Eataly!!

I got a job at Eataly!!!! For those of you who don't know what Eataly is, it is the new Mario Batali and Joe+Lidia Bastianich Italian marketplace. It sells specialty foods, has numerous restaurants, and a cooking school. It reminds me of a cleaner, more Americanized version of the mercado in Florence, Italy that I used to frequent when I studied abroad there.  I have been dreaming about getting a job at Eataly since I first heard about it coming to New York, and have been receiving google alerts daily letting me know about job opportunities.  All of the job ads requested a lot of experience so I planned to wait until I graduated to apply. In the mean time I stumbled upon a recruiter at our school's career fair who was looking to hire culinary students.

Soon after the fair I was hired into the fresh pasta department to do sales. Getting the position was a culinary dream come true. The market had only been open a few weeks and I had already been there 8 times, so getting paid to be somewhere I loved was just unreal to me. Now back to the job-- we have a huge selection of fresh, flat and filled pastas that are made daily by the production team that stands behind me. I then sell the pasta to people who come by.  I have the opportunity to recommend sauces, cooking instructions, and dish ideas to guests that come to buy pasta. I am convinced there is a sign somewhere that says we are giving away free pasta because people flock to our department in masses.

Until I graduate, I am not eligible to work in the back of the house, however this turned out in my favor. My boss has amazing experience and has been teaching me a ton about food, even if I don't get to cook at work. I am also getting to interact with the 10000s of people that come into the store daily and share my food knowledge with them.  It is by far the most fun job I have had yet, and I am already learning so much about the food industry.  The last little perk is that I have unlimited access to prosciutto, which to anyone that knows me, you now understand why I love my job so much.

I am working everyday except Monday and Saturday from 2-8, come stop by!!!