April 2013
1 post
homesick
10 months in and i can officially say i’m homesick.
not it the sense that i miss living there, but my soul desperately needs a trip home.
i’m longing for a california sunset.
i need my hair done. i’m dying for a reasonably priced facial. i miss my friends.
i miss my favorite places to eat. i’ve totally been craving a grill em all burger. witt-e do you still...
March 2013
5 posts
basically, it's much more trouble than it's worth →
i cringe every time i hear the word spoken from the other side of the glass. but i have to say, this is the best write up i’ve read on this curse worthy “urban legend-secret menu” item.
*thank you josh appleman for sending this article my way
How many apps directly improve your quality of... →
Currently 2.0
totes failing at my new years resie to blog more. life at the taco stand keeps me busy I tell you.
catching you all up…
work: chipoho is still on the road to restaurateur. our target date is end of march. i think we can do it (fingers crossed). still rolling my way through life one burrito at a time and laughing out loud every time these gems end up in my store. out of all the stores in...
February 2013
1 post
the yeti of the taco stand
please not between the hours of 11am to umm, 10pm. so basically, never. k thanks.
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1671981/the-mystery-behind-chipotles-secret-1500-calorie-super-burrito#1
*thanks corey for this link
January 2013
4 posts
1 tag
moments
on my peaceful 10:30am subway ride, just i, my latte, my baguette with butter and jam, and the ho hum of the lumineers in my ear, my zen was interrupted as soon as a school field trip invaded my subway car.
i immediately thought of how all the school kids used to run into parambam at 11am on the dot. “this is a restaurant not a gym!”
and if my peaceful ride couldn’t get any more rambunctious,...
train your replacement
yesterday a guy walked in inquiring about a job. actually three walked in at the exact same time. i did my spiel, handed out the career cards, two filled them out and left and one stayed and asked me a few questions while he was standing, awkwardly trying to fill out his info on this tiny card while using a flimsy resume folder as his table.
i could tell that he was curious, so i told him to...
resolutions
i’ve never made a new years resolution and i’m not going to start now. i’m not one to jump on the bandwagon of the lose weight, exercise more, eat better fads that only last until february or march at best.
just like 2012, 2013 is going to be another year of ME. i’m still in this selfish, focused faze of my life and i’m going to roll with it as long as i can.
so here is what i plan on doing in...
December 2012
2 posts
the burrito hacker
this guy thinks he knows all the tricks. though the holiday gift card deal is a pretty sweet one if you eat a lot of chipotle. #treatyourself
http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/how-to-hack-chipotle/
get it rolled
rolling a burrito can be a terrifying experience. sure it seems like the funnest thing to do. it’s a pretty intense position on the line and it’s not for everyone.
my mantra when it comes to burrito rolling is “fake it til you make it”. once you start rolling, you have to just go for it and commit to the finish.
first, it’s all in the press. you need to press...
November 2012
6 posts
Anonymous asked: Can't wait to visit once chipoho is open! I am in jersey city so I've been traveling to NYC or Seacaucus to get my fix- glad to have one opening closer to home
Currently
mood: a little bit of everything this month thus far. earlier this week, confused. currently, anxious and excited.
birthday: just celebrated thirty-one. it was weird being away from everyone but between all the texts, fb posts, ig wishes, phone calls, and mailed cards it was a well wished one. m treated me to a bday brunch at one of my favorite uws spots jacob’s pickles.
after a day of...
retrograde
it’s election day, so today on black or pinto, just a friendly reminder that today, but especially everyday, you are the holder of your own fate.
ChipoHo
even after sandy, chipotle hoboken aka chipoho is still standing. there was no flood damage, though we are just one of the many places in hoboken still without power.
after finishing e.rutherfords swat a few weeks ago, i was ready for mine.
i was excited to meet my team as with most of them, i only had the opportunity to talk to them on the phone as i was back in california when jeremy was...
