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Katie Etter

 

Alumni Interview with Katie Etter

 

Katie Etter was student at FUA in the summer of 2009. She came from Suffolk County, Long Island to spend a semester in Florence, choosing to focus her studies mostly on the Culinary Arts at Apicius. Nearly a decade later, Katie returned to Florence for FUA's first ever Alumni Week and looked back upon her life-changing experience in Italy.

 

What have you been up to since you left Florence?

When I got back from Florence I worked in a few different restaurants, as coming to FUA gave me more opportunity to expand my professional network. I worked with the front chef in Vermont at The Wilburton which was a great experience. I worked as a sous chef in Saratoga and also did a lot of work in managing front of the house. Now I groom dogs because I love animals and completely fell in love with the job.

 

Why did you choose to study at FUA?

The opportunity was presented to me at school and I thought of it as a opportunity to be on my own and find myself. I was always surrounded by people that I knew and this experience was really going to force me outside of my comfort zone. I remember being in class at Apicius and something needed to be butchered which no one else wanted to do. I raised my hand and volunteered to do it anyway, because I wanted to use the experience of studying abroad at FUA to do things that I wouldn’t normally do. I felt much more confident returning home after my semester in Florence, because I knew if I could succeed in another country by myself, anything was possible.

 

Did you do any internships when you were at FUA?

I had an internship at Ganzo. I worked both in the kitchen and front of the house. It was great, I absolutely loved it. It’s such a nice place to work, it has a really beautiful atmosphere. It was the first time I got to experience bartending, and I enjoyed it so much I even took a few bartending jobs once I got back.

 

What would you say to any future students looking into FUA?

I would say go for it. Don’t second guess yourself; it’s scary to be in a new place but it is so worth the new experience and it will become something that you can look back on for the rest of your life.

 

What are your plans for the future? 

I’m having a baby now. My plan was to go back into the restaurant business, but for now I’m happy to continue working with dogs, and perhaps pick up some bartending shifts in the evening to keep my foot in the door. 

 

 If you are interested in getting in touch with Katie, please write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Photograph courtesy of Katie Etter

Katie Etter

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