Work?

The past week has been really busy. Last Wednesday I officially took over "full-time" at the food tour company. That meant that the business line was forwarded to my cell phone, the general email box became my responsibility and I am in charge of anywhere from four to six or even eight tours each week. It all depends on how many private tours we've got on the calendar. As you may be able to imagine, there are a lot of moving parts to this business. My head was spinning from Wednesday through Saturday evening, but it is really easy to stay sane when you see the results of your hard work in both the smiles on the customers' faces and the delight the chefs take in sharing their food.

There were a few notable events that took place while I was working this past week. First, we had the most adorable group of seniors from a Presbyterian church group on Thursday. They took a daytime tour of Carrboro/Chapel Hill and were so enthusiastic about each food they tried and chef they met. At one point they prompted a chef to share his recipe for pate. Of course there were too many steps for any of us to remember, but it was so nice of the chef to share that with us. He also served pickled peppers that were to-die-for! I might snag that recipe for Christmas presents.

I also did a tour this past week in Raleigh with an IBM/Intel group and they were a total blast. They had rented a trolley for the evening and had a group of 20 people from all over the area. We started with drinks and truffle ravioli at The Mint. Then it was off to Jibarra for more drinks and a bunch of Mexican inspired small plates. We went to Zely & Ritz for sweet potato gnocchi and braised beef, and finished up at Foundation with (you guessed it) more drinks and cupcakes from Crumb. These people really knew how to party, and in case you're wondering if we get to eat on these tours, we do. On the private evening tours we are also encouraged to have a drink along the way and socialize as if we were in a cocktail party setting. Seriously, I get paid for this?!

The cherry on my sundae was the tour I ran yesterday. We got a call late last week from a woman that works for a nonprofit. She wanted to book a tour for a donor who won a day with a celebrity. Luckily my boss hasn't gone into labor yet, because this was a unique request. The tour would be for four people total; donor, celebrity, organizer, and tour guide. It was to take place mid-afternoon and be extremely private. Somehow we managed to put together a great schedule and I got to be the tour guide, which meant that I spent my Monday with a local Raleigh celebrity from a nonprofit in the area. It sure doesn't feel like it sometimes, but this is work.