Howdy

[otis24]

I stumbled upon this site by accident. It looks pretty interesting. I've been working in restaurants for 16 years. During that time I've been a dishwasher, busboy, prep cook, server, line cook, graduated from The Culinary Institute of America, was a sous chef and now I'm a chef in a fine dining restaurant. It's been a fun and exciting adventure but I think my career is coming to an end and I'm here to seek out options for a change. It's seems as though most people come here looking to get into professional cooking, while I'm looking to leave. Any ideas would be appreciated.

[Jayme]

Otis,
With all your experience, have you concidered teaching?

[otis24]

Actually that's at the top of my list. It's one of the favorite parts of my job. I love explaining details that make a decent cook a great one. For example when a cook gets their timing down because they weren't prioritizing correctly and I helped them get there it makes my day. I could give countless examples of this. My chef instructors at the CIA had a huge impact on where I am today, I could definatly see myself teaching. However, I'm still thinking of things outside of cooking before I make any final decisions. What those things are, I have no idea.

[Mezzaluna]

Otis, you've come to the best place to discuss your options for a new path and still have your experience go to good use. We have a lot of veterans here who've successfully shifted gears (from restaurant to teaching, institutional work, food styling, etc.).

We hope you visit often to share and pick up some new ideas. We'll look forward to your posts!

Regards,
Mezzaluna