A lot has changed since I shot that video on May 21st, my birthday. I did quit my job, I did move to Dallas, and I am in the process of building out and opening my very first cooking school. I have learned more and worked harder than I ever could have imagined since that lovely birthday brunch with friends, where over too many mimosas I made that promise to myself and Instagram.
I arrived in Dallas the first weekend in July and naively thought I would have The Cookery open by mid September at the latest. I mean I’m a chef, I’ve managed and taught at one of the top 25 cooking schools in America for the last few years. How hard could it be? HARD.
I underestimated the city that I have now fallen in love with. Dallas is extremely popular and growing at a rapid rate. I joke that I have met more people that grew up in Dallas in Los Angles than I have met here, but then again, I moved here.
People I’ve met ask me why Dallas…and the truthful answer is LOVE. I know it sounds unbelievable corny, but it’s true!
One evening after teaching an Indian cooking class, I mention that because I reeked of garlic and onions, my engaged friends invited me out to a bar for a quick drink, where little did I know they were a bunch of scheming matchmakers. Unbeknownst to me, the grooms buddy and best man was in town visiting from Dallas…
A regular old Cinderella story. Girl meets boy in bar, boy jokes that she smells like old socks, and they fall in love. Romance.
I’m proud to say that The Cookery now has a home in the Dallas Design District and I am busily learning more about construction than I ever thought possible. I can’t wait for the dust to settle and share my passion and great meals with you!
Oh, and PS I did play Don Draper’s mom on the show “Mad Men,” but more about that later.
Until next time,
Kelly