Planning the Grub Street Food Festival was the most exhilarating project of my career - equal parts chaos and joy. I ran the show solo, navigating vendor coordination, layout logistics, and last-minute surprises with a puffer jacket, a frozen nose, and zero hours of sleep. It was colder than anyone expected for October - windy, brisk - but the sun came out and so did the crowds. We packed the Lower East Side with iconic bites, Seinfeld cameos, and the energy of a city that shows up even when it’s freezing. People kept saying, “Great turnout despite the cold - thank God for this sun!” And I kept thinking, “I did this.”