Baron Von Snack

So here goes the story, roughly 3 or 4 years ago, I was sitting in a coffee shop and a young man walks up to me. He seemed afraid, almost humble and I actually turned around to see if Pope was behind me, I am thinking what the hell is his problem but he quietly introduced himself and said "I am Jonathan".
How can I help you said the spider to the fly ?
Jonathan explained that he was a waiter but he wanted to be a chef.
I thought to myself, I am a chef but I would rather be in the NBA, I certainly had 3 of the 4 qualifications, tall, black, reasonably attractive in a single vented suit that doesn't quite fit right, I just needed to learn how to play basketball.
Well, thankfully cooking is easier than basketball, women still throw themselves at you, the only difference it they are the kinds of women you can actually introduce to your mother.
Jonathan says "I am thinking of going to CIA and everyone told me to talk to you first".
Really I said and why is that ?
You are a maverick and seem to chart your own course.
Uncharted roads have nasty cliffs son, if you want to be a chef, simply go work in a restaurant, save your 40 grand and just travel, eat and stage. If you still want to be a chef after that, you will.
The first 3 books you need to read in order are:
1.
2.
3.

After that, you can read whatever the hell you want as long as the author does not have a TV show unless his last name is Batali.
Always remember what Marco said, we are all commis.

Next, go work in a decent restaurant, start in garde manger anyone can make a damn salad, but just pay attention and I repeated again, just pay attention to the influence of sweet, salt and acid. After a brief stint with my mentor Fritz at Deux Cheminees, he went on to the "Brasserie" Perrier.

All I did was push the ball up to the fulcrum, something always happens at the fulcrum, momentary stabilisation and then fast forward movement.

Enter the fulcrum : Vernon Morales
Some might be pissy about the following statement but when Vernon was in Philadelphia, the best food to be had in the city was at SALT. He eventually went out west to Winterland.
You can read an old review by clicking Here.

From that point on, it was a quick series of stepping stones to Mugaritz, Liebrandt and then Home.

No matter what you do, you need to get to the fulcrum.
The greatest fear is the fear of success not failure.

By the way if you are thinking about following this model and you have a wife or girlfriend, assume restaurants are airplanes during the invasion of Normandy, on her next birthday, skip the Blahniks, a parachute might be more useful.

Here honey, try this on, let's make sure it fits well.