A REALLY GOODE JOB – Update 1

Greetings Everyone;

By now many of you are aware that I am a contestant/applicant in the Murphy-Goode Winery’s “A REALLY GOODE WINE COUNTRY DREAM JOB” talent search/contest.

As of this writing, I am one of fifty-one contestants who have successfully completed the application process as well as submitted a one-minute (or less) video showing what makes each contestant-hopeful truly qualified for this “DREAM JOB”.

Anyone following the competition at “A REALLY GOODE JOB” website will notice that each applicant has been assigned a specific application number, mine happens to be “A REALLY GOODE JOB APPLICANTION 256” and might ask themselves - how can there be only fifty-one (51) active applicants and yet the application numbers are now as high as 400?

Well, in all the excitement surrounding this competition, it appears that not all applicants have taken the time to read ALL of the requirements associated with the application process. Some “would be” applicants only submitted the application without submitting a video; some submitted pictures instead of video; and still others have submitted videos being over 60-seconds in length. It just goes to show that it pays to read the “fine print”!

There are active applicants from Maine (yours truly) all the way to Hawaii and everywhere in between. Applicants range in age from young “twenty-somethings” all the way up to the “fifty-somethings” gang (I happen to be in the latter age group, although I have yet to acquire my AARP card).

At first, the active applicants could be viewed and followed on Youtube.com but no voting was allowed, but a of a few days ago, the people at “A REALLY GOODE JOB.com” opened the site up to allow visitors to click on, view the applicants and to cast their votes as to who they believe would be the “perfect” Murphy-Goode Winery correspondent (only one vote per email address – to keep it on the “up-and-up”).

On or around the middle of June of this year, the list of candidates will be widdled down to the “Top 50 Candidates” and then there will be another round of voting by the public. The list is then culled further until the “Top 10 Candidates” will be announced around the third week in June.

Once the “Top 10 Candidates” have been selected, those ten hopefuls will travel to Healdsburg, California for a round of personal interviews – and I suspect some interesting and fun challenges. The final candidate selection will be announced on July 9th with work (for the lucky winner) to begin on August 1st and will last for a six-month period.

What this “DREAM JOB” will entail:

• 
  Exploring the Murphy-Goode vineyards as well as discovering the Sonoma County Wine Country in general, visiting both well-known destinations as well as those “off-the-beaten-path” jewels. (Does this sound like The GYPSY KITCHEN’s vision?)
  
• 
  Tasting wines and meeting visitors in the Murphy-Goode tasting room. (Do you think that I am qualified?)
  
• 
  Learning and living the winemaking life and seeing first hand “how-it’s-done”.
  
• 
  Working with David Ready Jr.,Murphy-Goode’s winemaker, develop a new commemorative wine based on this “DREAM JOB”. (I love this idea.)
  
• 
  Writing about the adventure through media outlets including weekly blogs, video and photo diaries, Facebook, Twitter and others as well as serving as the Murphy-Goode spokesperson for media interviews. (Think “The GYPSY KITCHEN Blog”, “The GYPSY KITCHEN Youtube page”, “The GYPSY KITCHEN website”, “The GYPSY KITCHEN Photo Album”, “The GYPSY KITCHEN Facebook page”, “The GYPSY KITCHEN Twitter page” as well as my appearances on local, regional and national TV and radio throughout the years.)
  
• 
  Helping to track the local owl and raptor populations that inhabit the Murphy-Goode vineyards, which are important assets in the practice of sustainable farming. (Did I mention that I served on the board of directors of our local animal welfare shelter for years?)
  
• 
  Find and explore local picnic and camping areas in Sonoma County – did you know that wine tastes wonderful in the wild outdoors, especially around a properly controlled campfire? (Doesn’t this sound very similar to what “The GYPSY KITCHEN” has been doing since early January of this year?)
  
• 
  And last-but-not-least, playing Liar’s Dice (think “Texas Hold’em with the use of dice instead of playing cards) in the Barrel Room while enjoying great wine and even better companionship. (Several of you have experienced my Texas Hold’em and/or Liar’s Dice savvy – or lack thereof.)

So right now there are 51 eager and hopeful applicants praying, asking, pleading and sometimes begging for friends, family, co-workers, people at the grocery store, people they have yet to meet to please, Please, PLEASE cast a vote for them by logging onto “The REALLY GOODE JOB” website and submitting their email address.

Perhaps you’re thinking that I would make the “perfect” Murphy-Goode Winery correspondent and would like to cast your vote for me – which I would GREATLY appreciate! You could do so by simply clicking on this link: “A REALLY GOODE JOB APPLICATION 256”.

Until next time,

Chef John (aka “The GYPSY”)

john@cookwithjohn.com

www.the-gypsy-kitchen.com

John Hughes resides in Kennebunk, Maine with his wife, Cindy, and family when he is not exploring America in “The GYPSY KITCHEN”.

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