One would think that being a culinary school graduate can open doors to opportunities one could only dream of, what you don’t ever consider is the envy that can come with it. In the past, I’ve gone to interviews where my education at Le Cordon Bleu becomes the topic of conversation, leading to questions like; “So, I see you went to culinary school. Do you think it was really worth your time?” or “You know, you could have just started working and learned the same things without having spent $35,000.” Now, I was no rich kid growing up, and I wasn’t a poor kid either, no, I was fortunate enough to live comfortably in the middle, a middle class kid. My father helped me pay for tuition by co-signing for a loan after realizing the conventional school system wasn’t for me, [fuck no] I knew what I wanted, and it wasn’t in a standard college classroom. When interviewers ask me those type of questions (those bullshit “worth your time” questions) I start to think, why should I waste my time explaining to this guy why I chose the path I did? Who gives a fuck? The point is I’m qualified. My second job in the culinary world was, well, interesting. Before I tell you about that one, let us pause for a quick flashback… I worked at this other restaurant for one week before calling it quits. That job was awful. Get this, only two cooks, eight bucks an hour, and no cleaning crew. They made me come in at five am to clean the restrooms, sweep and mop the patio and still prep, then cook and serve guest. [pfff] Okay, now back to job two, I was hired at a steak and seafood restaurant in Long Beach, CA. They hired me as Sous chef, which was a bit of a joke considering I hadn't been in any formal management position prior, but I took it, I’m not one to judge until I get in there. The "Executive" chef was a small stumpy man, we shall call him Ron Wellington. Ron was an army cook in the past, he resembled Popeye [interesting]. He was a very nice fellow, he needed a helping hand to run this small restaurant, that was usually feeding a clientele made up of mostly seniors. When he interviewed me I couldn't help but lie. He asked me if I had ever professionally fabricated proteins and fish, which I hadn't, but I figured how hard could it be? Ron hired me on the spot, with a salary of $10 an hour, no “overtime” he stressed, this was “salary.” Being that those were the days I was just a kid, I didn’t care, I had stamina and plenty of drive, this would be my chance to work on my art. Many stories and experiences came from this job but the most memorable was a challenging one but also an encouraging story. One evening, like any other evening, I headed over to the liquor store to pick up some energy drinks for Ron and myself, we’d typically drink three a day, however, this was the night that made me want to stop. Ron was in his early fifties, he would usually smoke a pack a day and drink three large energy drinks. Well, this night it finally caught up to him, Ron had himself a heart attack, it didn’t kill him, but it kept him out long enough. That evening, the other cook, we’ll call him Alex, a server and I had to run the place, and I can definitely remember it was not a slow night, one of our busiest. We turned over 150 covers (if you don't know, 150 covers are 150 people, under two hours). For this being my second job, I was ready for the challenge[sort of], we had some rough moments but we pulled through, with even some very happy guest. The end of that night was the start of a new found trust between myself and the owners. They entrusted me to make up new items and run a bar menu, which I was so grateful for, but as with all good things, they must come to an end. In the end I left that establishment on bad terms because I asked for more money and maybe some health care options, which evidently weren't in the budget. Culinary School or not, passion and creativity towards the talent of cooking can go very far in this industry. Studying for the degree is a great way to show employers that you do want to take cooking seriously, but what is most important, for the long haul, is the time you put into your craft. Just as it's important to find the right team to work with, it's important to show that you can work with a team for extended period of time. But don't settle for just any job. If the team is abusive and arrogant, then really way your options: A. Do you want to get a half decent paycheck, work your ass off, have chefs and cooks pushing you negatively and just being stressed daily or B. Try to find a team of passionate cooks that want to share ideas and cook food responsibly, pay check decent to half and less stress because everyone motivates each other. I'll take B. please.... Thank you, Me.
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