How a Pork Tenderloin Saved my Life Part 10 - Toronto Here I Come

If you're just tuning in, earlier installments of my adventures in the online recipe competition The Real Women of Philadelphia Canada, can be found HERE.

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The next few months passed in a blur and though I was excited to have been selected as a finalist in the entree category of the Real Women of Philadelphia Canada, I was sad to see several of the women I had become good friends with - cooks I knew to be just as worthy as me - not going the next step to Toronto.

Although I knew several of them were deeply disappointed - and I fully understood why - none of them ever put me in a position where I was made to feel badly - though, truth be known, I did feel badly because a lot of heart and talent went unacknowledged.

This is the heartbreak of taking chances.

All I could do now was honour the process and give myself permission to be happy. I had worked hard for this and had come a long way since the Philly Nibblers and my "Hello Candice" blunder.

So with my bags packed, and my newly manicured acrylic nails crossed, I got on a plane one early afternoon in July and flew toward what I hoped would be a whole new beginning.











When I arrived in Toronto I made my way to the airport shuttle.

I was told there would be a car waiting for me and, small town girl that I am, assumed that meant my shuttle had been taken care of. However, no one knew anything about it and as I ran back and forth trying to look like a cool and unconcerned traveler, inside I was beginning to panic.

"What if I had been right all along and there had been some kind of colossal mix up?"

"What if I wasn't really a finalist?"

In retrospect I know how crazy that sounds - but ask anyone who lives with anxiety, the mind can be a tricky thing.

However, I managed to pull it together enough to remember that the person in charge of "talent" - Tom - had left me his cell number, and after three fumbling tries at punching it into my blackberry with the acrylic nails on, I made contact!

I can only imagine what I must have sounded like heavy breathing into the phone in the shuttle bay, but somehow he managed to make sense of what I was saying and explained that the car waiting for me was not a shuttle or a taxi but the airport limo.

Further to that, my driver let me know that the hotel I would be staying at "The Thompson" was one of Toronto's premiere locations.

Here is the lobby I walked into as I stepped out of the town car...

















And in my beautifully appointed room






















KRAFT Foods Canada had left me swag!

















 It began to dawn on me that I wasn't in Kansas anymore...

Stay tuned next week for the Part 11 - the cook off!

For a little cream cheese inspiration, how about this fabulous recipe for Seafood Lasagna!

Comments

  1. Oh Lyndsay!! How could we ever say anything bad about their decision to choose you. Your dish and your outgoing personality was a perfect choice and the beginning of an amazing journey for you!!! xo

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  2. You are a star!! You got a car, no shuttle or taxi for you, my dear! Holy mack on that hotel lobby though, wow! Not in Kansas anymore, isn't that the truth. :)
    I hope that you know that ALL of us were happy for you, I'm glad that you decided to allow yourself to be happy too. :)

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  3. What an adventure! That is some lobby...I look forward to the cook-off part 11 :-)

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  4. I must say you really led an exciting life for o girl from Vancouver Island. Can't wait to read next chapter; love it.
    Rita

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  5. Looks like the big time! Gorgeous hotel, I'm sure it was fun:@)

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  6. Wow what a great memory to have!!!! You rock girlfriend. I am so glad that I met you in person... I just wish it could have been for longer.

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  7. You deserved to have a great time! I am so happy for you! Thanks for visiting my blog.

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  8. Thank you to everyone for all of your comments - they are very appreciated!! xoxoxoxo

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