Sure. Why not. Go ahead. I can’t guarantee I will have an answer, but I will try.
Once people find out that I am married to a chef and they say their initial, “Wow, that must be amazing” comment, questions always follow. I do not mind at all, and some of them have actually been pretty funny over the years.
I don’t know what it is about the profession that is so intriguing to people, but it is definitely a great conversation starter. Everyone eats. Most people cook. There’s always something to talk about! (more…)
I’ve been spending time sharing about what it’s like to be married to a chef. But what is it like to be the daughter of a chef? I personally don’t know, but I am very close to 3 little ones who do!
In order to really give you a picture of how we emulsify or combine restaurant and family life, we have to include the kids. I’ve decided to start a series called, “You Know Your Dad’s a Chef When . . .”
So today is part 1 of many posts to come.
You know your Dad’s a chef when . . .
your science fair project looks like this.
Does food presentation affect how someone thinks food will taste?
Or this.
Which frosting tastes better? Homemade or store bought?
Last week was mid-winter break for our kids AND my chef/husband took the week off! I can’t even remember the last time that happened. No email (OK tons of email, but email notifications turned off), only a few texts, 1 voice mail. . . I probably should go into the restaurant and corporate office and personally thank his staff for this. 🙂
So I guess the answer to the question “Do chef’s get vacation time?” is yes.
It’s not always easy to find a good time to take it. For his restaurant, right between Valentine’s Day and the start of Dine Around Seattle was perfect. It also happened to line up with mid-winter break for the girls! Yeah!
So after reflecting on an amazing week as a family, here are 10 things that happened:
1. We had so much fun together as a family!
I was a little nervous about what it would be like to have him home for a week, as there have been many times when things have been awkward, the kids have been strange toward him because they haven’t seen him much, etc. (More on this another time.) But our week was AMAZING!!
“Everything I do at work, I do for the future of our family. You know that, right?” This was my favorite part of the conversation with my husband this morning.
Finding quality time together is never easy with a chef’s long hours and having 3 kids. Late at night when he comes home, really is not the best time for a deep conversation or for us to vent all our frustrations from the day at each other. I’m burned out and fried from a long day as a Mom and he’s exhausted from working since o’dark hundred in the morning.
So conversations happen at random moments, whenever there is time and a bit of quiet (early in the morning, laying in bed, in the car on the way to work, in the bathroom while brushing our teeth, etc.)
My chef/husband’s long commute into work was our time to talk this morning.
I read a lot of articles online about chefs, restaurants, being married to a chef, etc. If they’re any good, I share them or pin them. Today I came across one that just keeps popping back in my mind.
I know that in some restaurants, chefs and line cooks get a portion of the tips each day. My husband has never worked in a restaurant that has done that. He has always been paid an hourly rate or salary.
What frustrates me, is the inequality of pay between a server and a line cook. (Neither of which apply to my husband so this post is not about me saying I think my husband deserves more money. Just clearing that up.)
It takes a very different skill set to be a server as it does to be a line cook. I will not get into a debate about which is harder as I think different people are good at different things. However, when a server walks out of the restaurant after working 6 hours making more money than my well paid Executive Chef husband who is on hour number 15 that day and still not ready to leave, does that seem right? (more…)
