Since my last post there has been so much forward momentum in life. So many opportunities have unfolded and I've jumped up to grab every one.
I think this is what manifesting looks and feels like.
Local friend and woman business owner Kristin Sanders of Hausfrau Catering asked if I'd like to get together and chat about the possibility of doing some work with her, which was a no-brainer on my end. Yes, yes! After that, she and I spent an afternoon working a birthday party for around 30 people at a private residence. It was all fast-paced and a complete whirlwind, but I understand the flow of food and entertaining, and it all went smoothly.
And I was hooked.
Then she put together a brunch with herself, me, and two other small woman-owned businesses -- both private chefs -- so we could all talk about the joys and challenges of these specific kinds of businesses. I've now worked with Chef Michelle twice and these women are so badass in the kitchen, and are problem-solvers, and I'm so grateful for these opportunities! This also led to one of the chefs, Ayshe Bauer who owns Lemons and Herbs, asking if I'd like to join her on a destination event in Ocean City, Maryland, to help cook and present a three course meal for a bachelorette party.
Also a no-brainer.
That evening went swimmingly, and the food was all beautiful, delicious, and well received.
This is absolutely my wheelhouse.
Inspired by the meal made with Chef Ayshe, I planned, prepared, and executed a three-course meal made at my parents' house. That looked like me figuring out what all I'd need, like pots and pans, kitchen tools, my knife roll, and all the ingredients packed up in bins or coolers and hauled over for full food prep on location.
The meal looked like this:
1st course: Mixed greens salad with dried fruit, honeyed almonds, croutons, Parmesan cheese, and guava vinaigrette dressing (that recipe from Aloha Cookbook)
2nd course: Ricotta gnocchi and chicken in a lemon cream sauce with buttery Old Bay shrimp
3rd course: Atlantic beach pie
It was a long afternoon, but also a ton of fun. That Atlantic beach pie was super easy to make and probably the best dessert I've made, ever.
Last week I worked again with Hausfrau Catering, from kitchen prep work to setting up and serving at a rehearsal dinner, and then bartending for the wedding --
-- such exhausting work, but I *love* it. There are so many moving parts, so many things to organize and keep straight, and it's weird how I can feel so hyper-focused and yet so relaxed at the same time.
The past couple weeks have also seen me planning and executing details for an upcoming BIG family trip to Outer Banks; there are 13 of us going! I did a lot of the the detail work last year when we found a dog-friendly place that would accommodate us all with all the amenities we all wanted (outdoor shower! hot tub! pool! near the beach!) to make sure we had everything that would make everyone happy. I wanted to book a photographer down there to do a family portrait of us all, and I also wanted to book a fishing trip. This past week I took care of those details.
And let me tell you, I enjoy those details SO MUCH. The planning, and researching, and prepping, and executing ....
.... and I finally feel like there's movement toward me finding a place where I can genuinely love and enjoy the things I'm doing and get paid for doing it because, well, I'm good at it, I've worked hard at it for years, and I'm not afraid to work hard. And that feels amazing after so long feeling stagnant and stuck.
I'm definitely going to continue working for these incredible women chefs and learn the ropes. At some point maybe I'll feel ready to venture out on my own, perhaps with my daughter Lotus as my assistant! But until then, I'm going to relish the fact that, for the first time in my adult life, I have mentors. I know I'm incredibly lucky, but I don't think any of this would have happened if I was too scared to write about my own insecurities here on this blog. Being open with all that allowed all this goodness to happen.
Vulnerability pays off.
If you have upcoming events you are interested in having catered, get in contact with me and I'll send you some options, or just check out the links in this post. Maybe you'll even see me there!
If you're reading this and run your own events and ever need any help locally, let me know!
If you're planning any upcoming trips and not sure where to start with that, shoot me an email at amber.degrace@gmail.com and let's talk about how I can help you. I have years of experience planning short and long trips both in the States and internationally for my family.
Travel and food have forever been my great interests and loves, and while I spent more than a decade writing about them, this transition to more hands-on work feels so right, right now.
(I'm still quite open to writing, btw *wink*)
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