"There is no love sincerer than the love of food"

Hey yall!
So San Fransisco was amazing, but needs more investigating. There is just far too much to do in one day! It's a good thing I live so close now... :)
We have a couple projects going on in class now - the first is a presentation on our desired externship. (From april 19- September 11 we are required to participate in an externship, or off-site internship with a list of approved members of the culinary world). If everything goes according to plan, I will be interning with Via Veneto, a Michelin star restaurant in Barcelona, Spain. (Check it out at http://www.viavenetorestaurant.com). HOW EXCITING! Spain has one of the fastest growing cuisines in terms of popularity and culinary recognition today. And, duh i love Spain!
Our second project is a menu development group project. We are to create a 4 course menu with one central theme and present this to the Chefs here at CIA along with a costing form. This is a big deal - it's our first real interaction with some of the bigwigs here, and our first chance to make a good impression and show them what we are capable of. My group has decided to use chocolate as the theme and serve dishes prepared using chocolate as a savory ingredient. When we finish, Ill be sure to share the final product with yall!
Today there was a welcoming reception for our new class which just reiterated the class and high level this insitution is based on. All of the chefs are experts in their fields and i simply cannot wait to learn everything I can from them! Before school started I was nervous and scared and couldnt help but think - am I a poser? I have no business here...do I know anything about this? But since day one i am only more and more assured that this is where i am meant to be. Its a thrill a minute and I love it so much.
In other news, I am currently exhausting all possible resources trying to find a job. Just to show you how far I am reaching right now, I just applied for a job with the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group! For those of you who dont know, thats like the mozart in the culinary field. Keller is the only American-born chef to hold multiple michelin star ratings ever; he also won Best Chef Award from Time Magazine and has won consecutive James Beard Awards for best chef. He has 4 restaurants and a bakery - all except for one (per se in ny) are here in napa, so i figured, why not at least try? Im giddy at the very thought of working for him!
Things are getting busy here with job hunting, the project, and externship preperations under way. I could not be happier!
Until the next post, eat well yall! <3