There are people who thrive on takeout and then there are gourmands. If you have a passion for trying out new cuisines, dabbling in the kitchen, and producing works of culinary art, you have the option of using your hobby to your advantage.

For those who find joy in baking and creating delicately crafted plates of delightful food, an encore career in the foodservice industry can be a very alluring prospect after retirement.

It’s easy to get lost in the sea of food enthusiasts, so creativity is the strongest tool you can use to set you apart from the competition. Within the food and beverage industry, there are several paths you can choose to start your own business. The most powerful implement in your arsenal is your own imagination. So run wild with whatever fancies you!

Here are some exciting ideas for the inner artist in you:

Food Blogging

Blogs are the new avatar of cookbooks. Your grandma’s handwritten recipe book will forever be a treasure, but you can now share it with thousands of subscribers via food blogs. Popular and innovative food blogs can draw a huge following and the traffic to your website can be easily monetized.

You can post new and exciting news about food trends, reviews of popular restaurants, exotic cuisines you have sampled, and your own culinary creations. Many food bloggers have celebrity status, and their opinions are considered as valid as Julia Child’s or Marco Pierre White’s. All you have to do is take a plunge into the world of internet blogging (or vlogging) and unleash the maestro inside you.

Take Up Baking

In the world of culinary arts, cooking is considered an art, but baking is viewed as a science. You have to take some measurements by volume and others by weight. Baking powder is an entirely different compound from baking soda. A measurement of butter in tbsp instead of tsp can lead to cookies shaped like dinosaurs (not that that’s necessarily a bad thing).

If you know your baking well, a few key ingredients and an oven can be your recipe for success. You can organize bake sales and even establish online shops where customers can order in bulk. A sublime collection of cakes, pastries, cookies, croissants, and bread can be a huge draw to your shop.

You can create your own signature baked goods and have a successful business going as soon as word gets out.

Establish a Catering Business

Catering can be expensive, and rightfully so. Creating a well-rounded menu with dishes that complement each other can be a pensive task and pairing drinks with different course items can be even more difficult.

It takes a sophisticated taste to know which wines and meats go well together. With knowledge on your side, you can easily break into the catering world and earn your stripes as a successful caterer.

For those against animal cruelty, factory farming, or who just prefer vegetarianism for personal reasons, starting an ethical catering business is the way to go. Vegan recipes and meat substitutes are also extremely popular with the health-conscious.

With the right amount of exposure and some appetizing recipes, you can launch your own vegan or vegetarian catering empire.

Party Planning

Planning parties can be a fun way to exercise your creative side. Wedding rehearsals, baby showers, and birthday parties can all use your je ne sais quoi to add charm to the celebration. Baked goods, ice creams, charcuterie boards, party platters, fruit punches, and mimosas are excellent ways to create a table that attracts guests who can’t resist coming back for more.

Choosing a commercial ice machine brand can elevate your party drinks with clean and pure tasting ice. Since store-bought ice can be expensive, an ice machine can be an upfront expense that can recoup investment costs quickly.

The margins on party tables are decent enough for you to get a few helping hands on board as well. You can even add decor as an additional service to complete your party planning business.

Take Up a Career as a Personal Chef

A career as a trained chef can be quite demanding for someone who doesn’t want to feel exhausted all the time. You work long hours in the kitchen and unless you work at a Michelin star-rated restaurant or your own establishment, the salary is often less than handsome.

Taking up a career as a personal chef, on the other hand, can be quite rewarding as a supplement to your retirement income. You can develop a personal relationship with your employer, travel with them to exotic locations, and meet interesting people.

Not to mention, the salaries for personal chefs are on the higher end of the spectrum. Most personal chefs work for famous people, so you’ll accumulate quite a few stories during your tenure!

Opening Your Own Food Truck

Food trucks are an excellent investment to start off a food business. Getting a permit from local departments can be challenging, but the investment requirements for a food truck or trailer are quite low compared to opening a brick-and-mortar establishment.

Food trucks can be specialized for quick, on-the-go cuisine and can serve anything from burritos to halal foods and specialty sandwiches. You can even drive to profitable locations during different times of the day to maximize profits. What’s more, you can save money on labor costs as most food trucks can be run by two or three staff members at the most.

Farmer’s Market Vendor

If you’re into the homestead lifestyle, a farmer’s market may just be the perfect station for you. Growing your own fruit and vegetables can be extremely rewarding and if you’re interested in raising chickens, free-range eggs can go for a pretty penny.

