Project "Start Here"

Oh hi!

It's been over a year since I last posted on here, NOT because I was over this, but simply because life was busy and things were chaotic and, frankly, it wasn't my priority!

But I'm back. And while I can't promise consistency, I have MISSED this. Typing my little thoughts on a keyboard to post on my own little space...how fun is that?

I won't bore you with extensive details of the last year, but I'll share the important ones to get you up to speed, then talk about the PURPOSE of being back and what my main focus will be.

Without further ado, let's talk August 2022-February 2024!

Aug 2022:

nothing new. Just doing dietetic internship things and questioning life's purpose (aren't we all).

Sept 2022:

I moved to NYC for the first time with roommates I met on Facebook! (Sounds scarier than it is).

Oct-Dec 2022:

Celebrated my birthday with both new and old friends, finished my Community and Marketing internship rotations and started my clinical rotation. I worked briefly at Sur La Table (then quit when I realized 24 hours was just not enough time in the day). I celebrated all the holiday things NYC had to offer and felt like I was finding my groove.

Jan 2023:

Happy New Year! Brief trip home then back to business finishing up my clinical rotation. Also started working retail on the side at Glossier, which came with long hours but spiffy products.

Feb 2023:

My sublease was ending and I had decided I wanted to stay in NYC. I planned to stay at my friend's apartment, finish my internship and work at Glossier full time until I found something more permanent...

...and then I dislocated my knee on the subway. Not the first time it's happened, but both times were equally as painful and emotionally draining. I packed up my things (really my parents packed, as I was immobile), stuck them in a storage unit (my things not my parents), and headed back home to California to heal, having NO idea what the future holds.

March-April 2023:

Recovery! Went through many up's and down's but fixed the knee enough and moved back. to NYC with two new Facebook roommates, this time signing a year-long lease! I also finished my dietetic internship, started studying for my exam, and returned to Glossier.

May 2023:

PASSED my RD exam, making me an official Registered Dietitian after five years of hard work!

June-August 2023:

Incredibly hot outside. Lots of time spent walking around, working, sweating, and trying to make this house of NYC a home--something I am still working on to this day. I also QUIT Glossier and started my first "real" job as a Registered Dietitian in the community field! I love this job and all it's taught me, and I feel so lucky to be a part of a small, mighty, supportive team.

Sept-Nov 2023:

Found the groove of my new job, saw LOTS of Broadway shows, tried lots of new foods--just living life! Also turned 23 and went to Canada for the first time--fun stuff!

And also ran a half marathon and fractured my foot. The foot healed over time but again, another not fun injury.

Dec 2023-Present: Project "Start Here"

Not much new, which leads me to the status of Girl vs. Cake and where I've been with my cooking lately:

Girl vs. Cake started with the idea of me cooking my way through a cookbook entirely dedicated to cake. About a month in, I realized I didn't like cake all that much. And it was just far too much cake.

However, as of late, I've been wanting to expand my cooking repertoire and grow as a chef. I can't afford culinary school (nor do I think I could handle the stress), and I like my current job too much to pursue anything in the culinary field right now. However, I still want to be able to develop my own delicious recipes, which means I need to improve my skill set and learn more about what it means to be a "recipe developer."

Insert Sohla El-Waylly and her new cookbook, Start Here. Half cooking, half baking, all dedicated to teaching you how to up your cooking game. Unlike a traditional cookbook, each chapter is a "lesson" and each recipe teaches you a specific skillset (Chapter 1 is entirely dedicated to learning to season your food). She gives technical terms, but also "feelings" and personal anecdotes that help you apply what you learn to your culinary routine.

I have always looked up to Sohla and decided there was no better way to dedicate time to my passion than by cooking through her cookbook. Start to finish. Front to back. Lesson after lesson.

So that's what I am doing! I started this project in December, and have paced myself ambitiously at one chapter per month.

And while I post short blurbs and pictures on social media, I'd like to use this space to post about my experience. It may be chapter by chapter, it may be recipe by recipe. Who knows.

Regardless, I am excited for this new chapter (literally), and am excited to share it with you!

So that's me. Stick around for this Julie & Julia 2.0...Jules & Sohla? Sohla & Jules? Jules & "Start Here?" Whatever the case, I'm cookin!