[peachcreek]

If we stay with cooking then after a while our repertoire and experience will move us towards honing our skills. Then at some point comes not so much about our knowledge base and methods as it does to our philosophy about how who we are as people, how we see ourselves with other and most importantly why we do what we do.
Do you feel that personal satisfaction about achievement is what drives you?
Or a sense of service and providing for others something they choose to or cannot do for themselves?
A strange blend of both?

 

[foodpump]

Some where along the line you have to factor in passing on your skill to others. For me, this does not come easy, as the person I choose to pass on my hard earned skills to has to WANT to learn, has to be hungry.....
,

 

[peachcreek]

Some where along the line you have to factor in passing on your skill to others. For me, this does not come easy, as the person I choose to pass on my hard earned skills to has to WANT to learn, has to be hungry.....
,

The need to connect?

 

[chefwriter]

I'm with both of you here. Over the years experience has shown me what works, now I'm focusing on what works for me, the kind of cooking I want to do and who I want to do it for.
As for passing it on, I'm all for that except I too expect the recipient of my knowledge to be eager to learn. So many people say they want to learn to cook but few understand what that means. What they really want is to be able to throw dinner together on any given night. Many cooks I've worked with want the glory without the hard work, being too used to prepared foods and overwhelmed when faced with from-scratch.

 

[chefross]

I agree with you chefwriter.....
After 40-some years of cooking and watching peers, I've come to realize that as cooks and Chefs we are unique.
Those that went through the ranks starting in the dish room and working their way through the kitchen stations have a great deal to offer in the way of knowledge IF and only IF, of course, they paid attention and looked around to take it all in.
These people can see the whole picture, not just their little nook. They are the successful ones.
I have a lot to look back on. I remember mentoring young people that could have cared less to be there. I also remember mentoring people who did care, and all I can hope for is that I made a difference.

 

[chefbillyb]

Self-satisfaction, a sense of achievement, pride in my product and the business I built. After the first few years in business I realized it's up to my cooks to have passion and be willing to learn. If they had that then it was easier to accomplish both of our goals. The other 99% of my employees only wanted a paycheck. That being said, I could only control my own path and happiness in this business. What I really enjoyed was when I could build so much trust with my client that they would just call me with the amount of people attending the function. They just said, take care of it, you always exceed our expectations. .....ChefBillyB