# Who are you in the Culinary World?



## Nall (Dec 20, 2011)

I was curious about how each brilliant member of this forums uses the beautiful world of culinary arts, for example, are you a professional chef or just use cooking as a hobby? Do you work at a restaurant or something similar? 

*I'd love to learn about your place in the culinary world  *


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 20, 2011)

I am a Registered Nurse, taking care of our beloved Elderly, Rehab and End-of-Life.  I have worked in many food establishments and had my own catering company at one point, many years ago.  I've worked fast food to scratch bakeries to a cafeteria for a University.  I love food and I love playing with it.


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## Claire (Dec 20, 2011)

Just a family/friends cook.  Like to experiment a little.  Host more often than am a guest.  Traveled a lot in my young days, and developed a taste for "exotic" food.  Since I chose a small Midwestern town to settle, I have my moments when I think I must be insane.  But I have great cooks as friends and we have a good time experimenting.


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## Aunt Bea (Dec 20, 2011)

I began eating at a very young age, which in turn led to cooking!


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## Pichet (Dec 20, 2011)

Up until quiet recently we only had potatoes and Guinness in Ireland. Then I invented other types of food and now am generally considered a national hero of saint status!

Ha HA no I do my best and cook because I enjoy it, but time constraints and being a little bit lazy mean I normally cook the same things for long periods before I try to mix it up!


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## Rocklobster (Dec 20, 2011)

Certified cook. Cooked as a job for over 25 years so far. Had my own place twice. Started cooking in Italy when I moved there with my first wife. Her parents owned a hotel with a restaurant and I couldn't speak Italian so I got thrown in the kitchen. . About 6 months later, we took the restaurant and bar over for a couple of years before I moved back to Canada. Tried a few jobs, some cooking, some not, then decided to get my own place going again in 94. Bought a small 30 seat family diner in a village of 300. Ran it for 13 years. Got my certification papers during this time. Finally got tired of all of the hours so i quit and went straight into kitchen management a day later. Three restaurants later, I am now back to carpentry with an old friend of mine. It is only temporary. I am eyeing another restaurant and hope to be cooking again in the next year or so.

So, cooking has been a way for me to support myself and my family for many years. I recommend any young person to take a job in a restaurant as a teenager because you can carry these skills with you and if you ever need an income you can always get a job cooking. It worked for my son as he worked his way through college and set himself up in two different cities.

I also play music on weekends to suppliment my income and get my ya ya' out.


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## Steve Kroll (Dec 20, 2011)

I'm nobody in the culinary world. Just an enthusiastic home cook.  

I worked and lived out of a suitcase for almost 20 years and grew very tired of eating in restaurants. About 15 years ago I decided to settle down in one spot, got remarried, and proceeded to go nuts in the kitchen - because I hadn't been able to do so for such a long time. Cooking is something I really enjoy quite a bit.


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## Andy M. (Dec 20, 2011)

I'm a retired corporate accountant.  I enjoy cooking as a foodie.


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## bakechef (Dec 20, 2011)

I would love to open a bakery or even just work in a good one.  I work in a grocery store deli/bakery mainly because they pay health benefits, retirement and such.  I actually like my job but there is really no room for creativity there, so I get creative at home.


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## Siegal (Dec 20, 2011)

I grew up in a deli family business and still help out often. Professionally I am a somewhat recently out of school extremely underemployed tax attorney which leaves me a lot of time to cook. If I could go back I would never have taken on all those student loans and would have went to culinary school or became a school teacher.


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## Timothy (Dec 20, 2011)

At 15, I got a job at the Washingtonian Restaurant in Rockville, Maryland. Started in the kitchen washing dishes. Then went to busboy, waiter, and lastly, prep cook for one of the chefs. The place had 13 rooms and seated 2,000 people. The kitchen was about half the size of a football field. It was a little insane in the kitchen during rush hour, but I worked there until I joined the Army at 18.

I've always loved cooking. Henri', the chef I prepped for, taught me hundreds of things about cooking. Since then, it's always been my hobby. I love making wonderful looking and tasting dishes. It's fun to watch someone really enjoy eating something I've made.

