Dreaming Big

I had all intentions for this post to be about building flavors, but a project I did in Culinary School got me to thinking about long term aspirations.  Most chef's in the back of their mind always dreams about having their own restaurant, but I never really gave it much thought.  That was until I did this project and realized that being able to express myself through food to the masses would be exciting.  To open not just a restaurant but being able to have people get a true sense of me.  My passion, my history, my style, my taste would all be on display for people to absorb.  Something about this truly intrigues me and motivates me to figure out how to make this happen one day.

Many of my chef instructors and chef's I know in the industry say having your own restaurant is a colossal responsibility and in the end becomes your life.  I know many chef's who have gotten divorced and lost a lot personally pursuing this dream.  Many tell me, "Sometimes you should be careful for what you want or ask for."   I really believe in anything a person does, there has to be a balance.  A balance of ones professional and private lives.   Many people try to separate the two and it doesn't work, but I know I would never want to lose my family for anything, not even pursuing a dream. 

Having a restaurant allows a chef to be much more versatile in the dishes they can prepare.  Everything is prepared, cooked, and served in relatively short period of time which allows for the use of many more ingredients and the creation of many more intricate and complex dishes.  When you are a caterer one always has to consider is this dish or does this ingredient hold well, can it survive being held at certain temperatures for long periods of time without compromising taste, texture, appearance, and the overall success of the final product.  There are trade offs to both career path's but from a pure culinary perspective, restaurant chef's have the advantage.

Maybe one day I will be blessed to open a restaurant, but until then, I will keep working towards becoming the best Chef possible.