For some time now I have been seeking work as a Chef/Private Chef/Cook, all the while trying to stay true to my purpose or use my nutritional knowledge. Seeking positions in which I cook for a person with dietary needs and no understanding of how to prepare, for example a diabetic who wants to keep their a1c levels low and learn how to eat or even just a person who wants to eat better for increased energy and ultimate health. I have sought positions on farms, to the point of stopping at one as I drove back to Washington to introduce myself. Sadly, they barely gave me the time of day as I have no college education, not even the courtesy of an interview. Talk about feeling crushed.

I am not a Michelin Star Chef, nor have I ever had the desire to be one. I desire for people to eat better. Everything I have ever done as a cook, baker or chef was in the desire to prepare and serve food made from scratch for the benefit of your health or better than store bought. When I began to see what was actually being served to customers from the back of the house I was shocked. I am not just speaking about restaurants, I speak of any business in the business of selling you food.

My passion only became stronger after taking my health into my own hands. I changed the way I ate, I recognized how some food affected me, I took my food education into my own hands and got myself off of 4 prescription drugs and away from the medical healthcare system. I cannot imagine where I would be now had I not seen behind the veil of the food industry or made those changes to the way I eat.

Recently, because I do need to work, I accepted a job as a banquet cook. Way below any position I am qualified for, but the pay was decent, if I made it past 60 days I would get benefits, there was opportunity for growth, it was a farm with a purpose as it was connected to a nonprofit in an agricultural community. Although I was fighting with the beating to my ego, facing an hour drive to and from work as well as a $5 bridge toll I was excited for the possibilities along with no longer spending hours staring at the computer looking for a job that appreciates and understands what I offer.

On my first day of orientation I showed up in the uniform they requested in the handbook, along with all the tools they asked me to have. I then sat and signed various papers about behavior at work and regulations they had put in place. Cool I thought, this place is legit, until my first day of work, when I saw the truth. Now remember, I said this is a farm, in a dedicated agricultural area, which means they are surrounded by farms of all kinds, over 10. I assumed they were mostly farm to table restaurant and banquet service. In this day and age I also assumed that there were certain practices in place for disposing of waste and that they were likely working with the local farm community to show how they can work together and reduce our human footprint.

Imagine my first day at work, when I realized the picture this employer painted was a lie. Forget about the employees behavior, zero time management or the lack of structure within the kitchen I was working. I was literally blown away by the fact the only thing that this place broke down and recycled was cardboard. Where I currently live, you recycle everything: glass, cans, plastic, paper, you even have a bin for compost and yard waste: the shock was real. There was zero composting done. No sustainable practices in place at all. Everything but the cardboard is being thrown into the trash. Third, I would say that 80% of their food is processed. I want to clarify, by processed I mean various ways of being processed. One example is that the carrots, celery, onions and potatoes all came peeled, sliced, grated or diced sealed in plastic and packed in a box. Literally I felt like I was in a cafeteria. Marinara sauce came in a can already made: egg mixture poured from a carton with chemicals added: rice came in with dry seasonings, fats and msg already added, just add water. They use a cheap olive oil blend instead of real olive oil. Bread par baked and pre-made frozen pastry dough with a full staff of bakers.

While I may not be a trained Chef or a Michelin Star Chef, I have worked and been in this business for years. I also have a respect for food and the source at which it comes from, along with my part in the process of preparing a meal. It breaks my heart at the disconnection there is. I witnessed food being prepared 3-4 days in advance prior to an event: things like macaroni salad, from pre-cut veggies: searing off meat and fish 2-3 days in advance of using it.

I worked for a full week, hoping that some of the things I witnessed or experienced were a fluke. I spoke with every employee learning about them and why they were there. On what ended up being my last shift, a day when they were serving a buffet to 400 people, I stood with my hands in my pockets along with 4 plus other employees asking for things to do. Never in my experience as a chef did I ever experience such a phenomenon when serving that many people. I go to work, to work and whoever I am feeding deserves the best/freshest food I can produce.

Unfortunately things did not work out for me to remain with this company and at this time there are no positions for someone with my experience within. It is hard standing up for what you believe in and wanting to be a part of change. For wanting to be the person that exposes the reality behind the veil of the food industry and helping people to see how amazing real food is, how important it is for us to understand what our bodies need in order to thrive and not just survive. To be a person unwilling to accept the norm and one who is willing to expose the truth so many are unwilling to hear or accept.

We are living in a world where food is not being used for the purpose it was made. It is a money machine full of lies and a way to control consumerism. Folks not educated about the food being sold to them buy, the lies and the convenience. What we do, wear and have is more important than our health. Government and big corporations only care about the money they can make off you, now and in the future. TV and most celebrity chefs have made food into a competition, more of an art, not the nutrition it is meant to be.

So my journey continues in seeking work that contributes and benefits us as humans as well as the planet. I will not allow the countless no’s or we hired someone else to bring me down. I might cry a minute or two, but I will not give up trying to get the truth out to the masses. Thank you for your time.