Home Cook. Not a Chef.
By definition, a chef is a highly trained, skilled professional cook who manages a professional kitchen. The word itself is derived from the French term for “chief” or “head” — someone responsible for food preparation, recipe development, menu planning, and staff supervision. That’s not me. I have no formal training, my kitchen is decidedly not professional, recipe development is well beyond my wheelhouse, and the only staff I supervise is myself.
What I do subscribe to is being a home cook — a self-taught individual who prepares meals for family and friends, cooking for the enjoyment and experience of it rather than as a paid profession.
I can, however, follow a recipe. Sourdough bread being the notable exception, which has humbled me more times than I care to admit — countless videos watched, every “easy” version attempted, zero success. My browser is a graveyard of bookmarked recipes, some made, but many just sitting there collecting digital dust. If I’m being honest, most of them probably always will.
The reason? YouTube and AI have become my go-to sources for recipes and inspiration. I keep a saved list of channels whose personalities I genuinely enjoy — creators I can identify with, whose training and experience vary widely, but whose videos consistently motivate me to get back in the kitchen.
Technique is something I’m always working to improve. I’ve heard the advice to master the five French mother sauces that Auguste Escoffier championed — Béchamel, Velouté, Espagnole, Hollandaise, and Sauce Tomat — and I appreciate the foundation they represent. But cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. As Chef Gusteau famously proclaimed in Ratatouille, “Anyone can cook.” Even if that occasionally means calling in Chef Mike — the microwave.
