Wednesday, March 25, 2009

When you put yourself out there....

Since you last heard from me, oh boy, a lot has happened.

We left Europe after a fabulous food discovery tour, all of which will be listed in subsequent blogs. I sucked the life out of every local food scene we stumbled across.

From Paris to Lyon, Lyon to Genova, Genova to Cinque Terra * the best food of my life*




to Florence,
Rome
and Catania (Sicily)
followed by Venice, Innsbruck, Munich, Prague, Hungary and Vienna, we finalized the feast of culture and life, in a small picturesque town of Hallstatt. This was a Christmas that I will never forget. Lovely produce, a traditional turkey, and all the trimmings in the land where Christmas began. Unbelievably relaxed, it even snowed exactly as we sat down for lunch! We completed the fairytale with tobogganing on Boxing Day.






BACK IN AUS!!


It was equally incredible to be back home in Aus. I felt that whilst I was overseas, there was so much to learn, but also, so much that didn’t necessarily apply to us. We are a young free country. We have so many unbelievably diverse cultures ruminating together in one grand soup pot that we could be forgiven for not keeping up with Europe. Europe was a fantastic learning ground for what I can see Australia will be in thousands of year’s time. I predict a confident country with a strict food identity, like France and Italy, Germany and even England.
But for right now, we are still experimenting, so I have decided that it is ok, and even quite fitting that here I am, in this country, experimenting with my cakes and baking, blazing the trail as I go, just like the rest of the country.

To be frank, right now, there is no place I would rather be. I have had moments of severe confusion. I have backed down from opportunities knocking at my door with fear of it all actually working out, just as I had planned!
This is half of the reason that you have heard from me less! I was busy sitting in the confusion…do I go back to TV, or do I stay here, where my dream of a baking business (the start of building a brand that my cafe will follow)is ACTUALLY working!

Ok you need some backstory! Anth and I arrived in Melbourne in early February. Within a week my girlfriend had found me a client for my baking, and whilst sourcing produce for the baking for that cafe, I also sourced myself another client.
Now I already have two clients, both hugely understanding that I am learning, but the proof is in the pudding, and proof they got! I rushed around with samples, and obviously impressed them…and now, here I sit with a real chance of getting off the ground with a little baking business.

Opportunities, people and ideas keep presenting themselves, even though I am still convincing myself that this is the right thing to do!

This blog is keeping me honest and accountable. Accountable to myself and my dream.

In my opinion, if anyone tries to tell you starting a business is going to be a hard road, and will it all be worth it...etc etc, then maybe you need to question a little and see how that fits with you, BUT what I have worked out is that the only person that often doesn’t let you succeed is just yourself.
Because, it kind of does start falling into place, people do accept you into their community, they want to teach you and guide you when they can see it REALLY IS your passion that is guiding you...so maybe it is meant to be. Right now I am putting my fear aside and going with the “meant to be” idea, knowing I have something to offer and honourable intentions to spread. For you, and the good of understanding, I will continue to be a pane of glass in this development process!

Right now, i need to go tend to my rhubarb that a possible 3rd client has given me to do something cakey and yummy with!!!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

New Post on the way




Anth and I have been settling into our new home in Melbourne, Aus.
Sorry for the lack of updates...its been a tough time, but now we have come up for air, I have time to share with you.
You will be so proud of what I have achieved since I have been home, so watch this space for an onslaught of blogs about my progress and transition into food glorious food!
in the mean time, here are a couple of photos from that lovely day with Meg in packaging town! We even had time for lovely little lunch together.