October 2012
5 posts
S(ealed)W(ith)(A)T(ortilla)
after this weekends 13hr day, 5hrs of sleep, 15hr day, 3.5hrs of sleep, 16hr day, i am still loving what i do.
swat training with the burrito is when your patience, knowledge, and skills are challenged and tested. this weekend at e.rutherford was my first, and it was nothing shy of exhausting, long, enlightening, and so much fun.
my store is up next. hoboken, get ready. cause i am.
cici and the sunshine store
i never really had a known nickname other than my friends calling me cee in high school or my mom making up ridiculous longer names for me such a sanerra kirsten. most recently, my circle of friends call me cg. if a random instameet happens to occur, i’m instagettler.
cc has been my nickname on my dads side of the family for as long as i can remember. they are the only ones that called me...
church'
time to time, there is this moment when food becomes some sort of a higher power. i close my eyes, tilt my head down and move it from side to side, my right hand usually goes up, and i proceed to make this sigh-hum-grunt sound. this usually gets many a laughs from my dining comapnions. they sit and watch closely and wait for “it” to happen. i always referred to this as a “praise...
the little shop that did
shophouse is the new south east asian concept from chipotle that launched its first store in the dc area a year ago.
here’s a recent write up about the abouts of shophouse. “Nate Appleman and Tim Wildin on ShopHouse’s Constant Evolution and Expansion Plans http://eater.cc/QYAARr via @Eater_DC “
during my first visit to new york last november, i purposely flew in to dc...
dinner delight at michael warring
it has been some time that i have been completely moved by a dining experience. dinner at michael warring did just that.
i am slightly jealous of the “two-man show” provided by michael and ali. the whole concept of the restaurant is so special. ad hoc has always been my ideal restaurant concept but michael warring came up with my dream restaurant.
the space, quaint, minimal, warm....
September 2012
5 posts
wham bam, km ma'am
for someone like i, that is not a fan of cooking, the kmit process can be pretty brutal.
it’s hot back there. you sweat to the point of utter disgust. ok, maybe not that bad, but i’m a lady, and i shouldn’t sweat like that. everything is heavy. every time i opened a bag from the re-therm or was cooking fajas i received a steam “facial”. cleaning the grill,...
dear Chicago
i am still full.
i will be eating much roughage, maybe a corn tortilla here and there, and greek yogurt only for the next few weeks until i am in napa indulging on ad hoc fried chicken and dinner at michael warring.
until then, i will bask in the delightful memory of my chicago eats.
when in chicago, eat deep dish pizza. of course a visit to lou malnati’s was in order. verdict, good, but i’d...
Never forget
^ last nights view (9.10.12) of the #worldtradecenter lights from the east village #neverforget#911
i remember my dad telling me that he remembers where he was when the news broke that president kennedy was shot.
september 11th is that for me. i remember waking up in the morning, turning the tv on to watch all my children (yes i really used to watch amc) as i got ready for work. breaking news...
2 tags
August 2012
3 posts
work and play, a quick trip to la
after three months being moved away, i made a quick trip back to la-la land for a work/fun trip.
first, i was beyond impressed that i was able to take the a-train, which is literally, steps out my front door, all the way to the air train that then takes you to the terminals at jfk. impressive.
upon landing in la, i was picked up from the airport by this bundle of joy
priorities first, we...
the pepper, the passion, paramus
“i need you guys to help me get this. i can’t get restaurateur all on my own and even if I could, i wouldn’t want to, it’s not just about me. you are my team. this store is my home. you are my family.”
what does becoming restaurateur mean to you he asked. thank goodness he didn’t ask me, as the single tear that was already rolling down my cheek would have turned into a...
guac, sweat, and tears (not really)
dear guacamole,
six cases and six hours later you almost, almost, got the best of me.
guacamole is the truest form of love/hate and catch 22. you love eating it, but you hate having to make it. and by the end of making it, you do not love to eat it as you have tried taste after taste of every batch at least 4 times. i will not eat guac again for the rest of this week believe you me.
so much...
