Hey guys! My name is Jessica Light and i’m currently 18 years old. A month ago, (August 2018), I packed up all my things and moved from a very small town near Seattle, Washington called Monroe, to the huge city of Los Angeles, California. I have created this blog to write and share about my experiences, so others can possibly learn from me, as well as I can learn from myself.
How does an 18 year old manage to move all the way to LA by herself? Let’s talk about it. All through high school I knew I wanted to go into the food industry. I loved to feed people, and myself of course. My sophomore year, I was told about something my high school offered through another school; a technical/vocational high school program offering classes in many areas of work, one of them being culinary arts. As soon as I could I applying and got an interview. A few months later I had received my acceptance letter to the school and would be starting the culinary program next year during my junior year. I loved the program and I learned so much from it. We ran a restaurant that was open to the public and also learned all about the basics and fundamentals of cooking. I then was invited back for a second year and finished off my senior year of high school in the program.
In December 2017 I turned 18 years old, allowing me to finally go out and work in a kitchen. I was working on my senior project this time, and was posting around on the local community facebook pages trying to find chefs who could help me. I was planning a holiday dinner for lower income families. Long story short, the dinner went amazingly and we fed many hungry families that night. This was when I was discovered by the executive chef at one of the most popular restaurants where I lived. He quickly offered me a job and I excitedly accepted right away.
He started me off on prep, working nights and I loved it! I got to make all the potato salad, the polenta fries, the sauces, everything. Eventually, a few months later he had enough faith in me to throw me downstairs on the line. I worked on pantry and apps. I quickly picked up the methods, and the way of the kitchen. Suddenly I found myself working 50 hours a week. All while being a full time high school student, drama kid, band geek, and choir nerd. I was leaving the house at 6 am, and getting home at 2 am. And I had no problem with it whatsoever. My parents on the other hand… They were scared I was doing too much, and I kept telling them I could never do too much.
My whole plan was to graduate high school, attend a local community college, keep my beloved job, finish my AA in culinary arts, and then see where live would take me after that. In early July 2018, about a month after I graduated high school I had gotten home late at night from my job exhausted but also wide awake. Just in awe at how the Friday night had gone. Thinking about how much I loved that rush, the adrenaline, and how I wanted to do that forever. I began to question myself and why I wasn’t doing more. I did some researching on a school I had always dreamed of going to. The ICE (Institute of Culinary Education) in NYC. While doing this research I stumbled upon the news that the ICE had a brand new campus in LA. I instantly started to look at numbers, details, all the info, and without a second thought, I applied. The next day I went to lunch with my dad and little did I know, this conversation at lunch would change my life. “How would you feel about me moving to LA?” My dad was quite taken aback. But conversation continued and that night, we had tickets booked for the next week to go to LA to look at the school.
When we went, I was mesmerized and I instantly knew I was going to do whatever it takes to move here. Through stressful paperwork and last minute phone calls, August 12th we packed up the back of the truck, and I left everything I ever knew behind me and headed to the big city of LA. A 30 hour road trip, and on the 13th, we arrived. My dad dropped me and my stuff off, and turned right back around and went home, and suddenly I was completely alone. That first night was a scary, sleepless night. Luckily, the very next day was already my first day of class. (Have I mentioned how last minute this was??) I was very quick to make friends, and instantly felt welcome.
It has now been 1 month since I have been living in Los Angeles and I already have so much to say. It has been a crazy rollercoaster of a month and I’m very excited to tell you about it in my next post. Till then check out my social media!
Instagrams: @lightlyjess and @chefjesslight
Snapchat: @jess_light
Let me know your comments and thoughts! Thank you!
Chef Jess Light 