Ciao, CHOW...

The past two and a half years will be full of memories of the East Bay where I grew up. I saw old friends, enjoyed the natural resources of the Bay Area and tried to become grounded for the next stage of my life. Yet, the one constant throughout will be the days and nights I spent at CHOW. I got the job in October, 2003 and from the first day I felt like I was home. The friends I made, both with the staff and my amazingly generous and warm regular guests, have made me feel like I have a new family, right in my own neighborhood. Thanks to Ally for hiring me, to Jack for mentoring me, to Jeff Amber for teaching me about food, to Joe Conte for being a "good and fair" Republican, to Sharon for all those mornings, to Luis and Carlos for being my neighbors and friends, to Ray and Beth for helping me all those Mondays when no one else would, to Rob and Jeff for flirting with me relentlessly, to Brenn for talking ball and treating me like one of the guys, to Meg and Kathy for (you know what!) to Steve and Tracy for being the best parents ever! to everyone at the other CHOWS for being so cool, to Gene "you da man!" to the morning crews for putting up with my anal retentiveness, to Carmen for the awesome wine classes and the Berlin hook-up, to the entire Market staff for making me laugh, to Michelle for inspiring me to travel, for my baristas for putting up with me in general, to Jose and all the guys in the kitchen for calling me "la reina," to the bussers for helping me every single day, to my baby Nate, for sticking it out and earning what you rightly deserve, to Kara, Shane, Jimmy and the Thanksgiving crew!, to Schmolke and Branden for being more drunk and hungover than me, to Nick and Jeff for putting up with my notes, to Tony for believing in me, to Nate who finally started coming to breakfast, to Luca, my very first afternoon regular, and to Lori, my beautiful friend, who because of CHOW, will be like a sister to me for the rest of my life. You are the greatest gift I could have received out of this whole experience. Finally, thanks to all of my customers. Without you, I wouldn't have lasted so long. I'll never forget those days and nights, and I'll cherish you always...

One...Two Steps Closer

Well, this week marks a couple of milestones. First, I am moving out of my little Berkeley bungalow, which has served me well over the last few months. I was able to get out of town each night, watch the sunset, hike a little and just breathe. Thanks to Anna my neighbor and landlord, for being so nice and to little Sammy, who inspired me to laugh and have no fear to venture out into the unknown...even if you had to find other senses to do so. I'll miss you guys, but I will keep you in my thoughts and remember you always! Next, goodbye to friends I'll cherish for a lifetime.