Posted by Glenn Messick on December 16, 1998 at 12:44:28:
I also feel at times that I am seen as inferior purely from an age stand point.I make no attempts to even PRETEND to have mastered ANYTHING, I dont call myself a chef.I am a cook. I think a damn good one.I dont say that with any sort of attitude or pretension, but at the age of 23, I have 11 years in this business, from dishwasher all the way to "chef".I put in 90 hour work weeks, prepping from 9am, jumping on the line til 12:30 am.I went through probably the closest thing to a traditional European apprenticeship as I've ever seen in the States. I resent being seen as a know it all because I attended culinary school, because I had 7 years in the "biz" before I even set foot in a culinary lab.I also resent being looked down upon as a hotshot who isnt worth a righteous salary because of my age.I resent all these things, BUT, I don't walk around demanding respect from these people, because I won't get it.Respect is something that you command without verbally requesting it. I'm not harping about " Aw, man, these old guys don't know what theyre doin, man I went to culinary school so Im a chef", thats not my attitude at all, what I am saying is that for every idiot who graduates culinary school and thinks hes Fernand Point, without ever seeing a real restaurant, theres his/her counterpart who paid the dues , came up through the ranks, and busted their ass to get to where they are.I think respect should be given where it is deserved, not dictated by age or job title.There are men and women who I will call Chef until the day they die because of the tremendous respect I have for them, and their chosen craft.Enough blabbering, I gotta get to work.