I was recently laid off. I’ve been in healthcare marketing for my entire career…so far. I was comfortable there – maybe too comfortable. The prospect of not having a job actually felt like a big, scary, exciting opportunity.
As I pondered what I *really* wanted to do next, one message kept coming through from my very core.
It said, loud and clear: FOOD. At first, I thought I was hungry again…but no, this voice meant business. It said “Yes Kate, food!! Do something that gets you into the professional business of making, serving, talking about, or writing about food & beverage.”
The voice in my head was seconded by my closest family and dearest friends, who confirmed that I did, indeed, love to cook, and that my cooking was good.
So, through a series of fortunate events, I find myself in the position of having accepted, in the past two weeks, two new jobs that have to do with food:
- I am the newest Advertising Sales Manager and Marketing Consultant for edible Green Mountains, a beautiful quarterly publication that I have savored and treasured for years
- I will be cooking with Matt Sargent at his about-to-be-opened restaurant, Phantom, in Waitsfield VT
I’m incredibly excited about both opportunities. Working for edible Green Mountains allows me to stay in my comfort zone a little bit, since I know I have the marketing chops to do that job well. On the other hand, cooking for Phantom is a blue ocean. As Matt has said, I probably have no idea what I’ve signed up for – and friends who have been or are in the restaurant business keep warning me about the life-sucking dangers of cooking for a living…but I have to try it.
Plus, I love Vermont. Through both new roles I will be able to work with Vermonters, promote Vermont products, eat Vermont products, and support the community I live in. THAT is the best feeling of all.
Here, I will write about my experiences, the people I meet, and the foods we cook.
In friendship,
Kate ♥
P.S. I hope your Thanksgiving leftovers have been as delicious as this!
The best turkey sandwich I’ve ever made.
Photo by Paul Varricchione
Cooking with Kate in the Green Mountain State 