Who are you in the Culinary World?

[Nall]

I was curious about how each brilliant member of this forums uses the beautiful world of culinary arts, for example, are you a professional chef or just use cooking as a hobby? Do you work at a restaurant or something similar?

I'd love to learn about your place in the culinary world

 

[PrincessFiona60]

I am a Registered Nurse, taking care of our beloved Elderly, Rehab and End-of-Life. I have worked in many food establishments and had my own catering company at one point, many years ago. I've worked fast food to scratch bakeries to a cafeteria for a University. I love food and I love playing with it.

 

[Claire]

Just a family/friends cook. Like to experiment a little. Host more often than am a guest. Traveled a lot in my young days, and developed a taste for "exotic" food. Since I chose a small Midwestern town to settle, I have my moments when I think I must be insane. But I have great cooks as friends and we have a good time experimenting.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I began eating at a very young age, which in turn led to cooking!

 

[Pichet]

Up until quiet recently we only had potatoes and Guinness in Ireland. Then I invented other types of food and now am generally considered a national hero of saint status!

Ha HA no I do my best and cook because I enjoy it, but time constraints and being a little bit lazy mean I normally cook the same things for long periods before I try to mix it up!

 

[Rocklobster]

Certified cook. Cooked as a job for over 25 years so far. Had my own place twice. Started cooking in Italy when I moved there with my first wife. Her parents owned a hotel with a restaurant and I couldn't speak Italian so I got thrown in the kitchen. . About 6 months later, we took the restaurant and bar over for a couple of years before I moved back to Canada. Tried a few jobs, some cooking, some not, then decided to get my own place going again in 94. Bought a small 30 seat family diner in a village of 300. Ran it for 13 years. Got my certification papers during this time. Finally got tired of all of the hours so i quit and went straight into kitchen management a day later. Three restaurants later, I am now back to carpentry with an old friend of mine. It is only temporary. I am eyeing another restaurant and hope to be cooking again in the next year or so.

So, cooking has been a way for me to support myself and my family for many years. I recommend any young person to take a job in a restaurant as a teenager because you can carry these skills with you and if you ever need an income you can always get a job cooking. It worked for my son as he worked his way through college and set himself up in two different cities.

I also play music on weekends to suppliment my income and get my ya ya' out.

 

[Steve Kroll]

I'm nobody in the culinary world. Just an enthusiastic home cook.

I worked and lived out of a suitcase for almost 20 years and grew very tired of eating in restaurants. About 15 years ago I decided to settle down in one spot, got remarried, and proceeded to go nuts in the kitchen - because I hadn't been able to do so for such a long time. Cooking is something I really enjoy quite a bit.

 

[Andy M.]

I'm a retired corporate accountant. I enjoy cooking as a foodie.

 

[bakechef]

I would love to open a bakery or even just work in a good one. I work in a grocery store deli/bakery mainly because they pay health benefits, retirement and such. I actually like my job but there is really no room for creativity there, so I get creative at home.

 

[Siegal]

I grew up in a deli family business and still help out often. Professionally I am a somewhat recently out of school extremely underemployed tax attorney which leaves me a lot of time to cook. If I could go back I would never have taken on all those student loans and would have went to culinary school or became a school teacher.

 

[Timothy]

At 15, I got a job at the Washingtonian Restaurant in Rockville, Maryland. Started in the kitchen washing dishes. Then went to busboy, waiter, and lastly, prep cook for one of the chefs. The place had 13 rooms and seated 2,000 people. The kitchen was about half the size of a football field. It was a little insane in the kitchen during rush hour, but I worked there until I joined the Army at 18.

I've always loved cooking. Henri', the chef I prepped for, taught me hundreds of things about cooking. Since then, it's always been my hobby. I love making wonderful looking and tasting dishes. It's fun to watch someone really enjoy eating something I've made.

My last job was as a Database Admin at an aircraft manufacturing facility where I retired from after 25 years there.

 

[jusnikki]

I began eating at a very young age, which in turn led to cooking!

^^This right here^^

I'm not even close to be a pro in the kitchen. But good at what I do cook at home .

 

[Rocklobster]

I'm nobody in the culinary world. Just an enthusiastic home cook.
.

Same here. Despite my experience, I am basically a glorified burger flipper who loves to cook at home. My true passion is home cooking and adhering to original classic recipes. Especially, when learning and cooking other regions' cuisine.

 

[forty_caliber]

I began eating at a very young age, which in turn led to cooking!

Exactly. Learning to cook was a survival tactic at first.

.40

 

[roadfix]

I just know basic bbq. I know jack in the ktichen. I have lots of decent kitchen equipment but that's about all.....I love gadgets. I built a nice brick pizza oven from scratch and I can built a nice strong fire. I'm still learning how to do decent pizza. I come here to this site to learn. One day, I will be good.

I should know more. My parents owned and operated a teppan steakhouse way before Benihana's became popular.

 

[babetoo]

i love to cook, just good old homemade. once in a while, i like to do a new dish. also like to bake, a lot!

 

[Claire]

I grew up in a deli family business and still help out often. Professionally I am a somewhat recently out of school extremely underemployed tax attorney which leaves me a lot of time to cook. If I could go back I would never have taken on all those student loans and would have went to culinary school or became a school teacher.

Is there any reason you cannot become a school teacher now? Since you already have your degree, it should be a matter of choosing a subject and doing the course work to become certified, not like you have to start from scratch. Some private schools don't even require that much. Heaven knows, we could all use more and better teachers!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I'm a retired engineer. I used to watch my mother cook when I was a child, and started cooking myself at about 15 years old. My interest has continue to build and has been my favorite hobby for dozens of years. I like that cooking occupies my hands instead of making me think a lot like I had to in my career. Perhaps it's a left brain vs. right brain thing, intuitive vs. logical that I like about cooking. I really like cooking when I take off on an intuitive whim rather than having any concrete reason for doing something. I like that cooking is an art, and I like that cooking has endless variety and limitless areas to explore.

 

[pacanis]

I'm with Aunt Bea. I too started eating at a young age and stuck with it, which in turn lead to me cooking.

 

[4meandthem]

Foodie here!