Sweet Luxury

To have your own commercial kitchen is one of life's little luxuries.

The smooth, cool, stainless steel counters and utensils are so durable and clean. A big, sharp chef's knife chops fresh produce with ease and makes meal preparations a snap.

Cooking is a pleasure when ingredients and equipment are logically set out before you. Equipment that is easy to clean and easy to handle make preparations a breeze.

We overlook these joys sometimes, working in a commercial cooking environment. You're under pressure constantly and constantly scruitinized. As a chef, you are only as good as the last meal you served. Guests are not very forgiving these days. With Twitter and Instagram and Facebook and bloggers everywhere, your reputation can be sliced and diced on that plate, and around the world in minutes.

It is fresh? Do we have enough? Where's my cumin? Who took my whisk? Even little things going wrong can set you back and frustrate you when minutes and seconds matter. And believe me, in a commercial kitchen, seconds count! Timing is everything.

But to be the master of the kitchen, YOUR OWN KITCHEN, is a dream come true. We all love it! Students aspire to it and television shows glamourize it. And I, for one, have to say that as much hard work as it is to own a restaurant, and to live in the intense environment that is a kitchen, it still is a luxury. A sweet luxury that I do not take for granted.