My last job was as a Database Admin at an aircraft manufacturing facility where I retired from after 25 years there.


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## jusnikki (Dec 20, 2011)

Aunt Bea said:


> I began eating at a very young age, which in turn led to cooking!


 
^^This right here^^

I'm not even close to be a pro in the kitchen. But good at what I do cook at home .


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## Rocklobster (Dec 20, 2011)

Steve Kroll said:


> I'm nobody in the culinary world. Just an enthusiastic home cook.
> .



Same here. Despite my experience, I am basically a glorified burger flipper who loves to cook at home.  My true passion is home cooking and adhering to original classic recipes. Especially, when learning and cooking other regions' cuisine.


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## forty_caliber (Dec 20, 2011)

Aunt Bea said:


> I began eating at a very young age, which in turn led to cooking!



Exactly.  Learning to cook was a survival tactic at first. 

.40


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## roadfix (Dec 20, 2011)

I just know basic bbq.  I know jack in the ktichen.  I have lots of decent kitchen equipment but that's about all.....I love gadgets.  I built a nice brick pizza oven from scratch and I can built a nice strong fire.  I'm still learning how to do decent pizza.  I come here to this site to learn.   One day, I will be good.

I should know more.  My parents owned and operated a teppan steakhouse way before Benihana's became popular.


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## babetoo (Dec 20, 2011)

i love to cook, just good old homemade. once in  a while, i like to do a new dish. also like to bake, a lot!


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## Claire (Dec 20, 2011)

Siegal said:


> I grew up in a deli family business and still help out often. Professionally I am a somewhat recently out of school extremely underemployed tax attorney which leaves me a lot of time to cook. If I could go back I would never have taken on all those student loans and would have went to culinary school or became a school teacher.



Is there any reason you cannot become a school teacher now?  Since you already have your degree, it should be a matter of choosing a subject and doing the course work to become certified, not like you have to start from scratch.  Some private schools don't even require that much.  Heaven knows, we could all use more and better teachers!


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## Greg Who Cooks (Dec 20, 2011)

I'm a retired engineer. I used to watch my mother cook when I was a child, and started cooking myself at about 15 years old. My interest has continue to build and has been my favorite hobby for dozens of years. I like that cooking occupies my hands instead of making me think a lot like I had to in my career. Perhaps it's a left brain vs. right brain thing, intuitive vs. logical that I like about cooking. I really like cooking when I take off on an intuitive whim rather than having any concrete reason for doing something. I like that cooking is an art, and I like that cooking has endless variety and limitless areas to explore.


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## pacanis (Dec 20, 2011)

I'm with Aunt Bea. I too started eating at a young age and stuck with it, which in turn lead to me cooking.


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## 4meandthem (Dec 20, 2011)

Foodie here!


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## Zhizara (Dec 20, 2011)

I'm a self taught cook.  I love coming here to DC, because every once in awhile someone will mention an ingredient that just makes something I already make, that makes the dish over the top.

Lots of inspiration here.


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## bakechef (Dec 20, 2011)

I always helped mom in the kitchen, I had a little stool, so that I could see over the counter.  The first thing that I "cooked" on my own was boiled hotdogs, LOL.  I progressed from there.


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## Dawgluver (Dec 20, 2011)

Basic home cook here.  Pretty much self-taught, but I learned a lot from my grandma and my great aunt.


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## powertoolchef (Dec 20, 2011)

*I help out Guys do they can help themselves*




Nall said:


> I was curious about how each brilliant member of this forums uses the beautiful world of culinary arts, for example, are you a professional chef or just use cooking as a hobby? Do you work at a restaurant or something similar?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Addie (Dec 20, 2011)

Well, I am older than 'dirt' itself. When dirt came upon the scene, I tried it and immediately spit it out. Didn't have to use table manners then. Decided right then and there, learn to cook or starve to death. Second choice didn't appeal to me. So I stood at my mother's side while growing up in an Italian neighborhood. When all those Italian grandmothers learned that I was not Italian, they took me under their wing also. Had some great teachers. 

