[ChefBoyofDees]

Let me explain. I was trained in Omaha in the 80s and have been a line cook. However, I could not be given "a secret ingredient" and come up with 5 different recipes. I think that the test which separates the "cook" from the "chef" (besides some of the others input) is when you can walk into a kitchen...be shown 1 or 2 or 3 items...and prepare a eye appealing, mouth watering meal which is more than just SOS. In other words, I could be given tube pasta, cheese, milk and come up with an excellent Mac N Cheese. However, a CHEF could take those SAME ingredients and make something completely out of the box (nothing that would be obvious) and it would taste great (in most cases), look fabulous and make you "sit up and go Howdy!"

I hope this gets my point across as to when you are called a Chef or a cook. Based upon THIS criteria, I'm a great cook but NOT a Chef by any means.