Buzz

Alexandra Spirer

Jul 18

Decisions are commas, not periods. It used to feel like if I made the wrong decision, my career would be over. Or an opportunity would never come again. It took me a long time to realize that every decision, big or small was just a pause- a turn in the path. Nothing was earth-shattering or career-ending. I put this mantra on my screen saver and repeat it often. I share it with friends and colleagues who are struggling with decision making as well.

For my series on strong female leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Karen Akunowicz who is the 2018 James Beard Foundation Award winner for Best Chef: Northeast, the Chef/Owner of Fox & the Knife enoteca in South Boston, recently named one of Food & Wine’s ten Best New Restaurants 2019, and proprietor of the fast-casual poke concept, SloPoke, in Downtown Boston Whole Foods Market. A native of Kearny, New Jersey, Akunowicz’s 16-year career began with jobs at local restaurants taken while pursuing a degree in social work from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. During this time she explored every facet of management, working both in front of and back of house. However it wasn’t until Akunowicz was applying for a Master’s Degree in social work that she decided to pivot and attend Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.