Whining Kitchen Aide
So, you want to become a chef? You love the idea of being creative and working with food. You follow the who’s who of the culinary world along with social media influencers. You read about food, clip recipes to try, and have even developed your own menu for when you open a restaurant. But here’s the biggest question: Why?
This is the most crucial WHY of your life, as it will dictate how your life unfolds. Those celebrity chefs you follow—they are the .00001% of what it takes to become a chef. Each one of those chefs did whatever it took to reach that level. Their path is irrelevant to you. Your path is your own! The social media influencers you admire—they carved out their own niche. You need to create your own unique brand.
As you continue reading, we will explore that why. But first, some legitimate questions. Who am I? I am no one of particular importance. I have been a culinarian for over forty years. I am simply a guide presenting what it truly means to be a chef. My words may anger some, and I might omit things others are passionate about, but ultimately, YOU must decide your WHY.
The restaurant failure rate is alarming: one out of three will close within the first three years. When I was in culinary school, they told us that 98% would close in the first year. Maybe they didn’t believe in their WHY. We chefs wear multiple hats throughout the day. What kind of hats, you ask? Quality control, accountant, line cook, purchasing agent, receiver, loss prevention, advertiser, marketer, a form of HR, hiring manager, enforcer, firefighter, life coach, motivator, therapist, teacher, mentor, mentee, delivery person, caterer—the list goes on. Our hat rack is quite full.
These roles can be taught as you learn to cook and progress to the next level. What cannot be taught, but must be realized, is the toll this business takes on you—both physically and mentally. The abuse you endure to get to your WHY. If you are okay with the verbal and physical abuse, then let’s move on. Do you value your family unit? Do you enjoy spending time with friends? Do you cherish free time and holidays with loved ones? Do you like hanging out on a Friday or Saturday night? If you answered yes to any of these, best of luck to you—this industry is not for you. The glamorous life of a celebrity chef or social influencer is just that: their glamorous life. You are just an infant in this industry; you need guidance and mentorship. Finding the right Chef to mentor you is another challenge. Chefs have egos, and when we see potential, we try to enhance it and work with that person, but only if they are willing to endure what it takes.
One thing we cannot teach is passion. Many cookbooks talk about ingredients and how they make the dish, but you will never cook that dish as well as the author. Passion is the most powerful ingredient in a chef’s knife roll. I always ask three questions to potential cooks: What is your go-to comfort food when you’re sick? If you were to cook for me, what meal would it be and why? And tell me about your last craveable meal and why it was so memorable. Lastly, I ask them to cook an egg over easy. Why? Because an egg is the hardest food to cook perfectly. Try it—make an egg over easy without gadgets to flip it, and don’t break the yolk. What about the perfect poached egg? I could go on forever about eggs.
If, after all that, you still want to sign up, I have more to offer.
At this point in my career, I look back and realize there are more past memories than future ones. Follow me here. I am 53 years old; the time I have ahead is not as long as the time behind. I have an unknown variable—I don’t know when I will stop or have to. At my age, I must prove to myself that I still have IT, whatever IT is. Yes, we all grow old, but chefs are cut differently. At a certain age, you look at that whining kitchen aide and think, how much more can you take? I make it a point to move with intent and execute my food in the quickest and most craveable way. For many, growing old sucks, but for a chef, realizing that their time is winding down is a true sign of strength. You also have to maximize what is still left in you. I guess I need to oil my kitchen aide because I am just getting started. I look back at all the seasoning I went through to become the chef I am today—it’s been a crazy, fucked-up journey, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I am a chef because I constantly strive to create the most craveable meals for people. I am a chef because of my passion for food and the joy people find in my creations.
After reading all this, if you still want to become a chef, I wish you the best of luck. Always remember who YOU are, and never let anyone, any place, or anything take that away from you. Seek like-minded people, build your support group because you will question yourself every damn day! I hope when you are 53, you can look back and say, “I still have the passion for this crazy, fucked-up game. I will stay on this ride as long as they let me!”
