One of the blogs I read had a link to this NYTimes article about going to culinary school and what happens to aspiring cooks afterwards – financially and career wise.

This is just another reason pushing me away from going to culinary school. Do I really need to spend $35k to learn the basics, make some foodie friends and make a few connections? That’s not to say that I think culinary school is a total waste of money. But since trailing at The Restaurant for a month, I’ve learned that it’s not so much formal education as it as about passion and energy and hunger. I guess that’s why I do better than some CIA students in a professional kitchen: I just want it more. That’s how I got my foot in the door at one of Brooklyn’s best restaurants.

Sometimes when I tell people I want to be a chef, they ask me what I hope to do with it. As if enjoying what I do is not enough. Learning how to master techniques is not enough. But those people are the type to put heavy emphasis on self-worth based on social, financial and/or job status. And I tend to stay away from people with outlooks like that.

Yes, one day I do hope to own my own place. A tiny little bistro like Le Gigot in the West Village. Or similar to this amazing place, L’Encrier, that Matt and I went to while we were in Paris last fall. (I have a big food boner for French fair and prix fixe menus.) But that dream is decades away and I don’t even dare plan for it right now (though one thing I want is a heavy emphasis on a kick-ass craft beer menu). For now I want to learn everything humanly possible about food and cooking. I want to do what I do well.

I’ve not a fan of Ayn Rand or supporter of objectivism, but one thing I do agree with her on is that you should do your job well, whether it be a cooperate executive or a janitor. That’s why I get really angry at half-assed eateries that don’t take pride in their food and try to give you old, frozen microwaved dishes.

So, yeah, I’m gonna make shit for money. I will work 70 or 80 hour weeks. I won’t get to sit in front of a computer and watch hilarious YouTube videos, Google message gossip with my friends, wear cute new outfits nor take lunch breaks where I can run errands. But I will be content, proud, skilled, knowledgeable and doing something I love and look foward to doing every day. And I think that will make happier than most people are. Well, I am hoping so. We’ll see.

Go-go gadget palate!