11/05/2024
I once asked an owner operator of a HVAC business about all the guys who do it cheaper or under the table or as a handyman- fixer upper... his reply was "They are not my competition". I like his answer because when I catered, my competition wasn't the thousands that catered as a hustle, or a side job, or if they were off, or the cheap cut rate guys, or those who just thought it be swell to cater; no, no, no,....my competition was the 10% of guys who made catering the 1st & only priority in their working life as a business, no looking back and 'Powered by Passion' & 'Chef Driven'. People who started by breaking their backs on production lines doing the Mise en Place & all the 'bitch' work, moving up to running a hot line to getting the culinary arts skills, living the cookbook encyclopedias of Escoffier fine art of cookery & Larousse Gastronomique. One my early treasures was The Culinary Institutes of America, The Professional Chef, gifted to me by Shawn McGill. Chef colleague back in the day. My whole point is to all you enthusiasts out there doing the foodie thing; If your motivation is a quick buck, easy buck or big bucks- it's not none of those. First you gotta love this art, yes Art to the point that if you're doing it and barely scaping by, then that's Passion and before long , the success will catch up and then yes you'll be making bucks...but you must love it and put it first #1 in your priorities. Chef is a proud title. I've never declared myself a Chef -it was the trade, the restaurants, hotels, establishments that proclaimed me a Chef and paid me as a professional. It's a title I earned and was rewarded.
