Another year has come and gone, but the past twelve months have brought fond memories that I’ll never forget, with many brunch outings and snacking that I’ll always remember. As we’re hitting the summer season at full force, with today having been the first beautiful beach day down the shore in New Jersey, I can’t help but imagine what could’ve been. I could’ve been living in Benton Harbor, Michigan, a beautiful city situated on Lake Michigan. I could’ve been learning about the world of sales as a sales intern for Whirlpool (you know – with the refrigerators and an abundance of other great appliances). I could’ve been making new friends, having been given the chance to be out of the house.
But here I am, coming to you live from home in New Jersey, celebrating 5(!!!) years of international cuisine and global foodie adventures. Today marks 5 years of Simone Says Food.
Though this summer isn’t quite what I planned for, I couldn’t be happier with what I have coming in the next few months. My great internship with Whirlpool is now online – so now I’ll be diving headfirst into the world of sales, eager to learn from experienced workers on how to sell in such an economy like today's. I’ll also be tackling the world of startup sales at GenZ Designs, a startup dedicated to helping businesses of all sizes market to the next great generation that is my own. And on top of those two gigs, I’m working at a new local restaurant, selling its great food to any and every person passing by. When I’m not working, however, I’m probably cooking.
Though I’ve spent the past few months at home, the past twelve were filled with nothing but adventure. Let’s recap it all, shall we?
Summer 2019 was spent in Tel Aviv, Israel, the capital of startup businesses, steaming nightclubs, and exquisite hummus. Working on the top floor in the tallest building in the city was no small deal, but working and living a short walk away from Sarona Market was just plain lucky. Similar to New York’s Chelsea Market, Sarona holds a special place in my heart for the best chicken shawarma I’ve ever had. Drizzled with olive oil and made with the freshest hummus around, I legitimately still think about this shawarma a year later. This shawarma changed the game.
Something else to know about me – and hello, if you’re new here – is that I’ll travel to the ends of the earth to find the best brunch around. Tel Aviv’s Café Xoho provides such a spread that is worthy of such an award, and I cannot stress this enough when I say that I’d fly to Israel right now, wearing a face mask for the duration of the 12-hour flight, to stand in line for an hour in Israeli-summer heat just to get a seat in the small restaurant to have this again. Yep, it was that good. I understand that I’ve posted this brunch spread on my blog before, but since I’m recapping the year’s finest #eats, I’d be doing a disservice if I didn’t include this. I enjoyed the barley bowl with a fried egg; my friend had the yogurt smoothie parfait and we split the vegan breakfast burrito. We were stuffed but it was well worth it.
Last summer was epic, to say the least. It was like studying abroad, though I’ve never studied abroad – at least not yet – so I can’t compare it to that. And there was no studying, just working at a great tech startup, spending a few too many Shekels on food, and being a genuinely happy person. I learned a lot about myself last summer – strengthening my love for something bigger than myself, like a whole country and its people, and learning to live with a bunch of strangers-turned-friends. Though the world looks a bit different this time around, I hope travel will continue one day so that everyone can get to where they need to go. Though I have no plans to go anywhere anytime soon (I tried going to South Korea and then London for Spring break but certain pandemic things got in the way), I hope to immerse myself in a different part of the world one day soon.
Back home in the States after my Israeli summer adventure, I eventually headed back to Bloomington, Indiana in August for my second year of school at IU.
Hitting the ground running with clubs and meetings and reconnecting with friends, I joined the Kelley Global Sales Workshop which has brought me to love selling. No, I won’t learn and train to be a badgering car salesperson, but instead, I’ll learn how to sell to help bring value to the world, whether it be to a business or directly to a customer. The Workshop celebrated its new members with cookie cake, of course. I was excited to join the workshop, naturally, and I was even happier that there was food.
As the school year continued on, I got a bit too busy to stop and take a minute for myself, nevertheless take a minute to take a picture of my food. I ate well, don’t get me wrong, but the year flew by and the next thing I knew I was coming home from school in March due to coronavirus for an indefinite amount of time. All of a sudden, I was home with my parents, with a stocked fridge and a kitchen to myself to explore, to make mistakes, and to whip up something really good after a few failed attempts. I got cooking, to say the least.
From brunch (hello, beautiful omelets and dee-lish slow-cooked oatmeal) to bowl dinners (a Cinco de Mayo-inspired, Chipotle-credited deconstructed burrito bowl), I used my newly found free time to get creative.
During quarantine, I mastered the art of flipping omelets as opposed to giving up on the egg game and scrambling them instead.
Slow-cooked oatmeal with almond milk makes for a creamy base, topped with any and every kind of topping for a simple breakfast made differently every day.
My Cinco de Mayo dinner had seven different components to create a tasty bowl: lime-cilantro brown rice, pan-roasted corn, sautéed spinach, fajita peppers and onions, homemade guacamole, fresh tomato salsa, and sliced steak. Each component made a great part of the bowl.
After staying inside for just about two months, my beach town decided to open its doors again for businesses to operate at a limited level, so I went off to get my restaurant job. I work at a restaurant known for great bagel sandwiches and whopping pastrami and rye lunches. They also use their artistic, delicious talents to create beautiful Poké bowls.
This is mine from a recent shift at work with brown rice, seaweed salad, mango chunks, corn, tomatoes, avocado, and my two specialty proteins, Thai chili shrimp and teriyaki scallops. Absolutely fantastic. That’s all I have to say. I look forward to continuing to work at the restaurant to learn about operating a successful business but also because of the food we produce, of course.
Now that you know how I’m staying busy, you’re now caught up on the past year of my life and past 365 days of yummy meals and travels.
I celebrated today the only way I know how: brunch. I made pancakes from The Bunnery in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, my family’s favorite “wild west” brunchery. Their OSM pancake mix makes for the perfect, nutty pancake. Naturally, I added blueberries to my ‘cakes.
I look forward to another five years and beyond of Simone Says Food, from food from around the world to food right from my kitchen. With all that’s going on in the world, I hope for happier days ahead; I have my hand-drawn rainbow in my window like many of my neighbors do. And with all of this being said, I’m always excited to see what comes next.
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