I feel like I’ve been talking a lot lately about things that I struggle with, being married to a chef. So in case I’m coming across as a complainer, let’s talk today about some of the positives of being married to a chef. There are a lot of them, but here are my favorites!
I LOVE that my chef/husband can make something out of “nothing.” I look in the refrigerator and see that we have nothing to eat and think we need to go to the grocery store. My chef looks in the same refrigerator and manages to create a yummy dinner for our family of 5. I have no idea how he does it, and really wish I could.
I LOVE that he can just look at a recipe and tell if it’s going to turn out. This comes in very handy when I’m looking at a recipe I found on Pinterest. So many recipes online don’t turn out (it’s like the writers never even tried it after they wrote it????). It’s nice to be able to run one past him before he goes to work and get some feedback on it before I try it. (And often he tells me he has a recipe for that (big surprise) and pulls it up on the computer for me. I then of course have to convert it so I don’t have 5,000 cookies . . .)
I LOVE that whatever he cooks turns out perfect the first time. This amazes me!
I LOVE that he can taste something and tell me exactly what’s in it. This is great for when we try something at a restaurant and I want to have it again at home. He can recreate it! Woohoo!!
I LOVE that I can ask him anything about food and he knows the answer. He’s like a walking food encyclopedia. Seriously. It’s pretty awesome. I wonder what people think about our family as we are walking through the produce section of an Asian market, asking him questions.
I LOVE that he is artistic and creative. Somehow he manages to plate food beautifully, even if it’s just cheese and crackers. He has such a good eye for how things should look. Not only does this come in handy as a chef, but it helps at home with decorating. (I stink at decorating. Anything that looks nice in our home is because he picked it out or decided where to put it.)
I LOVE how hard he works to provide for our family. His work ethic amazes me. He is honest and calmly says what he thinks.. He will do whatever he needs to for his crew, fellow employees or the restaurant. If the dishwasher has a family emergency, he’ll step in and wash dishes for a few hours. Whatever needs to be done, he’ll do it.
I LOVE to hear how he trains and mentors those around him. Hearing how he comes alongside people to develop them instead of intimidating them or tearing them down . . . I love that about him. (I also love to see how he does this at home with our girls.)
So those are just a few of the things I love about being married to a chef. Feel free to share below in the comments about what you love about your chef!
From one chef’s wife to another,
Only the last 2 apply in our house, mine never cooks and I’m the one that can knock up miracles from sparse fridge contents. I was just really into cooking before I met him ( now I hate it and never, ever, do it if at all possible, we eat out)
My favourite things, other than your last 2 points, would be the ease with which he steps in and out of jobs, good chefs are in demand. Also the incredible free meals and hotel perks we get as a 5 star resort chef family. I just think there’s something cool about it too, people think Gordon Ramsey or Anthony Bourdain, and thy kinda’ rock!
So I’m curious why you no longer like cooking? Is it because of the traveling?
Once I had kids it just became a chore, having to feed them 3 times a day, every day. No fun any more. Plus my time is so precious, I work online and I’m responsible for educating them, no time for reading cookbooks, getting inspired by TV chefs, nothing, I never read or watch TV now, no time (even when not travelling) so that inspiration to try new recipes has gone. Plus I’m getting older, I’ve tried most things, cooked most cuisines, nothing is dramatically new now and I get far more pleasure from eating a meal somebody else has cooked. Particularly breakfast, I love going out for breakfast best of all and in most countries we visit, that is what we do. We’re self catering this week in rural Romania and I HATE it! The kids want me to cook pasta dishes, I’d far rather make do with bread and cheese ( the cheese is amazing, and the butter…real food!) until we’re back somewhere with cafes. But I did cook for them last night, y’know, when you cook something yourself you taste it all the time, so by the time it’s on the plate you’re not bothered, you know what it is and exactly what it tastes like. I like my food to be delicious and amazing or I really can’t be bothered to eat. And I don’t have a sweet tooth so baking and cakes have never interested me, but I do make things for the kids occasionally. Bit of a long answer sorry, but this is one of the things I’ve worked out about myself, I need to eat out to be happy with my food, or at least have some amazing cheese or product I can eat straight away with zero preparation, and processed food depresses me like crazy, travel taught me that. This is why I keep the weight off I think, I can’t face eating just for the sake of it.
That makes sense. I hate it when I spend time in the kitchen and then I’m not excited to eat what I’ve made! Sorry you have to cook this week. But from your blog, it sounds like you are really enjoying Romania (even if you do have to cook a little). 🙂
You’re very lucky! My husband won’t go near the kitchen, except to eat!
🙁 Sorry. I can’t even imagine that. . . although my Dad never cooked when I was growing up. He did LOVE to eat though and would always come in the kitchen when something yummy was cooking!
I as well am married to a chef. We most of the time eat out because I am not a great cook and he is too tired. But eating out with him is just as great as watching him cook his expertise and listening to his critique always amazes me. Since being together I have a deeper appreciation for food and service. I always tip well over 20% and am polite and courteous- there are too many families who have never been around the industry and don’t realize all that goes into the meal. One thing that I dislike about being married to a chef is the amount of drugs and alcohol that circulate through the kitchen- although my husband does not struggle with this addiction many chefs/cooks do and it always concerns me.
We always tip really well too, even if the service isn’t great. 🙂
Drugs and alcohol are a big concern. I agree. So many seem to struggle with that in this industry. 🙁
Hey Jennifer, I am a chef of 22 years. But my wife and I have only been married 2. I bought her the book and tried to warn her before we got married but she was still in. We decided to work together because if we didn’t we would never see each other. Now she hates our life. I’m at a crossroads because she feels I put all things restaurant before her when in reality I force time with the family and events even when I know I should be on the line. I’m not really sure what to do now. I need her. She is the smiling face when, as usual, I am not. She is critical to our success but she is hell bent on hating the life. Will she get past this?
That’s hard. Honestly, I can’t say if she will get past it since I don’t know her. We have a closed Facebook group with about 300 chef wives and significant others. Maybe she could join us and chat with us more about how we handle the crazy hours and still manage to enjoy life. More info about that group is here – http://emulsifiedfamily.simpleseasonallocal.com/support-group-for-chef-wives-and-significant-others/. Other than that, talking about how you are feeling if essential, for both of you! I know it’s not easy!