321delish

Well hello there! Long time no see, eh? I’m back and hoping to get some more regular posting in now that my world has calmed down a little. Why was my world so crazy you may be wondering? Well, take a peek a the picture below.

(photo courtesy of the Children’s Cancer Center)

Um, why are you showing us a bunch of desserts Steph? Let’s take a closer look at the blonde behind the counter.

(photo courtesy of the Children’s Cancer Center)

That’s right, it’s yours truly! I recently took up a part time job at Dough,Tampa’s favorite restaurant Datz’s newest endeavor.

(photo courtesy of the Children’s Cancer Center)

If you haven’t checked out Dough yet, you must, must must! They are whipping up incredible pastries (ever had a clichy?), delectable doughnuts (maple bacon anyone?), unique flavored gelatos (sriracha peanut butter has just the right amount of heat!), artisanal espresso drinks (nutella latte > mocha any day), and much more. Dough is more than just sweets too- they offer a variety of savory bistro-fare  lunch options.

I’m not here to advertise; I think Dough’s really got something great going on. And actually, I don’t even work there anymore!

Let me back up some…

I currently hold a full time, grant-funded position, which means that eventually the money will run out and either my current company will absorb me on regular payroll, I’ll find another grant to work on within the same company, or I’ll work for another company. I’m currently at a place where I honestly don’t know which of those options I want to choose, if choosing one is even an option. And because I’m at this uncertain place in my career, I’m exploring alternatives to what I currently do. Hence, picking up some part time work at Dough.

In a lot of conversations I’ve had with various people, I’ve been repeatedly told that when your job is something you love, it doesn’t feel like work. If you haven’t noticed, I love food. So working with food seems like a logical place for me. Unfortunately, my experience is limited to serving up water ice and soft serve with my best friend at Custard’s Last Stand when I was 16 years old. 

Food service is so completely different than what I currently do or have done in the past, so I wanted to at least dip a toe in and see if I  liked it, should I decide to take a giant leap of faith and switch career paths all together. It freaks me out that I even typed that sentence and am putting it out there that that’s even an option at this point. Gulp. So, I interviewed and got a job as a barista at Datz and Dough back in March.

Anywho- my “real” aka full time job just so happened to get really busy right after I started at Dough. In addition to my regular hours, we were working Friday nights and all day Saturday every other weekend since the end of March (thankfully, that just ended for a few weeks). Then, I would work at Dough all day on Sunday and sometimes even Saturday night, if needed. To say I was exhausted would be an understatement. And to be honest, I just wanted my weekend to run errands and go for a bike ride with friends. Something had to give. I was really enjoying my time at Dough and I was learning a lot- which was essentially the whole point of why I started the job in the first place, but in the end, I needed to give priority to my full time job and I really just wanted my weekends back. So, after a little over a month on the job, I quit. I hate, hate, hate that I had to quit something- I despise the “q” word! But it has definitely been a good decision for me.

So, how was it, you ask? It wasn’t a “let me go ahead and quit my job now because I love this so much”, but it also wasn’t a “oh my gosh I hate this so much make it stop.” If I had to place my feelings about it on a continuum, they’d definitely more on the positive side than the negative.

Even though my time was short, I learned a lot-

I learned that I really enjoy greeting the customers and telling them all about the amazing things that were coming out of the kitchen. I even liked some of the more challenging customers-I just didn’t let their comments get me down.

I learned that I’d rather be at a smaller bakery-type place like Dough, than a big kitchen restaurant like Datz.

I learned what a “porto filter” and a “tamp” are.

I learned that I really despise mopping and sweeping white and black floors.

The list goes on, and I’m really thankful I had the opportunity. Was the experience enough to convince me one way or the other? I think the jury’s still out on that one.

So, thanks for listening to probably one of the more personal blog posts I’ve written on here. I hope you’ll stick around for the adventure!