Friday, July 28, 2017

And then a year later...

I'm back again!  Sporadic, I know.  It's been a crazy year, with the birth of my daughter and everything.  Here's a recap of what's been going on since her birth last year...

Towards the end of my maternity leave, I was faced with a difficult decision:  whether to stay at my current job at the five-star hotel as a part-time, or find a different part-time job.  I just knew that, come December, there is NO WAY for me to get away working part-time at the hotel.

As chef-de-partie, I was responsible for keeping all the pastries at La Bonne Vie stocked, as well as preparing all the pastries for the High Tea.  During the month of December, pastries (especially macarons) fly off the shelf.  Seriously.  On several occasions, after getting back to the kitchen from delivering the pastries and the macarons to the shop (takes about 10 minutes round rip), we would get a call from them, asking for more because they just sold out.  Sometimes it would be a single customer purchasing the entire show case.  On average, my shift lasted 10~12 hours, every single day.  That would mean that I would be away from my 6-month old baby for possibly 14 hours.
As much as I loved working at the hotel, this was NOT acceptable.

So I started searching fora part-time pastry chef positions.  Miraculously, I found one: a part-time pastry chef position that paid way more than the hotel!  I couldn't believe it at first... but I decided to give it a go.  After updating/revamping my resume (which hasn't been touched in the last three years), I submitted my application.  I got a call for an interview the very next day!  After the most fun interview I've ever had, they informed me that they will contact me later for the verdict.  That evening, they called and told me I got the job!

And that is how, with much reluctance, I resigned my position at the hotel.  It was an amazing three years, full of tears, frustrations, and hardships, as well as gaining valuable experience, knowledge, and friends.  On to new adventures!!