2013 Year in Review

It’s kind of weird to think that in the beginning of the year, we were sitting poolside in our flip flops, at our apartment near Disneyland, staring at palm trees.  Who could predict that when 2013 first began that we would end up working full-time together, and living in Chicago?  

Good thing this year we actually went on a few short trips, and got to explore places along the west coast such as:

Seattle…

Lake Tahoe…

Napa Valley…

…and Catalina Island.

Then we thought about producing an online cooking show.  So we took a chance, and launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for Season 1.

And then to our surprise, 30 days later, our project was funded.

So we decided to give this show a real fighting chance by packing up our lives and moving closer to family for financial support, which meant going to either Philadelphia or Chicago.  Yes, ANOTHER cross- country move.

In the end, we chose Chicago.  Lucky for us, Chicago is a beautiful city.

And then we produced our show.  It’s called “Bits & Pieces.”  It’s about simple resourceful cooking.  You can watch it here: chefjulieyoonvideos

It’s been an experience and required a learning curve at first.  But I think we’re getting the hang of it now.

So far, on our show, we made recipes like this…

…and this…

…and this.

Then we wanted to say “thank you” to our Kickstarter supporters, so we worked hard on sending out their rewards around Christmas time.  Joe even worked on them on his birthday.  Yes, his birthday is on Christmas.

For now, we’ve been staying with Joe’s parents in their house, and filming our show out of my mother in law’s kitchen.  It works perfectly as a “set” for a cooking show.  But soon we will be moving into our own place, and “Bits & Pieces” will have a different set.

So, while we have been filming, we have simultaneously been working on renovating our new apartment in the suburbs of Chicago.  It’s been somewhat of a headache and a lot of work.  We’ll share the progress and final reveal with you soon.

And that brings us to now.  Currently, we are in PA, visiting my parents, spending time with friends and family, nursing colds, and trying to have some R&R.  When we get back to Chicago, we have to immediately pack up our stuff and move into our new home.  And then it’s right back to work, bringing you more creative content for 2014 from our new kitchen!

All in all, I can’t complain.  2013 was filled with surprises, some ups, and some major downs, but we’re still standing and we got through it all.  Happy New Year everyone!  Bring on 2014!

Love,