It’s
no secret that chefs are masochists and that the culinary industry is tough and
demanding. Students flock to culinary school with dreams of becoming the next
Paul Liebrandt or Pierre Gagnaire. Admittedly I am one of those students who
dream of being a respectable chef one day.
After
three years of film school and another four years of working in the film
industry I left the movie business in 2014 in order to chase my dream of
becoming a hot kitchen chef. People ask me quite frequently why I left film for
food and my answer is always the same: “It is definitely not about the money”.
Don’t
get me wrong I have no illusions of what I left behind and what my new life will
be as a chef. I suppose the reason I left wasn’t because I wished to be the
next Keller or White, but rather myself as someone who has the knowledge and
skills to cook the food that I love.
It
has been eleven months since enrolling in cooking school and I have gained a
mind-numbing amount of knowledge. The school is quite focused on theory, but part
of the curriculum is to receive real work experience through industry placement.
I believe that industry experience is important because not only does it separate
the wheat from the chaff but it also provides us with real experiences and
situations that cannot be taught in a lecture hall.
I
will start my placement on the 7th of December 2015 at a very prestigious
wine estate restaurant in Durbanville, Cape Town. During this time I will be cooking,
bleeding and blogging my way through six months of ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ with
academic exams in between.
For
the sake of every person, organisation or academic institution involved I will
not be mentioning any names or any contact information. This blog is created to
serve as a personal diary based on my experiences during my six month industry
placement.
Welcome
to YES CHEF! I hope you will find my blog interesting, fun and informative.
Please join me as I blog and Instagram my way through six months of ‘Hell’s
Kitchen’.
Follow
me!
Instagram
- @iCarl_Lee
Twitter
- @ChefCarlLee
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