Dear Cold Beer and Meat Lovers,

I struggled to find what it was in life that I loved. I was a soccer and basketball player from 4 – 18 years old, and as a child had high hopes of the Olympics or becoming the next Mia Hamm. Eventually, I changed my mind and decided that I no longer wanted the spotlight, but wanted to film it instead. At 18 years old, after high school graduation I left Columbus, Ohio for Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh for Digital Media Productions. In 2008 I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Media. Also in 2008, I was hired at a Production Facility that was affiliated with a major TV network, and I worked in their Tech Center as a Syndication Editor, and Satellite Operator. It was fun. We had highs and lows, roof top parties, I was able to meet celebrities, and so on but, something was missing. Something wasn’t right and at the age of 24 I realized that this career wasn’t going to complete me, or make me happy anymore.

In 2012 I made visits to LA, Raleigh, and Fort Myers, and it changed my life. I came to terms with the fact that I wanted to move, had to change careers, and forced myself to tell my parents I was quitting my job, removing my security blanket, and leaving the North. Moving to Raleigh, NC was the greatest decision of my life. I am in love here. I love my career, I love being in the service industry, I love managing a thriving, crazy, exciting restaurant in downtown Raleigh, and I love what I have become.

Food is everything to me. Not just because I love to eat, but because it brings people together. I guess you could argue that television brings people together too, but not in the same way a meal does. I cook at home, and manage at work. I started this blog because I want others to cook at home as well. Sure, there are blogs out there that will tell you it’s easy, and only takes 20 minutes, and so on. The truth is, honestly, you have to want to do it, and you have to use time management to make it happen. Food is love, and everyone needs both in order to survive.

Families dine together; friends, lovers, and enemies dine together. Dining is a way of getting to know someone, or simply finding out how someone’s day is going. It’s a meeting, a first date, a goodbye or hello, it can mean everything, and nothing. It’s the root of everything similar. The world dines. We may all speak different languages, and have different skin and hair, but we all love to eat. A dining experience can make or break your day, and that is power. I struggled to find happiness. When I was a little girl I had no idea I was going to grow up and love to cook as much as I do. It is everything to me now, and I can’t imagine a life without it. The purpose of this blog is to share ideas and recipes with the world. To not just encourage someone to make a recipe, but to help people understand the importance of a meal, and just how much you can learn by sitting down and listening to someone.

If you share the same passion about food and culture as I do, then you are going to love this blog. I travel as often as I can, love every single day I am alive, cook almost every single day, laugh all the time, and try to enjoy the little things as much as possible. I am open to sharing recipes, so if you ever have a question or concern, my inbox is always open!

Share with me by using the hashtag #ColdBeerMeatSweats #MeatSweatsBlog

Love,

Gillian Rose McLane

 

Snapchat Note: I often do LIVE Snapchats from my kitchen when I’m cooking! Make sure to follow MeatSweatsBlog / Gilly on Snapchat to get live updates and ‘How To Cooking’ demonstrations 🙂 🙂