You can also make jams and preserves out of the fruit you grow, and an all-organic range can attract a wide customer base. Farmer’s markets are an excellent way to support local growers and merchants and are rapidly evolving as an alternative to superstores and mass markets.

Passion projects for food can be demanding to start but rewarding once your business takes off. All that is needed is some good marketing and talent that is instantly recognizable.

Does your love for food transfer into cooking? Or maybe food blogging? Have you thought of making an encore career connected to the food business? Or are you already a chef? What is your personal experience with cooking/baking and general food loving?

Ever since Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life debuted on Netflix in 2016, fans (like me) have been wondering when we’ll get more Gilmore and get some major questions answered. Now, because of Ulta’s new Gilmore Girls collection, I’m wondering if there’s something coming that hasn’t been announced yet. Is it just cute back-to-school merch that I as a mid-30s adult need? Or is there another mini-series coming?!

I have so many questions but for now, I’m shopping the Gilmore-themed goods, including makeup, nail polish, bath products and Chilton-inspired hair accessories. Some of it makes perfect sense for the mother-daughter duo and others, well, are a bit random but have adorable names inspired by the series so that’s good with me. Below, my favorites from the collection that any fan of the show will love.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Ulta.

Ulta Beauty Collection X Gilmore Girls Hair Accessories Set

Rock the Chilton-navy plaid in a Knotted Headband, Velvet Scrunchie and Blue Plaid Scrunchie and hope the Puffs will let you sit with them.

Ulta.

Ulta Beauty Collection X Gilmore Girls Luke’s Diner Bath Set

Sure, you’ll get a yummy Almond Milk Scented Milky Moisturizer and Caramel Latte Scented Shower Gel in this set but also a Luke’s Diner mug for your Gilmore-esque coffee habit.

Ulta.

Ulta Beauty Collection X Gilmore Girls Lip Crayon Set

While it’s true Rory and Lorelai didn’t wear a ton of makeup, I still think this lip crayon set is adorable right down to the names: Classic (a matte red), No Cellphones (a matte nude), Vicious Trollop (a glossy mauve) and First Kiss (a glossy nude).

Ulta.

Ulta Beauty Collection X Gilmore Girls Nail Set

This fall-ready nail polish set will have you fitting right into Stars Hollow. Colors include Life is Short (a red), Chilton (a navy), Miss Patty’s (a nude) and  Peach Sauce (a nude shimmer).

Ulta.

Ulta Beauty Collection X Gilmore Girls Eye Shadow Palette Duo

There are two eyeshadow quads in this one set, a color story for Rory and for Lorelai. Rory’s are a bit deeper with pops of shimmer, while Lorelai’s is a bit more natural for every day.

Robyn Dixon’s Black Sherpa Jacket

Real Housewives of Potomac Season 6 Episode 4 Fashion

Robyn Dixon hit the nail on the head with how a lot of us felt during the quarantine. At least for me because I ate a lot of unhealthy meals as well and they were mostly paired with wine (just not at 8 am). So I have to hand it to the ladies for getting together for an outdoor workout. Especially in the cold! Thankfully Robyn was prepared in her black sherpa jacket that looks so warm and cozy. A jacket like this makes it easier to not make excuses when it comes to working out outside. Though if I tried I could probably think of more, but being cold can’t be one of them! So maybe I’ll grab myself one for the next time I’m outside going to the store for wine working out.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her Alo Yoga Sherpa Jacket

Originally posted at: Robyn Dixon’s Black Sherpa Jacket

Ever since Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life debuted on Netflix in 2016, fans (like me) have been wondering when we’ll get more Gilmore and get some major questions answered. Now, because of Ulta’s new Gilmore Girls collection, I’m wondering if there’s something coming that hasn’t been announced yet. Is it just cute back-to-school merch that I as a mid-30s adult need? Or is there another mini-series coming?!

I have so many questions but for now, I’m shopping the Gilmore-themed goods, including makeup, nail polish, bath products and Chilton-inspired hair accessories. Some of it makes perfect sense for the mother-daughter duo and others, well, are a bit random but have adorable names inspired by the series so that’s good with me. Below, my favorites from the collection that any fan of the show will love.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Ulta.

Ulta Beauty Collection X Gilmore Girls Hair Accessories Set

Rock the Chilton-navy plaid in a Knotted Headband, Velvet Scrunchie and Blue Plaid Scrunchie and hope the Puffs will let you sit with them.

Ulta.

