Inspiration Through Abstinence...

Now this may sound odd, but really, this title stems from being away from my professional kitchen at work and longing to being surrounded by cooks, chefs and all that are employed in the cuisine. Don't get me wrong...I love being with my family on any type of vacation or time off and in my own "pseudo-professional" kitchen at home, but it lacks one thing...the buzz. Being at home and with the family produces it's own type of unique and soothing inspiration of ideas, but there is something about living in the moment in the professional kitchen at work when all things are happening, craziness is all around and the creative juices seemingly starting to generate more rapidly and aggressively. I tend to do a lot of creative brainstorming though at home during the "wee hours" of the morning and in some strange way, that really works for me. My abstinence of my professional kitchen is what is inspiring in this case however, in that, now that the holidays are all but behind us(we have New Years in our cross hairs), I am ready and extremely anxious to create some new dishes and ideas and get cooking! I am so tired of the banquet ops, yet I am grateful for their existence, which in turn provides the very nature of our well being and opportunity to create. I am tired of seeing the same damn salmon, beef, salad, soup, dessert day after day. How fucking boring, yet again, I am only too glad to be able to say that, as some are not as fortunate. Times are tough and I am thankful! I have been missing that "life", and at the same time providing a source of it. Abstaining from the "creative process" when one is knee deep in the shits, for me only propels the process once it is over. I have been mentally longing to get onto what is next. Not a lack of maturity or an impatient mindset mind you that is typically found in young cooks, but a source of renewal and mental refreshment...for me and for all. So, as I lay idle at home... reading, researching, contemplating, provoking thought, re-thinking, questioning, analyzing and ultimately looking to recreate the foundations, I look forward to what is next on the horizon when I walk in the doors at the end of the week. Who knows?