A brick-and-mortar restaurant is a beast that I have never been interested in tackling. From massive overhead costs to tireless work hours (and many, many other reasons) there is just an incredible amount of risk. I am not a chef by trade nor a seasoned hospitality professional. However, my biggest fear is simply losing my love for food and cooking by attempting to turn a passion into my livelihood.

This is actually an idea that I have been warming up to at some point, but I am not there quite yet. The most difficult thing to figure out is how much do I value my time and what is the client’s perceived value of my time vs. quality of product and service provided.

In my mind, a chef is a trained culinary professional. May that be through experience via trial by fire working in restaurants. Or, by attending and graduating from a culinary institution, if not both. A home cook is a self-taught hobbyist cook that may or may not have any formal education or experience in the culinary arts. I would never claim to be a chef.

When it comes to kitchen essentials, this is the question that I receive the most. It really boils down to three things. 1) Budget. 2) Comfort. 3) Purpose. Of course, I can only offer recommendations based on my personal preferences. Ultimately, it is your money and your decision. See my knife buying guide and recommendations here— Kitchen Essentials: Knives and Cutting Boards and Shears, Oh My!

I prefer to shop and support locally and I spend the most time wandering the aisles of Bloomingfoods. Fresh Thyme is my second most frequented grocery store with Kroger coming in at third. It also sometimes just depends on convenience and what part of town I am on. For specialty foods or ingredients I am a huge fan of B-Town International Market.

Interestingly enough my full-time career is working for a local hospitality group. My roles are not in restaurant operations though. I serve as the Director of Business and Personnel Development at One World Enterprises. The only job I have ever had in direct food service was at a Wendy’s when I was 15-years old.

Anthony Bourdain, Alton Brown, Jamie Oliver, Emeril Lagasse, Giada De Laurentiss, Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, Sean Brock, David Chang, and Matty Matheson to name a few. And of course, my family. I started learning basic kitchen skills and how to cook at an early age thanks to my mom and grandmother (on my mom’s side).

In general, I am not fond of brands or product lines that are endorsed by celebrities. Not to say that they cannot be decent or even good-quality. Just color me skeptical when it comes to the marketing aspect. If a company paid me millions of dollars to put my name on a product and tell the world that it’s the highest-quality their money can buy— I would and you would too.

This is one of the toughest questions anyone can ask me (or any foodie). It depends on what I’m craving and what my current favorite types of cuisine are. I love all food really and am always open to trying new things. I appreciate fine dining, but I will also always love Taco Bell. At the end of the day… I am a garbage disposal. Anything and everything goes.