Last night I was looking through photos of my creations in Basic and Intermediate Pastry, and it occurred to me that I'd actually made quite a bit of progress in the 7 months I'd been learning to bake. I admit some days it feels as if I had made no progress whatsoever, but really, I have learnt so much. And there is still so much more to learn -- that is what motivates me to want to keep going with it.
I started learning to cook when I was about 9. I remember I had to stand on a footstool just to be able to reach the top of the gas stove easily... Both my parents worked and didn't have much time or energy for cooking, so they were happy I could help with one of the household chores (i.e. cooking).
Personally, I think I decided to learn to cook because my taste buds insisted I do something about the boring (but nutritious, as my mum would insist, to this day) food that my younger sister and I were served.
The only problem was, there was no one in my family who could really teach me to cook (beyond the basics, that is). So how did I learn to cook? From cookbooks, mostly. I used to pore over the cookbooks that my dad had given my mum, probably in the hope of inspiring her to cook. By the time I was 12, I could cook a fairly decent family meal. That's when I declared I wanted to become a chef. But my parents objected - they had decided a commercial kitchen was no place for a girl. No amount of pleading and pestering on my part worked.
Anyway, off I went to university at the age of 17. Fortunately, I found I enjoyed teaching, and that was what I ended up doing for a while. However, 20 years after I started university, I was still harboring dreams of becoming a chef. I took some amateur (evening/weekend) cooking classes in Sydney, but felt I wasn't learning enough of the proper techniques. So, I made the decision to go to a proper cooking school. Here I am at LCB Ottawa.
On reflection, perhaps my mum's view of a commercial kitchen environment was tinted by her own experiences of working in a restaurant as a server and kitchenhand while supporting herself through university. I don't doubt that commercial kitchens can be a pretty brutal and dysfunctional work environment, but not all kitchens are like that. In case she hasn't realized, academia can be brutal and dysfunctional too. Trust me on that.
Some people ask me if I think it is too late for me to become a chef now. I don't think so. Some doors might be closed to someone my age, but others will open -- it is up to me to make the best of my opportunities. I am realistic about my abilities and chances. I don't care about fame and fortune -- I'd have taken up acting instead of cooking, if I sought such things. I just want to be a competent chef, someone who can work with raw ingredients and make a useful contribution in a kitchen. That is why I appreciate being taught the proper (and appropriate) techniques at School.
Some of my mentors have said it would take at least 4 to 5 years of proper training and practice to become a competent chef. That is fine with me.
People often ask me if I have any regrets about changing careers, and my answer is "nope". Why not? Because, I know in my heart that cooking is something that will always sustain my interest. It has for 30 years, and it will for another 30 (that is if I get another 30 years - one never knows, right?).
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PS. I don't regret going to university, and I don't feel that my parents were wrong in sending me to university. I just want to follow my dreams now.
