It’s been a while since we’ve engaged in a meaningful chat, dear readers of The Wannabe Gourmet. Pull up a chair and I’ll pour a cup of coffee for you.
Most people find Autumn/Winter to be a time for descent/death and spring to be a time for Rebirth. While I feel that way, too, I also see beauty in the rebirth brought during the Autumn/Winter timeframe, when the slate is proverbially “wiped clean,” giving us the ability to create, to find ourselves again.
Since I started this website in October 2008, there have been many ups and downs in my life. Sometimes the gardens have blossomed in beauty and life has been better than I could ever imagine. Other times, the weeds took over and an occasional tornado has blown it all away. I’ve been catfished, I’ve been married, I’ve been divorced. I’ve gone through hades in employment, but kept on travelling and, after a period of almost 17 years outlasted a supervisor whose sole intent it was to either terminate me or make it so I’d resign. I’ve had health issues culminating in a heart attack due to stress. Through it all, however, has remained the desire I have of assisting others in learning there’s more to life than just take-away food and UberEATS.
We’re at the start of a New Beginning for The Wannabe Gourmet. To be pendantic, I, Jonathan Everyday, am looking forward to this continued journey. My love for photography and cooking has never waned…though it had been severely curtailed due to circumstances. The kitchen should never be a place that scares you. So you have a dish that doesn’t turn out the way you’d like…. we’ve all had that. The important thing is that you learn from your experiences. Grow from life. Move beyond what didn’t work…into what allows you to shine. Maybe you’re not meant to be able to make beautiful desserts. Maybe main courses just aren’t your thing. Maybe…just maybe…you’re like me and can’t cook in small amounts. (The solution to that is simple: either get a freezer, or feed your friends and extended family!)
Join me in the voyage to new beginnings. Feel the sparkle. Embrace the magic!
Photo © 2022 L. B. Siegfried, Richmond, VA
