Hello All, I'm glad to be aboard!

[MattFin]

Hello everyone, my name is Matt Finarelli, and I am glad to be a part of this community! I am now working in the kitchens in Arlington, VA (near DC) after a long stint in the professional life of web development. I wouldn't go back to cubicle life for anything!

I actually write a blog myself about the whole experience of giving up one life in favor of the cooking life, and what it has been like. (I'm not coming here to promote the blog though, so if you are interested, the link is in my signature.) The blog just won the "Best of Blogs" in the "Best Food, Wine & Cooking Blog" category, so I am stoked, and perhaps now thinking about what it would take to turn it into a book.

So the question arises, am I a chef, or a writer? Well, I am a chef who likes to write is the best I can come up with, which hopefully means I will be able to post something here that somebody will deem worth reading.

Heck, if you've made it this far, maybe I've already achieved that.

In short, I look forward to joining in the discussions and seeing what you all have to say. It's good to know there's a place where cooks can all get together to share ideas and/or rants!

[Mezzaluna]

Welcome to Chef Talk, Matt! We hope you enjoy this community. From your blog I see you have just the right amount of twist in your sense of humor (brainy and fun, with just a hint of sarcasm ). You'll fit right in. As a matter of fact, we have a lot of people here to either left an IT career for cooking or left cooking for an IT career. Our head honcho, Nicko, is one of them. His deftness in both fields makes this a wonderful place to hang out and learn.

We hope you take a look around and make Chef Talk part of your regular rounds on the web. We'll look forward to seeing you often!

Regards,
Mezzaluna