Anytime...
You don't need to call me Chef, thats all I hear for 12 hours a day.
One great thing about our field is that most Chefs are very open to helping others. Most of us were mentored by Chefs who really pushed the fact that we need to train the future Chefs who come after us.
I know its not always the case, but we don't allow our cooks, apprentices or students fail because it reflects poorly on us, plus I know in some professions there may be an attitude of "the only way to learn is to make mistakes", while mistakes will happen occasionally, its up to the Chef to prevent them so our guests receive the best food possible and hopefully will come back to dine with us again.
I love being a member of the local Chefs Association, and most cities/towns probably have at least one. They are a fantastic resource to have. First what a great place to network, learn about new/upcoming trends, meet local vendors, and also its hard for some people outside of our field to truly understand what our industry is all about, so talking to others in the field can help you overcome possible problems or situations they may have already dealt with. I know you have a Chefs Association in Minneapolis, because your chapter is in in the Centeral Region of the Amercian Culinary Federation (ACF).
It's also great that you are collecting books from Chefs that you can use to learn more about the field. There are many great ones out there such as "Kitchen Sessions" by Charlie Trotter, "The French Laundry" by Thomas Keller and "the Soul of a Chef" by Michael Ruhlman.
If I can be of any assistance please don't hesitate.
Best of Luck!
Mark