Thursday, October 23, 2008

Dream a Little Dream

Okay, so I’m admitting it. I attended a casting call to be the Food Network’s next star chef. Ridiculous, I know, but since this is a blog about my culinary experiences, I thought it best to share.

A lot of us living out here in Los Angeles have a similar dream to be famous on some level or well known in our fields. In fact, I recently hired a wonderful girl to help with my catering duties, and she too has eyes that shine brightly for the promise of Hollywood stardom. Although I’ve found my own path over the years, her sparkle inspired me to go for it.

As I was sitting I the waiting area with over one hundred “chefs,” I could see that this dream belongs to so many of us. And, like so many other shows, the Food Network is looking for a needle in a haystack.

After living here for a while I’ve realized that you may be wonderful but if you are too tall or too blonde or too ethnic or too perky, etc., you might not be what “they” are looking for. Finding what they want in a crowd of people is tough, and being the person that fits into their script is even tougher.

My passion is teaching people about food, which is why I write weekly, shoot webisodes, teach kids and cook for families. I love sharing my wealth of knowledge with you all. That alone makes for a satisfying career. But I still went to the casting anyway, just for the hell of it. Why not, right? After all, how can be considered for the job if you don’t show up for the interview?