Ulta Beauty Collection X Gilmore Girls Luke’s Diner Bath Set

Sure, you’ll get a yummy Almond Milk Scented Milky Moisturizer and Caramel Latte Scented Shower Gel in this set but also a Luke’s Diner mug for your Gilmore-esque coffee habit.

Ulta.

Ulta Beauty Collection X Gilmore Girls Lip Crayon Set

While it’s true Rory and Lorelai didn’t wear a ton of makeup, I still think this lip crayon set is adorable right down to the names: Classic (a matte red), No Cellphones (a matte nude), Vicious Trollop (a glossy mauve) and First Kiss (a glossy nude).

Ulta.

Ulta Beauty Collection X Gilmore Girls Nail Set

This fall-ready nail polish set will have you fitting right into Stars Hollow. Colors include Life is Short (a red), Chilton (a navy), Miss Patty’s (a nude) and  Peach Sauce (a nude shimmer).

Ulta.

Ulta Beauty Collection X Gilmore Girls Eye Shadow Palette Duo

There are two eyeshadow quads in this one set, a color story for Rory and for Lorelai. Rory’s are a bit deeper with pops of shimmer, while Lorelai’s is a bit more natural for every day.

Unwelcome visitors have a tendency to pop in at the most inopportune and unexpected times. The telephone is just such an intruder, its shrill ring interrupting sacred downtime. Back when we were still tethered to landlines, sans caller ID, and Sarah’s was the voice on the other end of the line, I would sink into the adjacent chair dreading the next 45-minute interruption of whining and whaling.

Virtual Visitors Interrupting at Vulnerable Times

My current unwelcome visitor is a virtual one and chooses to interrupt me at the most vulnerable times. Most frequently, it’s at first light, cockcrow time I’ve heard it called. She slips into my king-size bed and spoons with me, whispering softly in my barely awake ear.

I watched this totally weird television show for a short while. It was called Braindead (only lasting one season). Extraterrestrial insects invaded the brains of politicians in this satire, taking control of their lives and political views. Their point of entry was the ear.

My early a.m. visitor does the same thing to me. Like smoke, she wafts into my ear, and I begin coughing and choking from the doubt and judgment she imparts.

My companion spells her name A N X I E T Y. Anxiety is really non-gender specific, but I would feel a little unfaithful to my husband attributing male characteristics to my virtual visitor as she slips in bed with me in the wee hours of the morning.

I am accustomed to her periodic pop-ins, but my intruder’s relentless presence during the past year has propelled me into a dark place. It’s disconcerting because, residing in Florida, I live in the light. This darkness feels unfamiliar. I wonder if this is what it feels like to live near the Shetland Islands or a Nordic country close to the Arctic Circle. But I suspect what I’ve been feeling is not geographically induced.

A Spate of Injuries Precipitated Anxiety’s Persistent Visits

A spate of injuries precipitated her persistent visits. After years of gel injections, cortisone shots, and lots of ibuprofen, I could not take the pain, the limping, and bowlegs any longer, so I signed up for knee replacement surgery.

Friends and acquaintances used expressions such as “life changing” and “new lease on life” to describe the aftermath of the surgery. I guess because the outcome is so good – the new knee recipient can miraculously squat like a toddler and hike the Inca Trail – people don’t really mention how much it HURTS! I also awoke with nerve damage causing foot drop or palsy. My flappy foot was a source of humility and anxiety.

Anxiety Is Like a Mean Mother-in-Law or Insecure Professor

Anxiety is kind of like a mean mother-in-law or insecure professor whose pessimism and judgment make you feel hopeless. “You know your foot drop is not going to improve. You’re going to have to wear that brace forever,” she would hiss into my barely awake ear.

Well, she was wrong. Following months of physical therapy and a few acupuncture treatments thrown in for good measure, I was able to return to my daily rituals and routines, including riding my beloved bicycle.

“Let’s ride our bikes to church,” I begged my husband one fateful Sunday morning. My kind husband finds it hard to say no to me (or possibly doesn’t want to endure my whining and pleading) so off we careened to Knowles Chapel. Careen is the operative word, as it turned out.

I had a particular route in mind, my husband another. The upshot? Our careening resulted in a collision where I served as the cushion for my husband’s fall. Our crash was like an episode of The Night Before Christmas story – “Out on the lawn there arose such a clatter neighbors sprang from their beds to see what was the matter.”

The matter turned out to be a fractured wrist and ankle (of course the same ankle as the drop foot) and road rash from skidding across the asphalt.

