Well, I’ve mentioned previously that some big changes would be happening around here, and so they have. On August 5th, I handed in my keys and security badge at my law firm and walked away from what, by all accounts, would have been a successful career as a lawyer. Success is, of course, measured in different ways by different people. I made good money and was on the partnership track, but was deeply unsatisfied as a lawyer- a fact which, I’m sure, made me less than pleasant to work with on occasion. After nearly five years of practice, I finally made the decision that I needed more in my life to feel like a true success.
We are all faced at some point in our lives with the question of whether we’ve chosen the right path for ourselves, and, sadly, many face that question at a time when their responsibilities to others are too great to make a change possible or when they simply don’t have anything else they really want to do. I, at almost 30, am unmarried and have no children or debt of any kind. But more importantly, rather than simply leaving behind one career because I’m unhappy, I am leaving to pursue a passion, and I’ll give you one guess as to what that passion is…..
Give up?
Okay, fine. I’ll tell you. Food and wine, of course! If there’s one thing that having this blog has taught me it’s that I love feeding people (and writing about it). So, this Fall, I am headed back to school (again) – culinary school this time – and will be simultaneously starting my very own catering and events company – The Corked Fork Catering and Events, which will provide traditional catering and private chef services as well as cooking classes, wine tasting events, party planning, and other types of “edutainment” classes involving two of life’s true pleasures – food and beverage.
For those of you wondering what will happen to CorkPopper, fear not. Though you will notice some changes with the website itself (and I ask in advance for your patience with regard to any technological difficulties that might occur) the CorkPopper blog will live on. Not only will I finally get around to publishing the nearly dozen posts I’ve been promising for the past few months AND continue with the LocaPour Project, but CorkPopper will also be the vehicle through which you’ll be able to follow my exploits in culinary school and the cutthroat Los Angeles catering and private chef industry (though everyone but me will, of course, continue to remain anonymous).
Some of you probably think I’m insane, and you might just be right. I might just fail miserably and decide in a few years to go back to the law. Anything is possible. But the one thing I can say for sure is that if I don’t take this risk and just try, I will regret it forever. In a life as short as this one, not taking the risk when you can is the real insanity. You can’t go through life just dipping your toes in.
Cheers, then, to taking the plunge.
