see how much work and love was poured into the place, from the decor, the food, to the service. We're all there to make you feel happy.

It took about two weeks til I got comfortable to communicate and talk to the other cooks in the kitchen. Once I did I felt myself improving overall when I worked, now it's fun. It takes time because this is my second home, I spend almost half my week here in the kitchen. The cooks are like my brothers; we're all a family. I have respect for every single one of them. I always thought that it was purely...competitive based on the books I've read written from other chefs. So I came with a mindset of purely working for myself and beating others. Now I don't really care about being better than the next person. Food is about coming together, sharing, and life in general. So I do whatever I can to help the person next to me, staying late to help set up the station. It's all okay because we're all fighting for the same side.

I promised myself one thing. Come the day I become a sous-chef or a exec. chef. I'll always treat my cooks with respect, and will always stick by their side. I always felt like a general should always fight along side his men. I never understood why some chefs treat their cooks like crap and feel like theyre the best or something. Were they not once line cooks? and know how it feels like to be treated like that? Gradually I'm learning to become more patient, which I think something all chefs should have. Patience with food, and with others.

So to end this I will say, the worst thing about living in NYC. Is that I live wayyyyyy too close to clothing stores. I don't smoke, I don't really drink, I don't gamble, I'm fairly "straight-edge" some will say. People always wonder how I don't have money sometime. The secret is I like clothes and I shop a helllllllaaaaa lot >.<. It seriously does not help with me working several blocks away from SoHo either haha. Maybe I'll include some fashion things here and there on this blog =D