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VeraBlue

Executive Chef
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Messages
3,683
Location
northern NJ
I'm an executive chef with a large dining service corporation. I spend the entire day immersed in cooking, menus, production records, HAACP records, customers and clients. I love it....but....

By the time I get home (happily, I'm usually home by 5pm) I have no motivation to cook dinner, at all. When my kids were younger, I made a good effort and managed to cook a nice dinner about 5 times a week, including weekends. Now that both are in college (although home for the summer) everyone is on the Bataan Death March. It's too hot, I'm too tired, and I just don't want to eat anything once I get home.

On the other hand, I cook wonderful innovative meals on the weekend, starting with Friday night. (hehe, I have 'special' company each weekend....:wub:) Then I really get to cook the way I like, pairing the food with cocktails and wines..

But during the week it's like a gulag here. Do any other chefs or cooks suffer the same curse?? Everyone eats so much better than we do...
 
I too am an Exec.Chef, for the Crowne Plaza Hotels, and I have a 60-80 hour work week. I typically prepare dinner at work, and have a workiing dinner in my office, or box it up and take it home. If I don't do that, I dine from the rotisserie at the finest 7-11 in the niegbhorhood. The guys up at the sevvie all know me and are like, "Jon, you a chef man, why you eattin this stuff?", the constant reply from me is,"I have been in a 113degree kitchen looking at food from 5am, it is now 10pm, I AINT COOKIN JACK!"

I think it is common throughout the industry, that or a quart of something "adult" for dinner, and that gets to be tooooo much come morning time...
 
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at Chef school, we usually dine after we prepare our meals.
then take-out & a few adult beverages after school.
 
I hear ya, all...

I eat at work, too.. usually the ugliest piece of whatever we've made.

Do any of you have people at home though?? People who fondly remember the days when they'd come in to the succulent smells of food cooking in the kitchen? Now, they catch me standing in the cold shower for half an hour and then watching reruns of Deadwood...
 
I've been retired now about a year and the other day, my husband remarked how he had missed having meals at normal hours or at all!! He'd show up at the hotel and grab what he could. I must admit, I'm really enjoying just playing with my food now!!!
 
I agree, it's pretty much industry wide. I'll cook good meals on my days off, but when I'm working, I eat at work. Usually, PeppA, my other half, cooks dinner when I work.
 
I work nights, so i eat at the restaurant, someone will prepare a family meal for the staff before service, on top of that and tasting everything a little here and there, when i get home, i usually just drink my dinner! On my days off, i cook though. Its funny, I cook fine gourmet French food at work, but my favorite thing to do is smoke BBQ and ribs all day long while drinking beer in the backyard with my friends. AHHH the good life! We also have a bar with GREAT food and the kitchen stays open until 2 a.m. and there are always cooks there that get off late. It is a great place to meet chefs from other restaurants, plus they give us beer for $1.25!
 
I guess it is good that I don't work in the food service industry. When I get home from my IT job, the kitchen is a great place to unwind and get creative!
 
vagriller said:
I guess it is good that I don't work in the food service industry. When I get home from my IT job, the kitchen is a great place to unwind and get creative!

I agree with you cooking is my way of relaxing and preparing something
very tasty for my family.

I used to date a chef and I hated the hrs he worked, but he would bring
home some really good left overs.

My husband and I more than a time or two have thought about getting into
the food business but I keep going back to I don't want to work those hours
and I know I would have to even if it was something we packaged and sold.
 
I have thought of opening a coffeeshop, with very good sandwiches, cookies, and of course cheesecake!!! I guess there wouldn't be much grilling though. :(
 
I don't even have the excuse of being in a kitchen all day. Lately I have been in a rut cookingwise, plus it's been too frickin' hot, even more lately.

Guess I'll get some juice again when the weather turns colder. In the meantime, I can always talk about eating good with you guys.
 
store bought sushi tonight!

I managed to go food shopping for the house this evening, after getting my hands and feet manicured/pedicured, that is. By the time I finished, it was close to 8pm. The last aisle I walked by had hand rolled sushi...(the chef works there till about 4pm) I picked up two small trays and ate it with my fingers as I unpacked the bags.

Like others have stated, cooking relaxes me, too. I enjoy cooking on the weekends because I have 'romantic' company from Friday night till Sunday evening. He's more than happy to clean up after dinner and I'm more than content to let him, haha.

It's nice to know I'm not alone in this...
 
I work evenings and my one remaining child in the house, works split shifts. I still make dinner at 2pm everyday that I am working. It's shorly after he gets home from his first shift and shortly before I go to work. That way I can eat when the opportunity presents itself at work, and he and the roomie eat leftovers in the evening while I am at work. Leftovers don't last more than 8 hours at my place, my son is 18 and hardworking, he inhales food. On my days off, my roomie usually does the cooking.
 
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