Posted by Leslie on January 26, 1999 at 22:32:14:
In Reply to: Re: Wannabe baker would appreciate some advice posted by Gerard on January 26, 1999 at 18:54:18:
Dear Gerard and Pierre,
When you have to fill in that space on your passport that says profession do you write "kitchen professional" or "chef"?
Food writers and cooking teachers aren't all bad. You shouldn't generalize about "us and them".Most TV cooks are awful but there are exceptions. Jacques Torres makes a bit of a fool of himself, but a MOF, is still a MOF, and deserves respect no matter what!
Martha Stewart used to make me wretch, but now, I quite enjoy her program because she is smart enough to have Pierre Herme on her show and not Mrs.Fields. Her food editor, Susan Spungen, is brilliant. You can't ignore the influence journalists have on food today.They aren't writing for other chefs, but for the general public,(our customers!) who aren't as concerned with as many details as we are.
Concerning the chef bit; as a pastry chef, I will never consider a cook as my superior, but I guess the guy who gets in trouble when the banquet screws up, is the chef.There are really two chefs in a good kitchen, the pastry chef and the regular chef.I respect what cooks do, but their attitude towards pastry chefs is unacceptable.I consider them two separate professions entirely.There is a famous French expression which says you shouldn't mix the rags with the clean laundry. My thoughts exactly.
I'll call someone chef if he deserves respect, especially if he is older than I am.This is a very personal thing of course...some great chefs hate to be called chef.