Gabriel Evans
English 102
Dr. Kaschock
12 February 2016
Inspirations of
a Chef: A Culinary Journey
It is often said that becoming a chef is one
of the hardest professions one could pursue. Some say that those who do practice
it need to be a little crazy to succeed. The inspirations of this profession
come from so many different directions that it is up to the individual to
understand the reason for choosing the culinary arts as a profession and a
lifestyle. For some in the industry, such as Jeff Henry from a Culinary Arts
program at Worchester Vocational High School, “cooking is like a bug you
catch…once is gets into your blood, you’ll never be the same again” (Geshlin 1).
The rush you receive from being in a bustling kitchen is addicting to some. To
others it’s a scary and dangerous void that requires your entire physical and
mental power and gives you nothing in return. What prompts an individual to
pursue this profession is not always the draw of the day-to-day experience. For
some, it comes from a deeply rooted feeling that grows from childhood. The way
it affects their lives is sometimes positive and other times quite the
opposite.
Not
every chef comes to realize their place in the industry in the same way. Some,
like my interviewee, are just raised with a culinary background. Since
childhood, they were always surrounded by food. My interviewee describes his
most important culinary experience as when “[My mama] would take me to the open-air markets and we would
pick ingredients for dinner” (Evans 8). It goes to show that some realize their
identity early on. For others it takes years.
The intersection of culture and food has
such a profound impact that it affects nearly every accomplished chef. Occasionally,
it comes as a result of the lack of inclusion of culture, only to be realized
in a sudden motion. This was the reality for Teresa Corção, a Brazilian chef
who only discovered the importance of incorporating heritage ingredients after “she
remembers the “Frenchified” food the employees of O Navegador would prepare for
themselves at staff meals” (Franklin 42). To her, “Depending on how you look at
it, it was either fusion or confusion” It took this realization to
discover the importance of a Brazilian root called Manioc. She now uses this
root in almost all of the cultural dishes on her menu. This is only one example
of the power culture has on a chef’s identity. Corção is now world renowned for
her use of the Manioc root. She has used its application to revitalize homes in
Brazil and has formed an initiative to revitalize similar cultural ingredients
in her home country.
Besides culture that influences a chef’s
identity, people also have a profound effect on how a chef lives. My
interviewee was greatly influenced by his mother and by his mentor,
Jean-Georges. He describes Jean-Georges as “similar in background [to him].
He’s from France, but uses Asian flavor a lot. I do the same, yet I am from
Asia. I love how he mixes ingredients from different cultures like I do” (Evans
9). It’s a matter of finding people that shape you in a rewarding way. Those
are the ones that provide a beneficial structure for who you are. A chef needs
a Jean-Georges figure to guide them in the right direction. What I’ve come to
realize through my research is that when you claim your role as a chef you have
to have people who support you. Not everyone can support you in this
time-consuming role and because of that the job can ruin your life.
It’s
apparent that sometimes being a chef can be too much. Between the long hours,
the dangerous working conditions and the physical and mental strain it puts on
your body, it not only overwhelms the chef, but their family as well. For one
chef this became so apparent that his marriage began to deteriorate because of
it. After being married for five years, the chef’s wife told him, “[he] was
more married to my kitchen than to her” (Mélouge 105). What was even more
tragic is that he said after the fact, “I wasn’t sad: I still had my kitchen,
which was all I had ever wanted or needed.” This is a scary reality some chefs
may face. In this profession finding a balance is absolutely essential. For my
interviewee, he was able to find the balance, but not all are as lucky as him.
Another chef describes his struggle as “soul loss”. “The joy I once felt for
the business had disappeared, and my work began to seem meaningless. I noticed
how no one around me liked the hours they worked, how some people hid their
woes in womanizing, drinking, drugs, or fragile marriages” (Mélouge 106). As a
result, he left the industry and became a personal chef. Some end up like his
employees, though. Gasping for a break from the stress.
It’s easy
to say that being a chef is not an easy job, nor a simple identity identity to
claim. Without truly experiencing the energy of the kitchen and the high
pressure of the industry that you come to appreciate why these “crazy”
individuals do what they do. Through the troubles they experience, to the
delight they bring to people’s faces everyday, there are negatives and
positives to the profession. It’s up to the individual to make the most of
their lifestyle, because not always will they see the light at the end of the
tunnel, but they can always appreciate the creations they concoct on the line
every night. That’s where the real magic is.
