Alright, alright, I’ve heard from a few of you now asking, “Where are you? What’s going on? You haven’t updated your blog in awhile.” Here are your answers:
I’m home, safe in Louisville, home sweet home. I missed home. I missed my friends, the ones who are here and the ones who are nearby. I’ve been truly home since the beginning of October. I actually landed on Sept. 13, but my friend John managed to snag some fabulous tickets to a baseball game at Jacob’s field to see the Tigers play the Indians – a dream of mine as of then still unrealized. We had a fabulous time, but I was only home a day and a half before taking off. Then it was off to Chicago for a board meeting. Great meeting, lots accomplished and the path of what’s to come became clear. I had my ‘AHA!’ moment.
This leads us to what’s going on. I’ll tease you a bit with this… I’ve been doing a little consulting for a fabulous little restaurant in town, Le Gallo Rosso; by far the best, true Italian cuisine in Louisville. She does some nice, fusion and non-Italian specials as well, but when you want your lasagna or spaghetti and home made meatballs, this is the place to be. I’ve been assisting there with writing front of house training manuals, staffing the FOH and managing her catered events and parties. I’m enjoying it, but am hoping to find someone who can take over my role as bigger things are on the horizon and I can finally go back to eating there without paying attention to every little detail.
In addition to the consulting, I am working part time at a wine shop, Top Hat. I love it here, because from the outside, you would never know how much wine we actually have in here. A fabulous selection and if you’re willing to take a little time, you can find some great, almost forgotten treasures. Plus, it feeds the habit. I get to try wines and my contemporary knowledge of brands and labels is on the rise. Which also plays right into ‘the plan.’
I’m starting my own business. Yep, that’s right. I am starting a membership only social events club along with some niche consulting on the side. Bon Vivant Savant. Live well, live wisely. Before I tell you about the business, I’ll give you a little behind the ‘how I got here.’ Once I returned from SA, I knew what my next job looked like, but I wasn’t sure what it was exactly. Was it travel, niche tourism, training in cultural studies for big business? Did I want to travel? Do I want to involve my love of wine in food in some way? Do I go back to restaurants? Maybe the answer is community development, or working with GLI (Greater Louisville, Inc.). Does Spanish have a place? I couldn’t narrow it down. My head was spinning with the possibilities and I needed to focus, not to mention get a little cash flow for the here and now. That’s where the consulting came in, but that wasn’t it a hundred per cent. As I was sitting in my hotel room in Chicago, overwhelmed with thought, I just started googling adjectives that might find a niche business opportunity. Maybe I could find someone to work for, learn from. And then I found it. The Single Gourmet. As I read about what they offered, I thought, “This is it.” And then I saw it, there was licensing info. My heart was racing, I wanted to know more, and now! Once I was finally in touch with the right people, I discovered that the license was a one time only fee and then it was considered a privately held business. For three nights I was sleepless just thinking of the events, the restaurants, the travel options… I was excited. This was definitely it. And then it evolved…
I have a lot of friends who are DINKs (double income, no kids). I have friends in long-term relationships; they don’t consider themselves single. “What about us?” they asked. So, I shifted the concept a bit and thought about my event planning background. This was going to be great. I could have three-tiers to my business. Singles, couples and niche events – private in-home wine dinners, alternatives to the traditional wedding showers, mixology parties. It would use my epicurean knowledge and pair it with my love to teach and expose people to new experiences. It’s perfect.
As of Nov. 15 I was registered in the state of Kentucky and my license for The Single Gourmet gives me Lexington as well as all the area in between our two fair cities. The dream is becoming a reality. Turkey’s adventure continues…