Got married at an early age to a professional chef. His specialty was cooking for events. Three hundred or more people. His dowry for our marriage was the* original* _"Joy of Cooking"._ It was my Bible for the first few years. Then the babies came along and wanted to make my own baby food before it was fashionable to do so. As the kids grew older, their father would take them to work on Saturdays and put them to washing the dishes and scrubbing pots. He started their interest in preparation by letting them tear the lettuce. They in turn did so well, they graduated to a small knife cutting the celery and other raw veggies into bite size. They kept improving over the years, but were never able to surpass Mother. They still call me for advice from the kitchen. Only one has made it into a professional kitchen. But decided he would rather cook for fun then a living. But he is no slacker with cooking when he wants to impress a young lady. All my children can cook circles around their friends.


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## Greg Who Cooks (Dec 20, 2011)

Addie, I must have come on the scene about the same time as you did, except that I remember when dirt was in style! Only later did we learn that dirt could be considered a seasoning, especially that salty stuff scraped off after the oceans receded... 

I'm an "event chef" too. I always cook in the event that dinner might happen.. 

Funny, in an unrelated topic I too just recommended _Joy of Cooking_, which was my cooking Bible long before there was any Internet. I'll also recommend padding out any library with a few Julia Child cookbooks. (Get any of them.)

I'm smart enough to know that I'd eventually stick a knife in somebody if I worked in a professional kitchen! All those sharp knives and so many people working under a deadline!   

No reason to spoil a good hobby...


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## CWS4322 (Dec 21, 2011)

Nobody.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Dec 21, 2011)

CWS4322 said:


> Nobody.



Aw c'mon...you are the "Big Chicken!"  You do great cooking!


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## CWS4322 (Dec 21, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Aw c'mon...you are the "Big Chicken!"  You do great cooking!


 Thanks, PF. The girls are not liking the freezing rain. I've resisted bringing them in the house in dog crates...poor babies!


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## Dawgluver (Dec 21, 2011)

CWS4322 said:
			
		

> Thanks, PF. The girls are not liking the freezing rain. I've resisted bringing them in the house in dog crates...poor babies!



You're a great cook!  How did the chicken panties work out?  Or did DH put the kibosh on them?


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## Nall (Dec 22, 2011)

AMAZING replies from mostly everybody! Took some time to read them all at once but im done now and glad to know more about everyone on this forum! 

VERY interesting stories and life experiences, thank you a lot for ALL the replies...


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## buckytom (Dec 22, 2011)

another engineer (television broadcast), foodie, and home cook here.

as far as food as a profession goes, i've worked in fast food joints, made and delivered pizza, was a bus boy and waiter in a country club, and even worked the grill at the country club's pool cabana. but that was many years ago when i was a kid.

good experience, especially in terms of learning about people. like pets, you don't mess around with a hungry person.


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## GLC (Dec 22, 2011)

The job I use to earn money to buy food and cooking stuff is criminal investigator for a state law enforcement agency. I was given the Better Homes and Gardens Junior Cookbook at a very early age. I got serious about cooking about 18 years ago. It's partly self-defense. My wife can cook two things, salmon croquettes (which are good) and tacos (which aren't). She suffers from a mysterious affliction that affects her sister, too. It renders them incapable of seasoning. So the taco recipe becomes: Brown ground beef. Put some in each taco shell with cheese.


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## Hoot (Dec 23, 2011)

I stand firmly in the "nobody" category. I discovered that I enjoy cooking many years ago and, like music, it gives me great personal satisfaction. I love to try new things and put new twists on the tried and true. Sometimes Mrs Hoot looks at me sideways when I tell her I want to try this or that, but bless her, she most times refuses to try some of things I come up with. My favorite form of cooking is over an open fire, but the older I get, the tougher it is to do.


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## CWS4322 (Dec 23, 2011)

Dawgluver said:


> You're a great cook!  How did the chicken panties work out?  Or did DH put the kibosh on them?


