If I wasn't already certain that the culinary arts is where my heart is set, this internship confirmed it. During these four weeks, I have been able to get really immersed in the lifestyle of a chef. Iv'e done a lot of professional work in a kitchen before this, but nothing compares to my internship at the Yellow Deli. I felt what it was like to do rigorous work in a hot kitchen for several hours, then head home, make dinner, shower, sleep, and do it all again the next day.
I've had the dream of becoming a chef since I was 10 years old and while it's more likely that my dream would have changed throughout these past 7 years, mine hasn't and my work during internship has proven this furthermore for me. If I had dreaded going to internship this past month, it would have shown me that the culinary arts isn't something that I wish to pursue anymore. However, this was not the case. I have enjoyed the work I have been doing at the deli and the parts that I didn't like (such as the dish washing or how physically tiresome the work is) are negated in comparison by the strength of my passion for the culinary arts. I am extremely fortunate to have found a strong passion early on. I have had many years to consider my options as a chef, look into culinary schools and their pricing, and much more. --- --I am going to mold the 1st part of the 2nd question in the prompt for this assignment to write about something very important to my internship experience. I will dig into the 2nd part of the question afterwards.-- As mentioned in prior posts, the first thing that I noticed about my mentor and employees at my site is that they are all very welcoming and mean you no harm. I find this really wonderful, however, one thing I haven't spoken of on my blog is the fact that all the Yellow Deli employees are part of a religious "community" (which I am certain is code for cult). I am only going into this for reason that I simply cannot document my internship experience without mentioning this, so let's continue. The Yellow Deli is run by The 12 Tribes which is a cult based on Messianic Judaism and Christian Fundamentalism. The mission of the Yellow Deli isn't to serve good food, but rather, to give awareness on The 12 Tribes and lead people into their group. The staff tried it with me. I cannot tell you how many invitations I have gotten to their cult gatherings that they hold every Friday night for the Sabbath. I, myself hold different views than them. I am not religious. I know that the employees at the Yellow Deli are only inviting me to these events because they truly believe it would benefit me, however, what I believe is that they are brainwashed into thinking that their cult is a very positive thing in their lives. None of the staff at the Yellow Deli is paid money. Instead, food and clothes and other necessities are provided for them by one head cult member. To make sure that no one ever wants to leave The 12 Tribes, the information members receive is heavily filtered. They all live off the grid (flip phones only for some leaders of the community), all the books or magazines they get are specially made for them (the bible, etc...), and the children are given a narrow, biased education from other community members. If you'd like to know more, This article talks about children of The 12 Tribe's education and the story of former member, Shuah Jones who escaped the cult. Also, This recent video from Inside Edition explains a recent scandal of The 12 Tribes breaking child labor laws. The duration of my time with them, I have been treated very very kindly. The reason for this is so that I am given a sense of acceptance and love that might make me want to join their cult. Unlucky for them, I have already made my decision about them and religion and am not as young and naive as they'd hope to believe that joining their group will only benefit me. The constant attempts at showing me that the ways of their cult would be a "positive" force for me is what ensures me that the reason they took me on as an intern is so they can spend lots of time with me and try to get me to join The 12 Tribes. Not many restaurants would allow a 17 year old to work in their restaurant, but in the Yellow Deli's eyes, the younger the prey, the more vulnerable it is. It's somewhat sad to know that this was their main reason for their eagerness in having me as an intern, however regardless, I am still grateful for the things I've learned in this past month. I've just had to bear the attempts, kindly decline the invitations, and keep my head screwed on right. --- To achieve my dream of becoming a chef, my next step is to apply for culinary schools. At this point, I have enough to put on my applications (including this experience) so, I just need to apply and see. I also need to look further into culinary school costs and see how or I can manage them if at all. If everything goes well, I should be on the road to becoming a chef soon!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Rayna ChavezHello, welcome to my 11th grade internship blog! I've had a passion for cooking since I was 9 years old, so I knew that for my school-required internship I wanted, more than anything, to intern at a business in the culinary field. Fortunately, I was able to land an internship at a health-conscious restaurant in Vista, CA called The Yellow Deli. Read about my once-in-a-lifetime educational experience here. Business Info:My MEntor: Laura Franks (Neviah)
My School: |