Today, July 31, marks the one year anniversary of the post that rebooted my efforts with my blog, Buen Provecho Amigos. What a year it has been–my marriage ended, my daughter was diagnosed with ADHD and recently my position at work was eliminated. But I’ve also made some new friends (Meg), I am learning how to grow herbs successfully, I launched an LLC for my consulting business and I am still hopeful for the future.
I started the blog in 2011 sometime after I lost my unborn child Eva to keep myself distracted by focusing on my passion for cooking and food. I made another attempt in 2016 but was overwhelmed by other circumstances. Looks like third time is the charm. I made a commitment that I would blog at least once a week and I’ve kept my promise to myself.
My reward for keeping a commitment to myself: attend the International Food Bloggers Conference in New Orleans later in August. I am looking forward to this for many reasons. I get to attend sessions where I will learn about leveraging technology to tell stories through the framework of food and stories in a city that is a foodies’ paradise.
But before I trek down to New Orleans, I have another trip to take, one I’ve been waiting my whole life for. In a few hours my son and I fly to Cuba to see the country of my father’s birth and meet my uncle Raphael and my cousins Jorge and Gabriel and their kids. I’ve dreamt of this trip my entire life and I finally get to do it at a time when the country is amid a culinary rejuvenation, thanks in part to the introduction of limited enterprise spurring innovation and creativity among professional and home cooks.
The highlight of visiting my father’s hometown in Cuba will be a visit to the site of my grandfather’s bakery. In my mind, the bakery figures huge in our family lore. Growing up, I remember the pictures that my father’s family would send of family celebrations–weddings, birthdays–where my grandfather’s cakes would be front and center, upstaging the bride or birthday boy. I often wondered what he would bake for me if he had been given the chance.
I also recall my father trying to recreate the cakes his father would make, minus the elaborate billows of piped frosting that would encase my grandfather’s baked goods. If I could get my hands on his recipes, that would be almost be as good as a case of Cuban cigars or Havana Club Rum.
But before I embark on this trip, I wanted to take a moment to celebrate one year of writing this blog. I look forward to this coming year and continuing to grow as a writer. I look forward to more adventures on my journey of self-discovery through food.
Buen Provecho Amigos 