Cooking with Love

Cooking for others is not an easy task. Consider for a moment that everyone eats and therefore has an opinion on what you produce. The phrase, "everyone's a critic", was never truer than in this instance.
As an artist, I open myself up to criticism every time I show my art. (Once in a blue moon). Every piece of art has many defining points. Once you sign it, the work is finished. You can sit back and enjoy the piece for all time.
"Food as art" is quite a different thing entirely. The chef must combine all the essential components; color, shape, texture(s), temperature, and flavor, into the perfect plate. The dish must be presented carefully so that all items balance in form, structure and flavor. Once the dish reaches the customer there is but a moment when it is as perfect as it will ever be. The guest may savor for a mere moment, to appreciate the physical beauty and the aromatic teasing, before the ritualistic feasting begins. Once the meal is eaten, and hopefully enjoyed, the art is destroyed. The best a chef can hope for is to recreate the same dish over and over again so that many guests can enjoy the same "art" every time that particular dish is served. Also, if a guest eats for the experience value, the dish can remain a high point in that person's memory for a very long time.
This is the art in food. To entice our guests into the experiential dining aspect of food service is the desire of every chef. When you "dine", and not necessarily "eat" or "consume", then you open yourself up to the real pleasure of food as art and appreciate it fully.
Imagine, for a minute, how much effort it takes to create one spectacular dish. Each component must have its own recipe; its own preparation techniques; its own time to cook until it reaches it's own perfection. All of the individual components must be married together in the most pleasing manner possible. This takes talent, skill and experience.
The sauce cannot be too thick or too thin. It can not over power the dish. The sauce is used to garnish and to enhance. To give moisture and contrasting color.
The starch (potatoes, rice or pasta, etc...) cannot be over cooked or under seasoned. The vegetables must still be alive with flavor and nutrients. All items must be perfectly balanced on the plate and presented at the correct temperature so the flavors are at their peak.
Do that fifteen times for the same dish. Now do it ten more times for ten different dishes. Now do it for eight to ten hours every day, every week for fifteen to twenty years. (Are you beginning to see where the love fits into it?)
To be a chef is a calling to distribute love. Cooking for others is a job that requires dedication, commitment, attention to every single detail and caring that everything is produced with a willingness to be as wholesome as possible.

When I can afford the time away from the kitchen again, I promise to scribe a few more interesting words for your pleasure.
Good eating everyone.
Chef