Chris Cody 's Journal

It really has surprised me that there are so many people picking the restaurant business as a career choice. Granted, there have always been people who dreamed of cooking but it definitely wasn’t the cool choice at my school growing up, not for a boy, anyhow. Now, it almost seems vogue to say you want to be a chef. All these cooking schools pump out all these young, inspiring chefs who paid tens of thousands to learn how to do the basic things. Many chefs from my generation learned on the job with a little thirst for knowledge. I really feel that cooking school is not a good barometer for a good chef. I think it is always who you have trained under and your desire for excellence. Going to school for cooking is about the same as for many professions, experience counts the most. I never really picked cooking as a career choice. Cooking chose me. It’s a labor of love. There are many other choices I could have chosen or still take but I wouldn’t be happy. After all, I question anyone who would choose the long hours and relatively low pay of a chef?

To be perfectly honest, I love cooking. When people recognize the love I put into the food, which is what makes that extra effort all worth it. That is why so many dedicated chefs will cringe when a guest asks for the “gravy” when they spent three days doing a “demi” because it is obvious that the guest doesn’t even know what they are eating. Who can blame the person for not knowing, though? Even in today’s commercialized world, people still can tell good food. Really, that is why I cook. People deserve good food. You can taste passion when you eat at a place where food is the main focal point. The opposite is also true. So when one customer says that it is the best they have ever had, that makes the day worth it for me. That’s what I strive for with every dish.