INTERVIEW WRITE-UP for ESSAY #3

For my assignment field work I decided to interview a former co-worker and good friend. This guy has been working in restaurant kitchens for the better part of twenty years or more. He has ran cooking lines and managed kitchens at a couple different establishments. In the Navy he would have kitchen duty here and there on the ship. Like so many others in the business he got a taste for the work and decided he wanted to pursue a career in food service. From dishwasher to kitchen manager,(chef) his own goals being met is his greatest accomplishment. The major draw back for him is the sacrifice that the job takes on family and, some of the mental strains that are part of running a kitchen. All and All this guy took the reins of his destiny and never once looked back, he is a man that I will have great respect for always.

This is the draw back. All the draw backs. Working in, and being a restaurant worker can eat you alive. Stress, long hours, drug and alcohol abuse, being away from family are all consequences of the job. I personally accept these things, because that is the price. Cooks and Chefs are sound warriors. The battle and how every individual deals with it is different. Make no mistake when I say battle or war, because that is what foodservice is. You find a way to deal with the shell-shock or you get the hell out. No one lives forever, but glory and pride do.

Ruhman, Michael. The Making Of A Chef. 1st ed. Markham, Canada: Fitz Henry & Whiteside

Ltd. , 1997. Print.

I picked this particular source for my paper for the reason that most chefs are born from a culinary school of some sort. The Culinary Institute of America(CIA), is the most intense and prestigious culinary schools, period. The CIA is a monster program to take on, because it breaks as many students as it graduates. If I where willing to take on debt all the rest of my life, this would be the school. Though, I also have a low opinion of self absorbed mother-fuckers who think that their shit don't stink, and that is another bit of rubbish that this school cranks out. However, this book is telling in just how many trials by fire someone has got to go though to be a papered chef. Not easy and may kill you.

Sheehan, Jason. Cooking Dirty A Story Of Life, Sex, Love And Death In The Kitchen. 1st ed.

United States of America: FARRAR, STRARUS AND GIROUX, 2009. Print.

To really understand what a cook or a chef has to put up with, the only way is to be there, to do it. This guy Jason has been there. His stories stretch from when he was a teenage boy, needing a job, to a cluster fuck cook loving the rush. He really puts things into perspective about how being a kitchen worker can get into your blood. The things that this guy has to say is the same way that I feel about my own career in a kitchen.

Spector, Amy. A career in foodservice--cons: Unhealthy lifestyle. Nation's Restaurant News 21 May 2001: Business Module, ProQuest. Web. 7 Apr. 2010.

Bourdain, Anthony. Kitchen Confidential. 1st US ed. Harrisonburg, VA: R.R Donnelly & Sons

Company, 2000. Print.

I am such a fan of this guy! In my mind he is everything that a chef should be. He is strong and ambitious. He understands where he came from, and has an idea of where he is. Even though his life is controlled chaos, he has found a way to get by. Being a chef is not easy and he tells what it is to do the job in this book. Along with the glory comes substantial pain and horrible doubt at every corner. The job is not for everyone. Only the very strong survive. The greatest question that one has got to ask is, "am I ready to do torture to my body and soul every day, or am I just jerking off?

Parmer, Chris. Personal Interview. 6 April 2010

My buddy, former co-worker, and mentor, Chris has become a restaurant manager,(both kitchen and front of the house) by will alone. By saying this I mean he has had no formal training , as in any kind of a degree. I respect him immensely and am proud to have worked with him. He got a taste for cooking in the Navy, and never looked back. His story is not unique for anyone who becomes inspired to cook for the masses. What is unique about Chris is he has single-handedly claimed up the ranks with just his own goals in mind and nothing else. Truly he is a kitchen warrior.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Culinary_Federation

The American Culinary Federation is pretty much a club for chefs. By joining a chef can get together with their peers and have competitions , kick around ideas, and what not. If I was to become a chef would I join this club? All I can say is maybe. Will I use this for my career assignment? The answer to that is no. However, it is a wiki site so there you go.

http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=1669680111&sid=2&Fmt=3&clientId=1407&RQT=309&VName=PQD

This publication is about a chef with a heart. In the past he had made some bad choices that got him in a lot of trouble, but by finding his knack with food, he turned his life around. One controversy with wanting to be a restaurant cook or a chef is the over whelming presence of alcoholism and drug abuse. These things crop up because of all the stress and pressure put on chefs and their cooks. It becomes an easy way to deal with the strain. This guy isn't a great example of this sort of thing, but he does see some of the pit falls none the less. By helping out some of the youth that have not been given a chance he is definitely giving some thing back. It's a good article and shows that not all chefs are conceited emotionless bastards.

http://wannabetvchef.blog.co.uk/
This blog celebrates chefs. In the kitchen cooks rule and the king is the chef. To be a successful chef one has to have determination and grit. The pressure and the hours of work are great and the rewards are at times lacking. So why bother with a career that could smash you down and bring you to your knees? To answer this question I think it is all about personal glory. The power and prestige of this career choice can be monumental. This blog by who ever, seems to have much respect for other chefs and encourages competition among them. The blog also contains recipes and a little piece on advice on wanting to be a chef. This site reminds me that chef's possess ambition, ego, drive, and single minded will to rise above all else.