10.29.08
Posted in The Story at 11:27 am by Chef Matt
Today is Wednesday. A day that I had arisen at 6:40AM for every day for the past year and a half. My Monday morning. In a real sense, this is my first day of retirement.
My body - in an attempt to make me pay for my shoddy treatment of it - said, “I will make you very very sleepy now since it is early on a Wednesday.” (This is what it typically does every Wednesday morning.)
Of all the bad movies I reference in this blog, I figured this wouldn’t ever make the list… |
To which I was happily able to reply, “Bring it on!!”
I slept until 10:30, and man it feels great. I have never been a morning person, and now I don’t have to be. So as a retired chef, what am I going to do on my first day off?…
I think I’ll make bread.
Yeah, maybe I need practice at being retired…
Chef Matt
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10.28.08
Posted in The Story at 2:30 pm by Chef Matt
It’s a weird thing being retired at 32. My last day has come and gone at Rustico, and people are constantly asking me, “So do you feel (random emotion) about it?” The answer is invariably, “Yes.” I feel almost everything about it.
I’m sad to leave a job I really liked
I’m excited for the move to England
I’m scared about the move to England
I’m happy to be moving on for such an incredible adventure
I’m depressed about leaving all my friends behind
I’m anxious about meeting all sorts of new people and making new friends
I’m doubtful that I’ll be able to drive on the left side of the road well
I’m thrilled about my soon-to-be easy access to cheese made from unpasteurized milk
I’m hoping to be able to find stuff to do with my free time
Now I can slice through my hands with a higher quality of knife. |
The list goes on and on. But the real emotion now is the mixture of sadness and pride associated with my leaving Rustico. Many people on my staff did a lot of very nice things for me as I left. I was given several cakes and cards, a few cookbooks and even a fabulous set of Shun knives that everyone chipped in for. It was truly overwhelming to see how much everyone cared, and how much they thought of the work I’d done there.
I think Jason, my GM, said it best when I remarked how amazing it was to see what everyone did for me. He said, “You’re only see all the appreciation when it comes down to the end. During the job, you never get any positive feedback since it is just your job, but when you go, everyone suddenly comes out and lets you know what they were thinking all along. The real proof though is when you come back in a year, how much of the things you set up are still being used.”
Well I guess it’s a date then. I’ll have to go back someday soon and see how much has changed from the way I did things, and how much of my “legacy” remains.
But for now, I am up in Bedford, PA, enjoying my first week off in almost 2 years…
Chef Matt
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10.14.08
Posted in The Story at 1:55 pm by Chef Matt
Well it has been some time once again since I have written, but there have been some very major developments in my life that have led to this neglect. I apologize for the delay, but I’m sure you’ll agree this is big news.
In fact, so big, it will take several posts to cover it all. But at the core of it all, “Deglazed” will be changing in its focus and content. And I hope you all will join me in the new direction it heads.
Much like there was a major life change that brought me to become a chef, and thus was the core of what “Deglazed” was all about, there is another major life change I am about to go through:
This is not on the London Underground, it’s the sign at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean… |
I’m moving to London!
Yes, my lovely wife Caroline (remember, the one you all made me spend my “found $500″ on?…) just got a new job as a database consultant in England, and since I kinda think she’s more fun when she’s nearby, I’ll be following her.
So what does this mean for my chef career? First off, I of course had to let them know at Rustico that I’d be leaving. I told them 3 weeks ago now (time flies!) and I gave them 5 weeks notice. They have been nothing but supportive/congratulatory/professional about the whole thing. It was both a relief and an honor to be treated so well by them. So I’m now at 2 weeks and counting at Rustico.
Will I be a chef over in England? Well, I need to see if I can get a work visa (green card) while I’m there, but even then there is another twist that I swear I’m not making up. See, my wonderful wife (she will be mentioned a lot here) doesn’t want me to work as a full-time chef while we’re in Europe.
My new career. |
Allow me to repeat that. It is my wife’s idea that I not have a full-time chef’s career. She will have the full-time job, and that will have her traveling around a lot. And she wants to make sure I’m free to join her around Europe. If I am tied down with a chef’s work schedule, there is no way I could take advantage of that. So in short, my chef’s career is on hiatus as I become a man of leisure for the next few years.
So let’s review: My new life will have me be a 32-year-old retiree who is sponging off his lovely wife while living near London and traveling around Europe.
In short, I WIN AT LIFE!!
This blog will now be about the adventures of moving abroad, and then what happens while I’m there. With so much free time on my hands, there are sure to be a lot of fun adventures, and I’m sure I’ll be able to do a lot more of my own cooking which I can share with you. So perhaps this is not what you became a fan of Deglazed for, and I’m sorry about the change that has to be made, but come on, like any of you would pass this up?… 
Stay tuned, there’s lots more for me to tell you about!
Chef Matt
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