Bethina425 is Back: Abroad in Argentina!

Bethina425 is back. No longer in school any more, and back to eating duck (which I thought I would never do after my final) I'm in Argentina!

Si’ mi amigos.

After a fast and busy summer vacation, I’ve packed up my knives and I am heading to an area outside of Mendoza where I will spend the next couple months cooking under the guidance of Chef Lucas Bustos.

I have 260 hours of apprenticeship hours that I need to complete to satisfy PCI’s graduations requirements and hopefully this is where I will do this. I say hopefully because I am still en route.

Why Argentina?? Well, why not I asked myself one night. (One of those sleepless nights I used to have during school stressed over finals and wondering what I was going to do for my externship).

I had accompanied my friend Virginia (Taylor Made Tours) on an exploratory trip to Argentina last November just a few months before starting school. After spending a week in Buenos Aires, we headed to Mendoza where we spent our time visiting wineries, taking cooking classes and of course eating. The area is beautiful and the wines and food were wonderful. While there we had a cooking class given outdoors at the Melipal winery by Chef Lucas. Everything about that day was perfect -the weather, the setting, the food,. the wine. Chef Lucas had a few restaurants in the area and we ate at two of them while there.

Fast forward to the end of school. It was time for me to get serious about getting into a working kitchen.

I had so many ideas come and go as to what I might do. I knew I wanted a cultural experience. I knew I wanted to spend time in a restaurant, but I wasn’t sure where.. It came to me one night after Virginia asked me if I wanted to go back to Argentina and help her with an upcoming tour she had booked. I said I couldn’t because I planned to hopefully be working at that time to complete my hours That night it came to me. Argentina. Why not?

I called her the next day and asked what she thought about my asking Chef Lucas if I could come out and work for him? I think Virginia was more excited than I was. It could be a perfect plan. I would go a few months before her. Work full time and complete my hours then join her for her tour. She emailed her contacts in Mendoza and before I could talk myself out of it I wrote a letter to Chef Lucas asking him if I could come.

The response came back from his manager Guillermo.

We would love for you to complete your hours in our new restaurant. He said the timing was perfect and that would have lodging for me on the premises.

Now here I sit in a hotel room in Mendoza writing this...What have I gotten myself into? I don’t even speak the language. My friend gave me Rocket Spanish but I’ve only done the first lesson.

My husband, the trooper that he his, is with me. Actually, he is getting me a coffee as I write. After supporting me through the ups and downs of culinary school he is graciously escorting me to this new adventure. We spent a few days in BA arriving just yesterday in Mendoza. This morning we head out to the Valle De Uco, where I
will see what I’ve gotten my self into.

Wish me luck

Buenos Dias,