Hi, bunnies
Every week when I deliver my weekly meal prep order, I include a special letter or email to those clients who ordered meals. I explain the food that I chose to nourish them with this week and how it connected to me. Within only five weeks of running this service with a hand full of “regulars”, this service has started to feel like something so much bigger. When I said “I should start a blog on the website” it was somewhat comical. For years, whenever I get really excited about something, I say to my partner “maybe I’ll start a blog!” There was kayaking, my peloton obsession, managing restaurants- But for the first time, she responds “oh yeah, I mean that makes sense. I bet people would love that.”
I mean, it makes sense. People would love this. Here we go.
Even though I’m not coming into anyones homes and grabbing plates from the cabinet and setting the table and laughing while passing the salad, it really feels like we are collectively sharing these meals. I love when I get home and I’ve got messages from the mamas and papas and baby bunnies who are enjoying their meals and thanking me for allowing them to help their babes with homework or enjoy cookies together instead of running around to the grocery store just to make dinner. There is nothing better, honestly. It’s truly why I started Ambrosia! My very first client sought me out and she desperately needed that hour with her kids in her arms, not waiting for dinner to be cooked. She sent me a voice clip the night of her first delivery and I could hear her sons cackling in the background and she deeply expressed gratitude for that time. She said “tonight we built a fire in the backyard and we talked and laughed and chased one another around the yard.” When she cried in this voice message, I knew more than anything that this was the act of service that my love language needed to be giving my community.
No exaggeration, I almost always get back into my car after dropping off food and I just cheer and shout and yell things like “I can’t believe that this gets to be my life!” “Honey you’re doing it!” “Woo!”
Bunnies, for years I managed high volume restaurants and was so unhappy and not understanding why the people around me didn’t feel the same desire to uphold these standards of quality. Why the men on my leadership teams, more often than not, struggled to give me the respect that my earned title should have given. There were so many times when I would find myself thinking “Amber, if you just let go of this standard, things will be easier. Just let this go.” But I genuinely couldn’t comprehend how to operate on that level. I followed my integrity with every single move that I’ve made in my career. I cannot even express to you the situations that I was finding myself in and having to wonder “do I make the choice that I know with my morals and gut is right, or do I make the choice that will keep these nasty hyenas teeth out of my skin, as I try to run this restaurant.” When I realized that I was about to make the leap and no longer walk into a restaurant that had my name on the door, and beg my team to respect me, while letting go of that dependable salary— well, I was one scared bunny. But I knew more than anything else that there was no other option for my story.
I took a scary jump
and I am so thankful for that leap
every single day.
That’s not to say that there aren’t immense struggles every single day. That’s not to say that I don’t look at who’s hiring every now and then, and wonder about going back to that world, if only for the money alone. The appreciation and gratitude that I feel every single time that I drop off a meal outweighs any fear i’ve had along this journey. Thank you for sticking with me on this journey. I appreciate you and love hearing from all of you. I love talking about food and love making it for you all. This has been such an incredible gift that I’ve been able to watch open.
Thank you for being a part of it with me.