These injuries interrupted basic living routines and cherished activities. Bicycling was bygone for months; forget driving for weeks; blog posts and book edits curtailed (typing with one hand is too slow and distracting.) Adjusting to life with one hand and barely two feet was challenging.

My shirts sustained permanent stains from food dropped by the fumbling fork. Oh, and the indignities! Like fastening a bra. Pouring 67-year-old boobs into a bra in front of an audience! Humbling, to say the least.

Sponge baths were necessary in the early days following surgery. My husband lingered nearby, fearing I might fall and hurt myself, not an unreasonable assumption considering my past year. Ordinarily clothes and towels help to obscure flab and folds. Not during bath time standing under LED lights. (There really is a reason to stay married.)

Texting, my favorite mode of communication, proved difficult with only one thumb. I felt compelled to offer a disclaimer – “Please forgive the typos, I’m operating with just one hand.”

Anxiety took a Sabbath when my foot drop improved but took up full-time residence in the pit of my stomach following my bicycle accident. “You call yourself a writer?!” she snorted. “You can’t write with a wrecked wrist! You know it won’t ever be the same. Besides, you are undisciplined. You don’t sit your butt down in the chair and actually write for four hours at a time like proper writers do.”

Rather than whispering sweet nothings, Anxiety murmurs messages of fear and angst. “Are you sure your daughter is okay? Will she be able to keep her new job? Last one in, first one fired.” (Yet another factor contributing to the stress of the year: my 40-year-old daughter’s employment insecurities.)

The Pandemic Was Not the Only Plague to Visit in 2020

The pandemic was not the only plague to visit us in 2020. Even if we were fortunate enough to avoid being visited by the virus, Anxiety was only too happy to nuzzle up in the middle of the night. “Your husband was coughing last night. I’ll bet he has the virus,” messages propelling panicked patients into the welcoming arms of local therapists.

The last time I felt this bad was around 9/11. On top of this national calamity, I (and the FBI) suspected my daughter of dating a Tunisian terrorist, and her brother was kicked out of school in Washington D.C. for smoking pot. (I actually had to buy Anxiety a pillow, she was spending so much time in my bed that fall.)

Anxiety does make appearances during daytime hours as well. She is really kind of glamorous, one of those femme fatale women of film noir fame – form-fitting scarlet red dress, charged up cherry nail polish, and red lipstick. Longish dark wavy hair. Alexander McQueen heels. But instead of being an Ava Gardner, she is more like Cruella de Vil.

What’s a Woman to Do Against this Devil?

So how do you rebuff this unsolicited and unwelcome visitor who does not even have the good manners to knock? She just barges in, uninvited.

Some obvious techniques are short-lived – wine, Xanax, exercise, wine. Actually, when the wine buzz wears off in the middle of the night, that’s another time you wake up and find her sitting at the end of your bed, dropping ashes and venom on your newly dry-cleaned duvet.

At 67, I’ve grown accustomed to her visits. The length varies, sometimes seemingly lasting forever, and sometimes just short drop-ins.

“Unbidden guests are often welcomest when they are gone.”

Shakespeare

Techniques for Managing Anxiety

Aside from wine and Xanax, how does one manage anxiety? Writing is a management technique that works for me (now that my hand and wrist are fully functional again). As Joan Didion said, “I don’t know what I think until I write it down.”

Writing penetrates my mental mosh pit and provides clarity. Even anthropomorphizing anxiety, giving it a name and personality, helps me step back and gain perspective.

I believe creative expression helps mitigate anxiety. New York Times reporter Laura Holson notes: “Our best selves are merely one doodle away. Where once drawing and other painterly pursuits were the province of starving artists or simply child’s play, unlocking one’s creativity has become the latest mantra of personal growth and healing.”

The Mayo Clinic recommends the health benefits of painting and ceramics. Ceramics is my preferred creative outlet. Clay comes from the ground and grounds those who touch it. Centering a bowl on the potter’s wheel helps me feel centered. Clay has a way of corralling my monkey-chattering brain and meditatively focusing it on creating something beautiful.

While these techniques are helpful, I still experience goose bumps when I hear the sheets rustle and feel her breath on the back of my neck in the early morning. What sardonic snippets will she spew this time, I wonder.

Usually, I don’t have to wait long to find out. She is always eager to share. After all these years, I’m grudgingly growing accustomed to her appearances. I just wish she’d choose a more convenient time to visit!

Is Anxiety an unwelcome visitor for you? How does she sneak up into your life? In what moments are your defenses weakest? What do you do to keep her away? Please share any tips you have for managing her.