Culmination to Cook

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

dc2123

Cook
Joined
Jul 5, 2013
Messages
77
Location
NYC
Hello everyone, I have taken some time from this message board, but now it is time for me to come back. I figure I will reintroduce my NEW self.

I am joining this message board again to gain knowledge and advice on what now seems to be my most viable career path, COOKING. I am 23 years old, graduated with a crime, law and justice degree and have decided that any job in that profession wouldn't be suitable to me. I currently work at Whole Foods and I am a baker. But, barely anything is scratch made, so I'm not really learning anything useful. My passion for food has grown over the past few years, but when it comes to pursuing working in a kitchen, I have been scared away. I have staged at Fork in Old City Phila, and it was intimidating, tiresome, and grueling work, even though I was only there for 2 days. The difference now, is I think I'm ready for the sacrifice, and get the jitters out of me. I'm a different man now, and I don't think I'll be scared away so easily this time from the characters in the kitchen or the grueling hours/heat.

I ask you fine chefs/cooks to advise me from your upbringing. Explain your start. And try to push me to be open with you, so we can discuss my deathly inner consuming fire to cook and succeed. I have had a philosophical outlook on my life in the past year, and its only leading me to my destined path.

Within the next month I will be moving to NYC. Most likely living in Astoria, Queens. There is so much more to be said about me as a person, and as an amateur cook at the moment. But I need people to help advise me with where to start, what knife set to buy, how to approach executive chefs, and so forth.

I thank everyone in advance for listening and taking their time out of their busy day to help me. It will mean a lot to me.
 
Howdy dc2123,

You can learn useful things at Whole Paychecks. You can and should learn useful things where ever you work. They may not be what you think you should learn but they are there. And you might not even realize you're learning them until later. ;)

You say you have a fire for cooking and want to succeed at it?

Then go for it. :clap:

Try whatever is right for you. If you take a wrong turn don't worry about it. At 23 you,re young and will have plenty of opportunity to find the right road for yourself.

Best of luck and "Enjoy Life."
 
I'm not sure if you're planning on being an employee in a restaurant or starting your own restaurant. But either one would be a worthy endeavor. And, as said, you're young enough to (and allowed to!) change your mind again a few years down the line.

You might even wind up on TV as one of the celebrity chefs.
YouTube has a lot of cooking info---- one I just found is Gordon Ramsay's cooking course.
Gordon Ramsays Ultimate Cookery Course S01 E01 - YouTube

I won't watch him on Hell's Kitchen, not being fond of violence in the kitchen, but he does seem to know his cooking.
He's just one example and I'm sure there are more. Technology is here----- we might as well use it.

Good luck.
 
Back
Top Bottom