Have you ever cooked for an Executive Chef?
As an Executive Chef, I am always looking for new and exciting things to do in the kitchen and I love experimenting with recipes at Pacific Café and at home when time permits. I will tell you that some of the best ways for me to find those little treasures of culinary bliss are to seek out the small restaurant operation that doesn’t have 600 items to choose from but rather is run by someone with passion and a desire to impress everyone that comes through their door. They are out there and when you find one, and maybe you already have, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.
The other thing I love is the satisfaction of knowing that my passion for cooking makes others happy and I take great pride in that. When invited to dine with friends and I’m not cooking, well that’s is even better. This brings me to “Have you ever cooked for an Executive Chef?” It’s a strange thing when you’re with new friends or a group of people who just found out that you cook for a living at an executive level, suddenly you looked upon as the restaurant critic there to write a review and the worried host face appears as other guests offer up opinions of the evening’s delights. There is a funny but true saying in my line of work that applies in this instance, “The Chef is always the Chef even if he is in his swimming attire”.
My response to this situation is always the same, I am your guest and honored to be in your home enjoying the things you have prepared. I know that you have put plenty of time into planning and preparing and that you have used the most important ingredient of all that makes the food tonight amazing, that ingredient is Love. If that ingredient is used no matter the outcome, you’ll get a 5 out of 5 Stars from this critic.
I will leave you with this last thought. Have you ever noticed the one thing that transcends all the noise in the world? It’s when food is the center of attention and those around it are enjoying the flavors presented and the conversation that surrounds it, frowns are nowhere to be seen, and that’s when your cooking is at its best.
I look forward to seeing you around the Café.
Eric Morgan – Executive Chef – Pacific Café – Capital Group Irvine