DH said no to the diapers...but I was out there cuddling them tonight..and had to stop myself from bringing Harriet and Myrtle into the house....it's COLD!!!! Poor babies.


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## Alix (Dec 23, 2011)

I'm a wife and mom. In my world, that means I feed people. I started cooking like a lot of folks, standing on a chair stirring...whatever was there. I am a decent cook, but I'm a better baker.


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## Maidrite (Dec 24, 2011)

I am Boring............ADHD and CAD oh the last is what I do


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## facsteacher (Dec 27, 2011)

I learned to love and practice cooking from my grandmother when I was a little girl. She cooked for the farmhands on our 500 acre Ohio Dairy farm.  I took "Home Ec" in Junior High and got the brainy idea that I could be a better teacher than the one I had. Not a conceeded viewpoint but she was teaching us scrambled eggs and hot chocolate and I was already preparing full meals. I also took all the foods classes that were offered in High School and loved them. Graduated thinking I would be a teacher but life happened and it took me a while to get where I am. 

Today I love my HS Family & Consumer Sciences teaching job (formerly Home Ec) and hopefully challenge my students with better assignments than I had.


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## Addie (Dec 27, 2011)

facsteacher said:


> I learned to love and practice cooking from my grandmother when I was a little girl. She cooked for the farmhands on our 500 acre Ohio Dairy farm. I took "Home Ec" in Junior High and got the brainy idea that I could be a better teacher than the one I had. Not a conceeded viewpoint but she was teaching us scrambled eggs and hot chocolate and I was already preparing full meals. I also took all the foods classes that were offered in High School and loved them. Graduated thinking I would be a teacher but life happened and it took me a while to get where I am.
> Today I love my HS Family & Consumer Sciences teaching job (formerly Home Ec) and hopefully challenge my students with better assignments than I had.


 
Like you I was in Home EC. in the seventh grade. The first thing we made was scratch tomato soup. I was helpiing my mother make stews and soups at home. And my mother also taught me the "why" of cooking as I was learning the 'how." Something I didn't learn in HE.


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## chopper (Dec 27, 2011)

What a fun and interesting thread!  A really good read!
I have always known that the kitchen was the place to be. I spent a lot of time in our kitchen, and it seemed like everyone in the family had a kitchen that was exciting and fun. One Grandma made bread every week and always welcomed help from even the very young grandchildren. The other Grandma was in her kitchen always cooking great meals and baking cookies with the help of any child who wanted to wash up and grab a stool!  Mom was busy with four children all born within four and a half years, but still found the time to let us help in the kitchen. I was backing cookies alone for 4-H at 8 years old, and I was making complete meals by the time I was 10.  Mom would allow us to plan, shop for, and cook an entire meal about once a month. The pride in preparing our own meal will remain with me forever!  I love to cook and bake and experiment in the kitchen. My first job was at McDonalds at the grill, and I did work one summer as a grill cook at a local mom and pop place, but other than that the cooking and baking have come from my kitchen. Come on over, there is almost always cookies in the cookie jar.


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## buckytom (Dec 27, 2011)

Maidrite said:


> I am Boring............ADHD and CAD oh the last is what I do



you make flying saucers???

cool.


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## Addie (Dec 27, 2011)

Maidrite said:


> I am Boring............ADHD and CAD oh the last is what I do


 
So is that pic one of your CAD works? Exactly what is that?


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## Timothy (Dec 27, 2011)

Addie said:


> So is that pic one of your CAD works? Exactly what is that?


 
I know, I know....

It's a left-handed thingamagiggy whatchamacallit!

Was I right?


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## Addie (Dec 27, 2011)

Timothy said:


> I know, I know....
> 
> It's a left-handed thingamagiggy whatchamacallit!
> 
> Was I right?


 
I have gone to the hardware store and bought them by the cart load. Do you need any?


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## Timothy (Dec 27, 2011)

Addie said:


> I have gone to the hardware store and bought them by the cart load. Do you need any?


 
Naw, I've got four of them over here in my doogiemcgrabit bucket.


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