22 April 2007

First in a chain of goodbyes

It's official. Chefette will be moving to Bermuda at the beginning of July.

The Husband has landed himself a fantastic job opportunity, which will involve a 3-4 year commitment. So it's 'goodbye' to fabulous theatres, hard water, and the world's most overpriced public transport system, and 'hello' to bright sunshine, beautiful beaches and hideously expensive housing.

Saturday was my last night working at the restaurant. And would you believe it, on my final night, we had a Michelin-star chef in the dining room. I got to cook for Angela Hartnett, the head chef at the Connaught in London. Her uncle is one of our regulars, and they were both there with a big family group. (She ordered the panzanella salad and the lamb stew, in case any of you out there are interested). Didn't get an opportunity to meet her, but it felt pretty cool, nonetheless, having a VIP chef eating my food. And her sweet uncle came into the kitchen at the end of the night to wish me all the best for Bermuda-- a thoroughly classy chap.

After the end of service on Saturday, the staff all shared a bottle of prosecco in the kitchen as we were cleaning down, which was fun but also a little bittersweet. I will miss C to be sure. Could not have asked for a better boss. I have learned loads from her, and

Friday night was incredibly busy (we did 49 covers!), but it was also oodles of fun. A big happy gaggle of friends came into the restaurant, and then we all decamped back to our flat after service for a nightcap en groupe. Special kudos must go to the Husband, who did a valiant job tending the bar back at ours until almost 2am, even though he had to get up to catch a train at 6.30am that morning.

One final titbit of news before I skedaddle: I passed my wine exam (hoorah!), and now have my Advanced Certificate in Wine and Spirits from the WSET. Who knows? Maybe a wine-related job might be calling in Bermuda??