Jelly great insight, I share a lot of your passions. When it comes down to it there's nothing like the energy of a kitchen... You sort of become an addict of stress at least I do.
Having a beer at 1
o am with your fellow cooks after doing 300-500 covers on a sat night at a super high level is a freaking amazing feeling.
Going from completly F'ing off to complete utter perfection is also great to experince.
The worst thing about being in a kitchen is job security. You can be amazing cook and the next thing you know your head chef gets canned, a new chef arrives and he brings in a new staff and a new sous chef and you are out the door before you can prove yourself. Well not really, but thats what it feels like some times.... Be ready toget pushed mentally and physically every day if you work in an elite michelin restaurant.
I love to fabricate meats, fish etc... prep for service and then see all of that work reach the plate...
Making people happy is what its all about. Weddings, birthdays, dates, the guy at table #6 that is about to propose to his girl. I/You just want to make these people happy, and serve them great food.
There's nothing more gratifying for a chef than to have a "no nothing" novice intern /prep cook /dishwasher groomed into a Chef De Cuisine.. Its great for chef's ego to see these types of people rise to the top. Hopefully you will get a chef that will take the time to teach, because a lot of time you are expected to know what you are doing.
Word of advice, Find a good restaurant with a good rep, if you dont get a good vibe from the place DO NOT WORK THERE.