Blog

May 10, 2011
Denise Simmons, Corporate Chef

Do professional chefs cook at home? Hmmm…interesting question, and one I’m asked frequently.

Some chefs love to cook at home. I imagine they have beautifully designed & outfitted kitchens, and spend their discretionary time creating amazing dishes for family & friends.

Then there’s the other type of chef…one like me. When I was cooking full time, the last thing I wanted to do was come home from a long, hot day at work and prepare another meal. Besides, I found cooking at home much more challenging than working in a commercial kitchen. When you don’t cook somewhere a lot, you don’t have the equipment or food to pull off a great meal without a lot of extra effort. I could also never get the hang of cooking for only a few people. Even if I was only planning on three or four guests, I always managed to make enough for fifty. And I hate leftovers!

That’s changed however, now that I’m not cooking full time at work. I miss the creative side of it, and the chance to mix a few ingredients together and come up with something that delights me and others. There really is a certain peace to be found in cooking…one that not only feeds the body, but nourishes the soul as well.