Well,
CC, some of it is briefly in my profile, but as for being a duffer, I'll go on Medicare in a few more months.
As you may be able to see when my birthday rolls around.
Although I have never done so professionally during the severality of my careers, I've had sort of an abiding interest in cooking since junior high school when I enrolled in and was the only male in a cooking class. :bounce: Got an 'A' in it, too! :chef: Of course that was in the 7th grade now more than half a century ago.
Recently, while advising one of my daughters while visiting as to the kinds of courses I thought she ought to pursue in preparing herself for her husband and self to start thier own business in a year or so, I got the bug to check out the college here that I'd gotten an AA from, also many yarn ago... and discovered that they have a complete
culinary arts program.
So, having some time on my hands and not being totally broke, talked with the program director and signed up for it.
At this point I haven't the foggiest as to exactly what I'll do with it, whether that be to maybe do something as a PC or get a part-time job working dinner hours during the nights of the week when the restaurants are pretty swamped (at my age you just
don't wanna be standing on your feet for an entire shift... I'll TELL ya)... I figure that I could handle that even if just doing prep work and as for getting a job my strongest suit is probably my work ethic... we'll see. Whatever, I think that it'd be more interesting than guarding the door at Wal-Mart and a way to pick up a few extra bucks...
Maybe just do it as a matter of personal enjoyment in learning to do new things. It's kinda nice being retired, you don't hafta do anything, and barring fiscal limitations can do anything.
In my home, my wife is an
excellent cook, so my contribution over the years has been to be the one, or one, that makes special dishes that are sort of dad's 'signatures' either for family alone or for special occasions. They've mostly been met with enthusiasm, although I never was able to figure out why my kids just went "Ugh, not again!" when I'd make scrumptialicious "Candy Soup" when they were little. Lentils with
bacon and onion and garlic and, 'yknow.
I met a
Personal Chef recently at Safeway Mkt. and chatted with him for about an hour and a half; that was interesting (and I've read the thread here on that area of endeavor, too). He cooks for 3 or 4 families 3 or 4 days a week; I don't recall the exact mix he told me. He was raised by an Austrian immigrant family that also ran a cafe, so was cooking Bavarian and Austrian foods from the age of ten, he tells. Never went to school for it, or any other cooking. Nowadays he will cater or work as the
Chef in a commercial kitchen occasionally for parties or shindigs and such as
Oktoberfest that have that kind of a motiff... but his mainstay is being a Personal
Chef. The funny thing about that, though perhaps not so funny if you know the area here in the southwest, is that the ONLY cookbook he uses as a reference is, "
The border Cookbook" by
Cheryl Alters Jamison & Bill Jamison.... and he's made a business out of that. He alleges it is a good one, that he has all the business he wants by word-of-mouth if he needs to gather a new 'client', and that there is a ready market for such in the area (about 50,000 pop). Furthermore, although there are several taco/burrito 'stands' here (one of which serves the best 'meal deal' in town), there is only one fairly good Mexican-American restuarant and it is sited aways out of town. He also allowed as to how he shops at Safeway 5 days a week so everything is made
fresh same day, and he charges hourly 'salary' plus costs. Well, that's not so much about me, but thought might be interesting to the folks who inhabit these hallowed halls.
Other than that, I belong to a model railroading club here in town; my 'specialty' is modeling 1930s~1950s Southern Pacific Lines & Pacific Fruit Express in HO guage. And am well involved in a computer gaming
clan online as its 'Co-Consul' (it is organised on the Pre-Imperial Romans motiff), and I am also the Co-Lead Designer for an ancient & classical ages Real Time Strategy game that is being developed online by an outfit called
Wildfire Games (about 40~50 working on it all over the world) for ultimate free release to any who will want to download it called
0 A.D..... two years in the making now, another two to go if we can keep it 'on schedule' until release to the general public.
My online 'nick' is actually
Phoenix-TheRealDeal, but registration to these forums wouldn't take the "Deal" part of it. Lastly, I managed, along with a
LOT of medical help to survive an episode of cancer last year, so reckon I've sorta got a new lease on life for awhile yet.
