Waking up this morning to find out that Anthony Bourdain had committed suicide was a shock for all of us. I can’t imagine the pain he must have been in to feel that suicide was the only option.
As an outsider, his life looked pretty great to most of us. He was a successful chef, writer and TV show host. He had a girlfriend and appeared happy in the relationship. He was the father of a young daughter. Media and Social Media made him appear so successful and happy.
Unfortunately, that was not the case.
It makes me question why suicide, mental health issues, drugs and alcohol are all such problems in the Culinary Industry. (more…)
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.
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!)
I’ll have to admit, one perk I love about being married to a chef is the random samples we get to enjoy as a family. You know what I’m talking about.
Your chef walks in the door late one night after work with a box full of samples – bread, steak, seafood, forks, knives, napkins . . .
The funny thing about samples, is that the chef only needs a bite or two to tell if he likes something and wants to use it in the restaurant. And what do you do when you have 10 different steaks to try and get only one of each? You can’t sell them in the restaurant, obviously. So you cook them and try them (and depending on the job, you can do this at home so your family gets to enjoy the samples.)
Has your chef ever thought about opening their own restaurant?
As I’m sitting here working on this post, my husband reads the title and immediately says, “No way!”
It’s definitely not for everyone. But I know many chefs who would like to one day have their own place and many chef girlfriends and wives (or husbands and boyfriends) who wonder what it would really be like.
There are a few chef wives who have written books about opening a restaurant with their chefs. You can read about Delancey and Wife of the Chef in a few posts I wrote last year after I read the books.
But today, I’d like to introduce you to my friend Dhanny. I met her through this blog and have LOVED getting to know her this past year! She has such a great perspective on restaurant ownership and I’m thankful she’s willing to share her story with us today!
Dhanny and her chef/husband Joe own My Kitchen Restaurant in New York. If you live near by or travel there, I’m sure they’d love for you to stop by. 🙂 (more…)
Every time I look at the calendar, I am amazed that we’re in a new year. 2014 just flew by for our family.
Somehow in the midst of the craziness I started blogging. I had no idea how much I would enjoy writing and really wasn’t prepared for all the comments and emails I would get from so many people around the world that could relate to my life!
Today I thought I’d share my 5 most visited blog posts/pages from 2014 and also my 5 personal favorite posts.
You Know Your Dad’s a Chef When . . . Part 2 – Our kindergartner wrote Modernist Cuisine on her homework and I tweeted about it. Modernist Cuisine tweeted back and my site went crazy with visitors! Woohoo!!
Stitch Fix – This has absolutely nothing to do with raising a family with a chef, but all about me falling in love with this company. Who doesn’t love having great clothes show up in a box at your doorstep? I tweeted about this page. Stitch Fix pinned in on Pinterest and people visited. I doubt any of them were chef wives, but you never know. 🙂
My 5 favorite posts from 2014:
Letter to a Young Chef Wife – I loved putting together a list of things I wish I knew 19 years ago when my husband first started working in a professional kitchen.
The Hands of a Chef – I asked for pictures of chef’s hands on Facebook and received such a great response. 🙂 (more…)
Top 5 most visited posts/pages of 2014:
