Do you Ever Feel Like You Are Living Separate Lives?

Why yes I do.  Thanks for asking.

Sometimes I feel like I have my life here at home with the girls and my husband has his life at work and then here at home.  The things we each do in a day are so different from each other.  Our two lives come together for a few minutes a day and then we go our separate ways.

The majority of the year he does get 2 days off a week.  During those weeks, he doesn’t seem like a stranger.  There is time to talk (even if it’s chaotic with kids running around), meals together as a family, etc.  However, there are times, like day 11 of a 14 day stretch with no days off.  This doesn’t happen often, but occasionally it does.  I really miss him during those times.

11 long days of work in a row.  Has anyone seen my husband?  (Just kidding.)  Oh look, the restaurant just posted a picture of him on Twitter.  (Seriously, this has happened before and I laughed and said to myself, “Oh look, that’s what my husband is up to right now.” (more…)

Reflections on Being Married to a Chef or Dating a Chef on Valentine’s Day

It’s almost here.  The day we’ve all be waiting for.  The day we celebrate our love for each other . . . oh wait . . . the person we love is a chef and is working that night (and all the days around Valentine’s Day).

So what does Valentine’s Day mean to many chef wives and significant others?

A night alone.

Yep.  That pretty much sums it up.  It stinks.  I know. (more…)

How to Clean a Chef Coat

If you’re new to my site, start here.

My husband is an amazing chef.  I love to learn from him and enjoy all the food he makes, but I really dislike washing chef coats.   And when I say dislike, I really mean hate.  

I really have nothing nice to say about chef coats.  They are big and bulky and stains stick to them like super glue.

With each restaurant change (and there have been quite a few as my husband has moved up in his career), come new chef coats and the task of finding what cleaning treatment will work the best for that specific coat.

If you are like me, you have googled, “How to clean a chef coat” on numerous occasions as you struggle to get out those stains that somehow made it past the apron.

You might have also wondered why in the world chef coats are white. (You can read more about that here.)

Below are some suggestions on how to clean a chef coat, compiled by myself and other chefs and their wives/significant others.  (Thanks for the help guys!)

(Also, make sure not to miss my post on how to get the smell out of chef clothes.)

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Today Might Not Be My Day . . .

It’s 10 pm on Valentine’s Day.  The house is clean and quiet, and as I sit here thinking back on our day, I wonder how my husband’s day went in the restaurant.  We talked once before the dinner rush started at 4 pm and I look forward to the call from him saying he’s on his way home and that the night went well.

Emulsified Family

While many holidays are difficult for me being married to a chef, Valentine’s Day is not one of them.  Valentine’s Day is CRAZY BUSY in the restaurant, so the thought of going out that evening is not appealing.  So if my husband was off, we would be home, choosing to celebrate on another evening.  But since that will never happen (at least I hope not as that would probably mean he was unemployed), here I sit in a quiet house by myself (with 3 sleeping children). (more…)

Day 2 – Social Media (12 Days of Encouragement for the Chef’s Family)

If you are new to my site, start here.

It’s the most wonderful . . . and hardest time of the year for our Emulsified Family, as I’m sure it is for many of you.

12 days of encouragement for the chefs familyIf you struggle with loneliness this time of year, today, I’d like to challenge you to think about the time you spend on Social Media this holiday season.

WHAT!!!!

ARE YOU CRAZY????

HOW COULD I LIVE WITHOUT FACEBOOK?

I know that sounds funny coming from a blogger.  I get a lot of website traffic from Facebook.  But honestly, one of the hardest things for me during the Christmas season is seeing what everyone else is doing on Facebook.  (more…)