Last week my classmates and I finished our culinary classwork and now are set to begin the next steps to receiving our Certificates in Culinary Arts from Le Cordon Bleu here in Atlanta.  For most of us that involves a 3-month Externship at an approved location either locally, in another state, or internationally.  Friends are completing their Externships in various locales: some in Alaska, some locally in Atlanta, some at Disney World in Orlando, and one even at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. Fun memories and great friendships were made during our time in school—ones that we will keep with us as we journey into the next stages of our culinary careers!  I wish each and every one of my classmates the best of luck in their endeavors.

After sifting through details and logistics for months to begin my Externship at the Mami Camilla Bed & Breakfast and Cooking School in Sorrento, Italy, (www.mamicamilla.com) it is hard to believe that we are jet-set tomorrow afternoon!  I am super excited and blessed to have been given this opportunity that I know will be a life-changing experience filled with fabulous food, new friends, and extraordinary adventures.

To celebrate our departure, I cooked a truly Italian meal last night for dinner.  I pulled a couple of recipes out of one of my favorite magazines, La Cucina Italiana, to celebrate the occasion.  A Marinated Flank Steak with Artichoke-Olive Puree (Scamone di Manzo Marinato al Vino Rosso) and Pasta with Cheese and Pepper (Cacio e Pepe).  Served alongside some sweet, roasted cherry tomatoes with thyme and a tasty bottle of red wine we were certainly in for a treat.

I hope you will share in my culinary adventures and travels while I am in Italy—I plan on keeping a daily journal and uploading blog posts and photos at least once a week.  Until then! Or should I say…‘Arrivederci!’

Tagged: externship, Italy, La Cucina Italiana, Le Cordon Bleu, Sorrento