Obviously it was no easy feat narrowing down everything I ate in Italy this month into a top ten, but it simply had to be done.

I now feel better prepared to answer that dreaded question that forces me to think critically and self-reflect: “what are your takeaways?”

I took three short and sweet trips to the coast — some more successful than others, and each memorable in its own special way.

Four weeks of learning, seeing, doing, living snuck right by me. Time gone way too fast, and not nearly enough of it, but time I’m so grateful to have had in this happy place of mine.

I was in a limbo between lost and found, and all there was to do was wait. But lucky for me, I was in as good a place as any to do some waiting.

Our chef instructor Sara told us this week that a chef knows nothing without knowing her ingredients, and “how they arrive”. She said that you want your food to have “a sparkly taste”, and that “you have to remember what you eat”.

On Sunday, I returned to Italy for the eighth time. This trip, the longest one yet, brings me back for a summer culinary course in Florence where I’m hoping to deepen my knowledge, sharpen my skills, and grow my experience in all things food and cooking. So much has already happened in seven days.