Chef Genny’s Blog:
Hello Sweet Friends!
Just about an hour ago I was craving something SWEET. Especially after a long Sunday walk in the wind followed by a savory, salty snack, I needed my sugar fix. However, I am trying not to overindulge (in most aspects of my life), so I sat in front of the computer to take a break with a butter knife, one jar of Nutella and another jar of peanut butter. Dip. Lick. Dip. Lick. Good enough.
To prove my never-ending loyalty to Piece, Love & Chocolate, I clicked on our website. Although slightly dismayed at it not being the new-and-improved format (c’mon website guys!), I was thrilled to see an “article” written about ME by my new boss…this ought to be good.
Her entry includes how we met, her impression of me and the shop, how I worked and related to her, to my employees and all of the customers that came into the shop during those delightful weeks when I called her “Intern Sarah” (I was simultaneously training the new manager at the new location also named Sara–she was “Manager Sara” and didn’t last long) It sure is interesting to hear her side of our close, albeit brief, relationship and many things she mentions I totally agree with–especially how needed she was, how valuable she was and how devastated I was when she left.
I would be the first to admit that I am leery and very skeptical of interns working with me. I will also make a harsh generalization when I say that most people, just because they agree to work for free, think that they are invaluable and a gift to you and your business. That is not the case 99% of the time, but it was with Sarah. She was different in every way. And what she did for me (during her internship and beyond) has been nothing short of a miracle.
It has occurred to me only in the past couple of years that there are “angels” that come into my life to show me something, teach me something and take me places where I need to be (however unappealing that seems at first). I have no doubt that amongst these individuals are people like my husband, my son, my best girlfriends and my employers and my dog.
I wouldn’t call Sarah an Angel of Mine just because she has offered me a job, praises me all the time and buys me pretty chef coats. I would call her an Angel because she has jump-started my belief that I am worth all of those things.
When I learned that Sarah was declining the offer to work at the Pastry Shop with me a couple of years ago, I was devastated. I felt like my puppy love interest had dumped me and I was crushed. How could this happen? We got along so great and now it was all….over (dramatic SNIFF). I was even too embarrassed to express my grief to people who knew me (and us) because I thought I was being so over-the-top affected. But even though I was disappointed (to say the least), I never did question “why?” about her decision. I knew that young lady was meant for bigger and better things, so I wasn’t too surprised when we found each other again.
She approached me by telling me that she was giving me an option to work with her and her new business and, even if I declined, to remember that I had options. That might sound simple and obvious to most people, but it is a message I think of nearly everyday and in everything I do. It took every ounce of my strength and courage to take her offer and, therefore, disappoint and inconvenience others. It goes against my original hard-wiring and the way my brain works to do that, but it took the right person at the right place in my life for me to hear it and act on it.
Now, I don’t have some pie-in-the-sky idea of FUN it will be now that we’re blissfully reunited. There is a reason they call it “work” and Sarah, Heidi and myself are embarking upon the timeless challenge of balancing work with family. It’s scary and there’s a lot of responsibility on every one’s shoulders. But there are also a lot of glorious options open to us and I, personally, have Angel Sarah to thank for that.
Genny–Kitchen Manager and Cocoa Coordinator