h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've always wanted to meet a professional chef - someone who gets paid to do what I only do for a hobby (I've been writing <./>ThePost</.> recipe column for several months now).

So, if you don't mind talking shop, where do you work? What's your average menu? What's the Head Chef like? (unless you're the HC yourself, of course )

B

Hi, yeah I am a chef, qualified a few yrs ago. At the moment I am working in a home for old people and I am the head chef there.
The menus that we do are mainly traditional home cooked food from scratch (none of this packet stuff ie potatoes) We do all our baking from scratch too. We have to do things that our residents will eat, bearing in mind that the youngest resident we have is in her early 80`s. They would not know what half of the food our culture eats today.... although we are introducing curries to the menu some resident wont even try it....
I have been trained to nvq 3 standard as well as doing PCD(Proffesional Chefs Diploma).
Cooking has always been a hobby of mine so when I left school and did not know what to do I decided to get trained.
I would love to work in a restaurant but I would not like the late nights. A few friends of mine have gone down that road and regretted it, but some have loved it.
I also have a disability (to a certain degree) that would also put me off changing the area or of catering that i work in but that is a whole new story.

So how long have you been writing for The Post?
What do you do for a living?.
A few friends of mine went to the summer meet last month and mentioned you doing a quiz at the pub. I`m hoping to get to the winter meet in january....

Speak soon
Carol

I've been doing the Post recipe on a pretty regular basis for about three months now. I doubt whether your residents would enjoy a lot of it however.

I do the sports column as well, for my sins.

Due to my persisting heckling of the quizmaster at previous Meet-ups, I got handed the job and have done it for the last two. I can heartily recommend the winter meet - the Summer one was a bit off-form, so we're trying to put in the extra effort for January. You'll need a good alcohol capacity though.

B

Hi again, Well I am looking forward to january for the meet. I heard about the goings on at the summer meet but never mind. As for having a good alcohol capacity I should be ok... as long as I dont mix my drinks.
I have been looking at sites for hotels etc in london cause in jan while i`m in london(fingers crossed) am hoping to go sightseeing and have a long weekend there.
Can you recommend any good/decent places to stay...
As soon as I know when the meet is (dates) i`m booking time off work..
Do you work?... I`m sorry I can`t remember whether I have already asked you this...
I`m sure the residents I cook for wont like alot of things..... alot of them are set in their ways.

hope to speak again soon
Carol

Previous London meets, I've usually scrounged a sofa off fellow Researchers. There's usually a thread on the subject when the Meet page goes up.

B