Dear Fellow Foodies,
I must apologize. My, oh my what must you think of me. I started this blog over two weeks ago with no reference to who I am, why I am writing and more importantly why you are reading. Let me introduce myself. I am Señorita Foodie, and I hail from New York City. As you probably know I love food. Cooking it, reading about it, talking about it, shopping for it, and of course eating it. But, before I start waxing poetically about the beauty of a perfectly ripe avocado let's start with the basics shall we?
Six months ago I packed my bags, sold my furniture, stored my belongings and said goodbye to Brooklyn, my friends, my family and yes, my favorite quaint, little coffee shop situated on my favorite quaint, little treelined street. Ohh how I miss my green tea latte and those peanut butter, banana and honey sandwiches served with a side of jazz on a brisk winter's day! Sorry, moving on. So, before I left I was a Private Chef to an Upper East Side well-to-do family, with a food obsession, i.e. obsessed with not eating much of it. Oh, the stories I could share! Before that I was sweating with the best of them at Eleven Madison Park and Gramercy Tavern in New York City, after graduating from culinary school. My plan for the big jump? Immerse myself in Spain's culture, eat as many tortillas as I could, cook my heart out, perfect my Spanish and absorb this gastronomical cuisine.
A sense of belonging and a new life greeted me back in February when I arrived to my new city with luggage in one hand and bubbly anticipation in the other. I was thousands of miles away from my beautiful family, while standing on the brink of an incredible adventure. After a brief stage at Comerce 24, a well-known tapas restaurant in the El Borne neighborhood, I began teaching English to earn a bit of change. I discovered two things during this time. One, teaching, well teaching is not for me. Screaming, misbehaved kids plus lack of patience equals disaster. Two, I had an overwhelming urge to take my life by the reigns and step out of the restaurant world and into one that would offer me more fulfillment creatively.
I must confess it took me a while to get back to the root of why I came here. I guess what they call la vida loca snuck up on me and decided to stay longer than I intended, but from day one I knew in my gut Barcelona would provide the backdrop I needed to get my creative juices flowing and to really step out of my comfort zone and accomplish something. I owe it to myself to explore this great city of food and take advantage of each day here. My interests are a plenty and my ideas and visions are always evolving. So, here I am a few months later soaking up the sun and putting the peddle to the metal. Is that what they say? In other words I got my head and ass in gear and I am ready to make things happen on my own terms and it all begins with this blog.
First things first. With all my treks back and forth to various markets around the city, ogling the finest looking cheeses, fruits, vegetables and meats I decided I needed to start documenting my whereabouts. With great pleasure I will bring you places I find down right delicious to eat at, shop at and of course a smattering of foodie type musings, stories and recipes.
Second, before I find myself back in my whites taking orders from a chef I am slowly putting the wheels in motion to start my own catering business. I know, I know, we are in a "crisis" as the Spaniards say or a "recession" as you on the other side of the water call it. Whichever word you fancy, bottom line is, money isn't rolling in. Times are tough folks, but I will endure I say, I will endure! Well, you can be the judge of that, because I will chronicle a bit about this rocky road on my blog.
So, that's who I am and that's what's on the table. I invite you to settle into your favorite chair, nosh on something tasty and daydream about far off lands and scrumptious treats. Buen provecho!
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