Hello! My name is Gen. Here is a little about me…

My career began in restaurants in the city of London, where I worked front-of-house, eventually achieving positions in General Management. I loved so many aspects of my job. Fast-paced services that were manic, hectic, buzzing, where we worked seamlessly like a well-oiled machine; working with crazily-talented Head Chefs with whom I could sponge up some of their infectious enthusiasm and creativity; feeling the warmth of making customers happy, knowing that the experience you provided could be a memory that stays with them for many days to come.

But let’s jump off Cloud 9 for a moment, because the restaurant industry can turn on you in a second. Tomorrow’s service could be a disaster where nothing goes right and it feels like dragging a bull by it’s tail up a mountain; screaming matches with the Head Chef, or worse, utter silence, when one of your wait-staff mutters to you those dreaded words that will freeze the blood in your veins: ‘the kitchen is going under’; the absolute despair when you know that a customer has had a poor experience where the best-case scenario is they’ll accept the complimentary bill and chalk it up as an off day or the worst-case scenario where you are subjected to the hairdryer treatment and then get to read all about it on TripAdvisor the next day.

Ah, the highs and lows of the service industry. I gave thirteen years to it, and looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing because it got me to where I am today.

That’s when the idea of this blog hatched in my mind. I wanted to write about something that I was passionate about, something that I adored. The answer came to me in a tidal-wave of song lyrics: Andy Williams crooning that it is the most wonderful time of the year; Wizzard chanting Oh I wish it could be Christmas every day; Bing Crosby dreaming of a white Christmas. 

Christmas.

I’m not ashamed to say (although I probably should be) that I think about Christmas all year round. I decided, why not blog about it? So here I am, eeking out a little space on the interweb, kicking off my shoes and calling it home.

I hope you enjoy!

Love Gen xx