Spain
ESPANA!
This is where I realized I wanted to be a chef. It was a day after the Madrid train bombings that I arrived in Spain for the first time. Not the best time to visit, especially since the normally lively Spaniards were in a deliberately sober mood.
But life for everyone soon moved on, and the mood returned to their normal lust for life. And after an incredible bicycle journey though Andalucia I was hooked…
I’m pretty sure it was in Granada, where I was grazing at a tapas bar on some Jamon, Olives, and Croquettes, watching cheery cooks and bar tenders take care of their grateful and happy guests. Things made sense right then. Good ingredients, simple preparations, necessary sustenance turned into a world of pleasure and delight for the senses and the soul. It just clicked, and after my return to Chicago I was soon studying at Le Cordon Bleu.
Many times I have been back here, since I cannot get enough of the energy, landscape, people, and delicious cuisine.
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