" The term Chef literally means 'the chief' in French. Every kitchen has a chef or executive chef who is responsible for the operations of the entire kitchen. A commonly misused term in English. Not every cook is a chef" -What's Cooking America
My world of food is much different than your world. I come from a world of restaurants while most people cook from their home. The stress of a restaurant is literally psychotic! The people I have worked with throw things, sharp things, things that break and crash. People that are crazy and sometimes even on controlled substances.
At my first job I cut my thumb off with a meat cleaver. I was only 16 at the time working at a well known restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida.What a crazy ass experience that was! There are different ways to make food, food blogger from home, who bakes pies in your home kitchen. I know for me creating at home is a zen experience but cooking in a high pressure operation is a whole different game!
I remember standing atop of one of our restaurants with my chef mentor. He was looking down at a boat as it passed by and said, "I could do that, drive a boat. I could put a case of beer in it." I think he was serious. He was so burned out from the life of a Chef and he was an award winning Chef who can cook better than anyone. It just isn't that easy in my business. He left cooking a few years ago. I have no idea if he is happier but I know that he was recovering from alcoholism. This is common in my trade.
So, I was a private chef for John Travolta, he said to me that I was the only Chef he had that wasn't crazy. It's an interesting statement because in order to do what I do you have to be a bit crazy. I have had to come into work at 9:00 pm and leave the next day at about 5:00 pm. I had no choice; there was no alternative. No one thanked me or hugged me, not even a beer, it just happened. When people say a Chef works crazy hours, that is an understatement. Chefs get divorced because they cannot work normal hours. They can't have normal lives and it's about getting the job done. It is the true life of a vampire. It is dark and can be very lonely.
I remember going into work at 12 am to prepare 40 quiches for the next day. It is not really sane but you know what you have to do. Working on the line is an experience that nothing else can compare to. It is the most fun and hardest thing I have ever done.
I remember working on a Charcoal grill at Disney, you have to basically be one with your fire and understand the way the heat works; where the hot spots are and how to control the ash. Working with live fire is a totally different thing it is the best and takes not only cooking properly but building the fire. There were nights working with live fire that I literally had soot and blood in my nose like a coal miner.
Working high volume saute' is my favorite job I have ever had. Kicking out over a thousand covers and being called tickets, while having to remember the calls in your head, it is a whole different level. I remember the Sous Chef giving us wings and pitchers of beer at the end of the night, probably the best reward ever. The feeling of working from 5 pm to midnight on a saute' line is pure adrenaline. With young guys yelling at you and the heat and pressure there is nothing like it.
So,why do I do it? What keeps me going? I know the answer, it is an instinctive thing. I love it so deeply within my soul and no words can describe it. The manager that works in the restaurant cannot relate. The server cannot relate, the dishwasher, the bus boy, the cook, as much as he tries, cannot relate.
Only the lonely Chef can relate.
The difference between a cook and a chef is like the guy who builds a building and the architect who designed it, except he the architect is also telling you what to do and helping you build it. He tells you good morning and goodnight when it's all over.
