Out of the old box

Together with my mother, I cleaned out the attic of my parents' house this week. That's quite a project that really took hours, as each box was thoroughly examined and read. Diaries, school agendas, notes we wrote to each other, or old baby clothes that I and even my mother wore, waiting to be gifted to me.
What I also came across is a photo from the time when I interned at the chicest hotel on the Côte d’Azur.

Internship at Hotel de Paris

In the picture, I am making towers of colored tomatoes. I believe I did that for at least three weeks every day (after that, I got another task). I sliced the different ridiculously expensive beef tomatoes and arranged them in the shape of a flower on the plate. On top of that, I added another layer, and it became a kind of tower. A mozzarella ball was served in a separate dish (of course with a golden rim). One that you have really never tasted in your life. So incredibly creamy, rich, and fatty; nothing tastes better. From a bottle, I then squirted homemade pistou (pesto) over that giant ball, a little fleur de sel, one twist from the pepper mill, and the appetizer that was on the menu for €55 was ready for the guest.

Graduation time

After my work on the Côte was finished, I immediately started an internship at Hotel The Dylan in Amsterdam. There, I worked in the hotel lounge, in the restaurant area, and I also did room service occasionally. That was alternated every few weeks. Then back to the Hotel School to graduate. I wrote a business plan for a hotel in the old Conservatory building (which has now seriously become the Conservatory hotel ). Actually, they should pay me for this because they basically stole it from me). I presented that plan and I believe I didn't score higher than a 6, but I was seriously standing on my chair because I could finally start working. School benches, studying for exams, and that kind of work has never suited me. I wanted to get into practice, and I was really good at it.

Favorite business

In the place where I had a part-time job, Café-Restaurant Amsterdam, I went full-time. I quickly got promoted and even joined the management team. That took some getting used to because the guys with whom you used to drink a beer at the bar or even had an adventure suddenly sat in front of you in a performance review. The same applied to leadership. I was too young to bear such responsibility, I realized quickly. A dream, yes, but it came too early. God, I found my farewell letter to the whole team among all those boxes in the attic. I found it all dramatic, but it had to happen because I didn't have it under control. I worked too many hours, lived too much at night, and before I really crashed, I had to go. Unfortunately, but it was time for a break.

A whole different ball game

Look, I couldn't just sit around doing nothing because I also had to earn money. Fortunately, I was allowed to work a few days a week as an au pair for my nephews and niece. Picking them up from school, taking them to gymnastics, cooking meals. It was exactly what I needed at that moment, and I can tell you: it was quite hard work with three kids. You understand that couldn't last forever, and I had enough time between school and ballet class to think about what I really wanted.

Another little dream

Besides wanting my own restaurant, I also devoured magazines (about fashion, food, drinks, and sleep. Nothing else). I tore out everything I liked, made collages, and wrote little pieces for myself. I even once considered starting a café-restaurant-Amsterdam magazine or newspaper. Well, working in the editorial office of a magazine was still haunting my mind. I didn't really care which department I would end up in.

And then there was May

May-Britt and I already knew each other through my parents. She worked as an editor-in-chief at the Marie-Claire editorial office, and I sent her an email saying I was in a ‘I don't know anything anymore’ phase and would love to shadow her for a few days in her life. “Come next week, it will be fun, I'll tell you right away what exciting things I'm working on.”

And there I was, sitting across from May in the cafeteria of Sanoma. She had a diet cola, and I had a sparkling water. The plans for Amayzine sounded amazing, and the question of whether I wanted to join the ‘family’ haunted my mind for a few weeks. A few weeks later, we clinked glasses in Italy on the beach (we happened to be on vacation in the same place) because I officially started working with her. A few weeks later, I was on a plane to New York for my very first fashion week ever.

And now, a year and a half later, I'm still here and have exactly the corner at Amayzine that I hoped for: food and drink. So actually, I'm working on my two dreams. Oh, and the restaurant? That will come one day. No rush.