WILL B.

To some, cooking is simply a chore they must do be- grudgingly daily. For me, it is something I love to do--not so much baking but cooking in general. Much like my passion for photography, my love for cooking started at a young age, although I didn’t become good at it until my early twenties.

I always felt closer to my mom, but after age 6 or so when we were sent to live with my dad, I only saw my mom sporadically until I was about 13 or so. What I remember most besides our long talks, was her skill and passion in the kitchen. Mom was an excellent cook, so naturally it rubbed off on me.

I have about 16 or so years of restaurant experience. I have worked in every position from busboy and dish washer all the way to manager. I know restaurant work like most people know how to breathe. Being a manager ruined my love of working in restaurants forever though. Being a manager is no fun at all. The last position I held as manager, I worked 60 to 70 hours a week and as with most managers, I was a salaried employee with no overtime. Anyway, I digress from the reason I am writing about this topic today.

I still love to cook at home--although lately I don’t get to cook as much. As most people who love to cook will tell you, we love our own kitchens: oven, stove, pots, pans and knives. Sometimes I get into a bit of trouble because I like to have the kitchen free of people and do not like to be disturbed when I am cooking. In fact, when in my own kitchen I usually wear my earbuds to jam out to 80s music while chopping away.

Cooking for me is about creativity, ritual, passion and a bit of therapy. Like when I am taking pictures, everything melts away as I focus on what I am creating. For the most part, things I create come out relatively good. There are some mishaps from time to time. You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs. You can’t make a new recipe without the proper trial and error. To be a great cook you must be daring in your choices and willing to break away from the norm. I do have a family recipe book, but most of my dishes are in my memory and no two dishes are made the same twice. Baking is the only place in my kitchen that measuring cups and measuring spoons are called for. Next time you’re cooking, take a chance and put away your cookbook and just cook with your heart. This is Will B. saying, step away from my stove and don’t even think about using my chef ’s knife!