I have never run a business on my own…to be honest this is the hardest thing I have ever done. I am in the process of writing a cookbook, teaching classes, and somehow working a full-time job. People ask me all the time how do I do it? Well, the truth is I tell myself every morning if I don’t give 100% today, someone else will. Yea, right… I wake up every morning and say to myself, Crystal, how are you going to get people to believe in Inner City Kitchen today? I think most artist go through this everyday. How do I get people to love what I love? For the ones that tell you they don’t care what people think, it’s not true. Everyone cares what people think about them but it’s those that truly make a positive difference in our thinking of ourselves, that’s who should matter.

Okay, you came to my blog to hear about Inner City Kitchen, so here is what’s up!!

I am excited to tell you we have taken on a few new clients this month and before I mention who they are, I want to get it in a contract first, so no names. I can tell you this, we are still moving forward with our community garden and we finally have a new office in Downtown L.A. As for the cookbook, if I told you it was going well I’d be lying. I am just a girl with an idea and for some Amazing reason people believe in me. I guess that’s another thing that keeps me going. My PR company thought it would be a good idea for me to blog about my life as it takes a spiral downward towards cookbook hell. How about I fill you in on what the cookbook is about? The cookbook will promote empowerment and overcoming culinary struggles while sharing real stories about family, food, and real life. It will also serve as a nutritional guide in language that these women can relate to.

For this cookbook I am going to open it up to whomever wants to participate. The Hollywood YMCA and I are going to offer free cooking and nutrition demonstration to the young women and mature women of our community. I have done demographic studies on the current weight related issues in the Los Angeles County areas so each class will offer a lesson on creating healthy meals on a budget in your community. At the end of the demonstration I will be offering an opportunity for the participants to be a part of our cookbook. I will be traveling with a video camera where some women’s stories will be featured in the cookbook, while others will be highlighted on the Inner City Kitchen website.

So now that you have an idea of what this cookbook is about, how could it possible be hell? Well, what I tend to run into now a days is juggling. Work, culinary classes, cookbook, events, (ahem) blogs, friends, family, and love. But guess what, I always have time to eat. I am not a writer. I just love food!! I want people to see that I know the joys of it and the curse. I know what it’s like to have it and what it’s like to wonder where your next meal is going to come from. I hope that you continue reading my blog and if you don’t it’s cool because regardless, food is still food and I am still me!! I don’t have an agenda for the blog but I have a time line for this cookbook. So if you follow for any reason, follow to see if this thing really comes out by Thanksgiving!!

And I know you ask yourself, if this is such hell why are you doing it? Because at the end of the day I love it all!!!

Until next time,

CB