Full, Present, and Letting It Unfold

A quick note on timing—because life has been moving.

Passover was two weeks ago.
Then Easter.
Then eleven days in Boston—building a kitchen from the ground up, writing recipes, training the team, walking front of house through the food, and soft opening Rocco’s in the Seaport.

I came home for three days to celebrate Adrian’s birthday.

And now I’m on a plane back to Boston to launch the full menu.

It’s been full—in every sense of the word.

In the past few weeks, I’ve caught myself noticing things differently.

Driving home from Boca—Gabriella and Adrian asleep in the backseat, completely relaxed, limbs everywhere. Evan, singing along to the music with me as we drove, chatting about future plans

That kind of peace you don’t plan.
You just recognize it when it shows up.

We had just spent Easter and my nephew Gio’s birthday at my brother’s—long table, loud, a lot of food, a lot of love.

And a few days before that, Passover at home.

My dad, Evan, the kids, a dear old friend—reading the Haggadah off our phones.

Not traditional in the expected way.

But it felt real.

Because tradition isn’t fixed.
It’s something we create with who’s there.

Something else has been happening too.

Those photo memories that pop up on your phone—the random ones from years ago.

People who were once such a big part of your life… and aren’t anymore.

And instead of feeling sad, I find myself smiling.

Grateful for those moments.
For what we shared when we had it.

You know how the saying goes—people come into your life for a moment, a season, or a lifetime.

And lately, I’ve been able to appreciate each one for exactly what it was.

No attachment to what it isn’t anymore.
Just gratitude that it was—and that it helped shape who I am now.

The past month has been intense—Boston and Miami, back and forth, long days, fully in it.

And still, I didn’t feel overwhelmed.

Because I’ve been paying attention.

So many times lately, I catch my shoulders creeping up toward my ears—holding tension without even realizing it.

And I stop.
Drop them.
Breathe.
Reset.

That awareness changes everything.

At one point, I stepped outside.

The kitchen had no windows, and I hadn’t stopped moving all day.

And suddenly—spring.

The air.
The smell of flowers.
That shift in light that makes you pause, even when you don’t have time to.

And I thought—

nature doesn’t force anything to bloom.
It doesn’t rush.
It just happens when it’s ready.

And I’ve been thinking about that in my own life.

About what it means to feel held.

By the right people.
By your own practices.
By your perspective.

When that’s in place, you don’t grip as tightly.

You trust more.
You move cleaner.
You let things unfold.

So I made a decision that didn’t make sense on paper.

I took most of Sunday off.

There was more than enough to do.
A hundred reasons not to.

But I gave the team a reset.
And I gave myself one too.

I walked. Wandered. Picked up things for people I love.

No structure. No pressure.

And when I came back, I wasn’t behind.

I was sharper.
Clearer.
Better.

Sometimes stepping away isn’t falling behind.

It’s what allows everything else to land.

There were small rituals that grounded me.

Coffee every morning from Blue Bottle—they knew my name by the time I left.

On slower mornings, a brown sugar praline meringue from Flour. A long walk along the water in the Seaport.

Waking up, looking around, and saying my gratitude statements out loud—touching every part of my life before the day even started.

And the people… the people I shared so many hours pushing hard with… When I left I missed them, each with their own strengths, and personalities, just the way they smile or say hello, or grab you a coffee when you needed one so badly, but hadn’t said it out loud.

Small things.

That held everything together.

Industry Insight

Working with the Garrett Group has been one of the best parts of this experience.

I came in to build menus, order guides, and recipes.

But I was welcomed into a real team—people who are strong individually and even better together.

That kind of culture shows up immediately.

It changes how the work feels.
And it makes everything better.

A few standouts:

• Formaggio — serious cheese selection

• Borrachito (Seaport) — shrimp tacos and a Peking duck-style carnitas taco that’s smart and fun

• Blue Bottle — my daily ritual

• Flour — brown sugar praline meringue on the rare slow morning

And back home:

• Shah’s House of Kebab — my favorite welcome

• Pastis — transportive, relaxed, perfect chicken paillard

• Hillstone (Coral Gables) — where we’re headed today, Rolando on the line, my favorite men at the table

But the best part wasn’t the restaurants.

It was coming home.

Evan picking me up with flowers and my favorite food.

The kids running in—big hugs, talking over each other, filling me in, then cuddling on the couch like no time had passed.

Those moments mean everything.

That is my why.

And I’ve realized—

sometimes being away doesn’t take away.

It deepens everything.

Adrian turns fifteen.

Six foot two.
A mustache coming in.
Strong enough to lift me over his head.

And still my baby.

AG—what I’ve called him forever. Agie. Aygee.

Now his friends and cousins say it too.

And I love that.

He is an incredible musician, son, friend, grandson, his laugh is contaigious, and his warmth and smile brighten any room.

I’m immensely excited to see where his journey takes him. I’ll be beaming with pride from the audience anywhere he goes.

Gabriella is in her own rhythm—working at Vice City Bean, building her independence.

Leaning more and more into anchoring and helping produce on the Weekly News at school.

She’s didn't make it to our Hillstone Birthday lunch because she was working.

And that’s part of it too. She is learning about responsibility and earning her own money, considering how she wants to spend it and if it’s worth it. It is tremendously fun watching her during this period.

There’s a shift happening.

Not forced. Not rushed. Just… moving.

The more I try to control everything, the tighter it feels.

The more I let go, even slightly, the more things fall into place.

Summer is coming.

Gabriella’s internship.
Adrian heading to Berklee.
Evan’s birthday in Saratoga Springs at a Dave Matthews show.

And somewhere in all of it—Europe is starting to take shape.

Right now, life feels full.

Not perfect.
Not finished.
But full.

And I’m learning not to rush past that.

Because sometimes the beauty…

is realizing you’re already in it.

With love, gratitude, and so much excitement for what’s ahead,
Nicole

chefnicole | Nicole’s Global Palate | LinkedIn | For Good Sauce | Flavor First: Fuss-Free Summer Recipes | Flavor & Founder