July 2012
3 posts
grillin
(look at that smile. joey, loves working the grill. maybe he’ll pick up my grill shifts.)
become one with the grill and she will take care of you.
shit, i’m just worried the whole time on how to not get burned by the 500 degree beast.
working the grill at chipotle is no joke.
after my first complete grill shift. 11 hr shift with 9 hours being at the grills despair, i. am....
warning
i’ve been warned. and i was told the following by mr. m with sir henry laughing in the background.
“i am giving you plenty of notice. you have 4 days to mentally prepare yourself. go eat a cannoli, get your levain cookie, do whatever you need to do, but your time has come to start training on the grill.”
uuuuugggghhhhh!
fajas working! chicken working! steak to the line!
...
one month
the recent reload of my metro card reminded me that i have been in new york for one month. crazy how time flies. it really didn’t feel like it.
i’ve had a ball getting to know the city. finding my way around via subway, then following the blue dot on iphone until it stops at my destination. the food scene is overwhelming. as soon as i knock off a bookmark someone gives me 5 places...
June 2012
6 posts
defeated
defeated by sleep. i barely slept last night. and what was up with the late texting mom and auntie? i’m three hours ahead remember!
defeated by the weather. and all i keep hearing is, “wait until august”. fml. but seriously, it’s 90+ degrees with a hell of a lot of humidity. i’m from california. i have never experienced weather like this. and tomorrow, oh tomorrow...
going under, wish me luck
wednesday i got home from work all by myself. thursday and friday, i was solo to and from work. i made the decision that come this weekend, i was ready to explore the subway solo and perhaps get a little lost.
my original plan was to find a yelp bookmark that was off the a-train and go. i wasn’t going to go too crazy since it would be my first venture past the 175th stop on my own.
so...
five flights
i don’t know if it is because of the lackadaisical lifestyle that la is, but this la < nyc transplant, feels that my humble abode is missing something. an elevator.
i live in a five story walk-up. i know, it could be worse. every single day, at least twice a day, i walk up and down five flights of stairs. each flight is 16 stairs. you do the math because frankly, i’m too damn...
working the line
i remember when i was younger, before costco, and sams, there was price club. i remember going with my mom and thought, “i want to work here when i grow up”. the runners for go-backs and such roller skated. i thought that was totally awesome. there was two people working each register station, one called out the item numbers. xj75309. i wanted to be that person.
as a regular...
night and day
week one back at the burrito is done.
i knew being able to work with mynor again at his restaurateur-store-in-the-making would be an experience in it’s own. mynor aside, it was the genuine hospitality of his staff, and their eagerness to teach me that impressed me. they all knew about me, they knew about my story, and they were excited to have me at their store. i am starting out as a crew...
the bet
hc seems to think i will be back. and sooner rather than later. he is so sure of this, he is willing to bet your bottom dollar on in. hc always wins every thing it seems. as i gave him a final “i’ll see you soon” hug, i told him when betting on time, bet on the higher side.
of course i see myself back in la. for visits, absolutely, but to live, not for awhile. i mean, i sold...
May 2012
2 posts
how we move from a to b
i feel that it is safe to say that i have an obsessive behavior when it comes to food.
my new found obsession with instagram doesn’t help.
it is bc of the two, that i am now on my way to eric ericsson’s in ventura beach to chow down on some jalapeño battered halibut fish and chips. i don’t really even like fish.
a few weeks back, jon setzen and i were chatting about...
full circle
i have only ever worked in the food service and hospitality industry. it’s not for everyone but i love it.
my first job was at a sandwich shop in my hometown during my senior year of high school.
from then on, i had my fare share of restaurant jobs waiting tables (who hasn’t). after 8 odd years, i got tired of waiting tables. school wasn’t an option for me so restaurant...
