I arrived home to an empty house. Even the dog walked in, sniffed a few things and then laid down for a nap. Just another lazy Thursday afternoon, right? Yes, my house feels very different today than it did 6 very long days ago when we were packing up to drive my daughter Alexandra to college. She begins her freshman year at NYU next month after a 15 day quarantine in her dorm.
The drive home was about what I expected. Melancholy, sure. But there were no tears. Sadness, of course, but also relief. As we all know, it has been quite a year. For all of us, not just High School or College seniors. No graduation, no proms, nothing. Anyone with a Senior in their household knows the drill. There was the anxiety of how we were going to wrap up High School all the while trying to navigate how and when we were going to begin college.
Oh and throw in for good measure the fact that Dad is a small business owner tied to the restaurant industry. One of the hardest hit this year during a global pandemic.
New York University ain’t cheap, y’all.
Still, like so many other families are doing right now, we’ve fought through it (and fought about it) and gotten to this point. A point where I am not only swelling with pride but beaming with excitement about what is next. Now that I am sure to have more time on my hands.
Summers are traditionally slow around here when it comes to food and the food scene. This year has been a little different because so many restaurants are fighting their way back to something they can call normal. Oak36 and Tacos and Tequila have opened in Savannah this Summer. Chez Georges and Porter and Pig on Hilton Head Island. We’ve been busy.
So while I’ve been pre-occupied with making sure my daughter got off to The Big Apple, I’ve had one eye on everything going on around here. There’s been a lot. And there is so much more to come soon.
I can truthfully say if we can keep our numbers down, it may just be a fabulous rest of the year. Big if, though, right? Fingers crossed. For the record, I’m calling anything that looks like progress ‘fabulous.’ I’m an always forward, never stop or backward kind of guy.
I’m also a hopeless romantic who cannot wait to see what the next few months hold. Yes, this current state of the world kinda sucks right now, but tomorrow is the first day of the rest of our lives right? See? I’m telling you, hopeless.
“So what’s this ramble got to do about food, Jesse?” You might be asking.
Not a whole lot except to pop in to say hello, and thank you for your continued support of Eat It and Like It. Like so many businesses out there, we’ve taken this opportunity to pivot on our business model. The pivot was actually in the works before March 2020. This year has just accelerated it all as well as provided some clarity.
The end result? You will be seeing more of Eat It and Like It than you probably ever have. We are as excited as we have ever been around here for a thousand reasons. More on that in the next couple of weeks.
We’ve already begun production of new content for all platforms and cannot wait to share.
My daughter Alexandra, meanwhile, finally got to wear her prom dress this year. We walked Greenwich Village on a beautiful evening this week for a photo shoot. She called it her prom night. It was a perfect day.
And now I find myself sitting here in my empty nest writing about what is next. So much is next. Not only for me and my business, but also for my daughter and the only college she ever wanted to attend. It was the only school she filled out an application for. True story. Forgive me, I’m a little giddy.
We’ve all turned a huge page and I absolutely cannot wait to see what is next.
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