A cook, by any other name....

Having finally completed my MBA, I am certain that my days of crying over onions and burning my fingers are almost over. As I prepare to take the world by storm, I have set up a webpage of my own, become more active on my Twitter account, cleaned up my LinkedIn profile, received appropriate certifications for teaching food safety, and became involved in Oplerno, an open learning organization where I am currently developing curriculum for a Food Service Management certificate. Obviously I am soon going to be gainfully employed teaching and training and pontificating with opinions and ideas etc. etc. etc..

I've been a cook for a very long time. Cooks share many traits. Cooks are bold, adventurous gluttons for punishment, with masochistic tendencies. Cooks are bi-lingual, speaking both Sarcasm and Bullshit fluently. Cooks are competitive. Cooks can survive on beer for many shifts. Cooks are creative, artistic and opinionated. Good line cooks are little gods. Cooks make terrible spouses, but great lovers. But above all, cooks are committed. Because you must have a reason to walk into the kitchen every day, and for most of us, it's not the money.

I cook at a college in Vermont. So I spend a decent amount of time interacting with the students. There is a program, Dulce, that turns one of the dining halls into a student run restaurant each Friday night. It is free, but you must have a ticket to get in the door. The students that cook in Dulce are just amazing. Mad creative, and so very bold. I had the chance to go a couple of weeks ago. In a subtle nod to the Vermont tradition of Sugar on Snow, the students served a Maple Ice Cream with a house made granola and a pickled radish. Delightful!

I've held every job in a restaurant except for hostess. I've washed the dishes, waited the tables, tended the bar, cooked and cooked and cooked some more. I've been the manager, the owner, the trainer, the bookkeeper, and the marketing guru. I've worked in bars, restaurants, fast food joints, casinos, ferries, production kitchens, non-profit human service programs and colleges. I've cooked steak, seafood, Italian, Mexican, hot dogs, pizza, and vegetarian meals. I've slung enough hash to fill a tanker.

I'm planning on changing course now. I want to teach others how to make their kitchens safe, efficient and profitable. I want to wear something that doesn't have my name on the breast and a sleeve patch for my thermometer. I want to move around a little, see some new sights, meet some new people, take on new responsibilities. And yet.....

I guess that even when I develop a lifestyle that has me out of the kitchen, I'll never really leave. So much of my life has been spent on the line, it's hard to imagine not doing it. But I've become excited at the idea of passing on what I've learned. I will turn 50 soon. While not old, it is certainly old enough to have developed some wisdom. And I think maybe I have. After all, while I know that a tomato is a fruit, I am wise enough not to toss it into the Ambrosia. That's got to count for something.....

Peace,
pat