Patience

I’ve been sitting, waiting, and wishing that this wasn’t the slowest time of year for chocolatiers. Unfortunately it is, and nobody wants to hire in May. But that’s okay. When I decided to go to culinary school, I knew what kind of risk I was taking. I fully accepted to get up at the crack of dawn, never paint my nails, work 32 hour shifts around Christmas, and make less money than the bag-boy at Safeway. I do it all because it makes me happy. Waking up at the crack of dawn isn’t so bad when the smell croissants coming out of the oven hits you.

I also decided that I wanted to take certain risks in my life. I don’t want to look back and think that I missed out on some great adventure. In the past two years I’ve met some great and some terrible people. Had some marvellous adventures, and tasted awesome food. I will trade in my comfortable bed, for the thin mattress from IKEA. All the while knowing what my goal is, and seeing the bigger picture. So it’s okay that I have to wait two more weeks until anyone that I want to work for will even consider hiring me. I am patient, and can wait for my next big adventure.

In pastry you need to be consistently patient. Waiting for things to rise, bake and cool. A perfect example is croissants. These flaky pastries take all day to make, but in the end all the waiting and folding is worth it.