Chef in the park.

PHOTOS - My bread!! Fruit, Rewena and Ciabatta.

A new job! Ive now completed my third day of work as a commis chef in the middle of a national park! Its been a really steep learning curve, completely different to CAT restaurant, and will continue to be, but im enjoying it, everyon eis nice and is showing me how to do everything. I think itll all fit together soon enough. I wonder if 6 months will be too long for me to be isolated out here though, i wonder if i will miss all those people ive left behind and cant see cos im practically on an island. But its so so beautiful and will probably be a good way to spend the winter - improving my chef skills, in a gorgeous setting which forces you to save money, and hopefully make a couple of freinds here, although i havent gelled with anyone yet. Most of the staff leave in a week then its just a skeleton winter staff here..........time will tell!
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A Job!

Guess what? I have a landed myself a job in a choice location, its very isolated but very beautiful. When i say isolated i mean it, you can only get there by a 1 hour 30 min water taxi ride (or helicopter) and the taxis only go twice a day! Crazy. Im stuck there most of the time that means but hopefully i will enjoy being there so much it wont be an issue at all. Its a very amazing place right in the midst of abel tasman national park, and i should be there all winter if all goes well. It is cold and dry for winter apparently so that beats cold and wet anyday. I'm going to be a junior chef there so more training, brilliant. I'm a wee bit nervous but I reacon its a challenge. So i move there in 3 hours time........will put up some pictures when i take them.
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The southy south

Hi,
Its been a while! I picked and picked and picked until one day i picked up and left. That was four days ago and i now find myself in sunny Nelson on the south island, waiting to hear whether i have a fantastic cooking job or not. The day i left i got a phone call from the one place i have applied for a job to which for me was a clear indication that my on-the-spot decision to leave napier was the right one. I had a good time in Napier and am pleased i got some apple picking action in there - i even picked 4 boxes one day - but my heart and soul were very distant in that place, it was functional. I want more than functional in a town so on the road i went. On the way to wellington i made a couple of choice stops at a chocolate factory (WOW) and wine tasting (am i becoming refined beyond my budget? yes that is a possibility). When i arrived in the cultural capital WINDY WINDY city of Wellington i thoroughly enjoyed myself. We went to a couple of exclusive cocktails bars and i found myself quickly developing a taste for expresso martini's, tigers milk, manhattens, mojitos, white russians, and other lovely delights. Motel was probably the most exclusive place i've ever been, it reputedly turned away Liv Tyler during the making of lord of the rings. Its one of those places you have to know about, find it on a dark alley then ring the doorbell to see if they like you enough to let you in. They liked us, on a tuesday night we were almost the only customers and chatted to the cocktail waiter until the wee hours. Great experience.
And so now i find myself in Nelson, new town to discover, job to be found, new freinds to find....all ahead of me. Its exciting but im a bit tired after spending the night sleeping in the car. Uncomfortable is not the word. Fun to park on a beach with Napier freinds and watch the sea, not fun trying to stretch out the dodgy knee sleeping in the passenger seat.