ChefIllustrations.com
Title
Chef Illustrations of Orlando, Private Personal Chef, Cooking Classes, Cooking Class Parties
Description
My first job in the food and beverage industry was washing dishes at a Jewish Deli in Scottsdale Arizona. Just a bit of a culture shock for me at 15 years old. People from all over the world worked in this place: the Middle East, Mexico, Africa, Italy, Spain, and France. For those of you paying attention, I did say the Middle East. There were Jews, Syrians, Egyptians, and a few other Islamic folks working in the same small, high pressure, sweltering hot kitchen, owned by a Jewish family from New York. This kind tolerant cultural diversity flourishes in the restaurant business. It's the probable origin of my liberal thoughts and philosophy today. As I grow older although, the narrowness of my belly has moved to my head a little, and my broad brain has moved to my belly. I truly hate the inevitable force of aging.
Being surrounded by diverse restaurant people for the last 17 years has had a heavy influence on my cooking. Every culture on earth has a unique way of cooking that coincides with different ingredients and spices that are deeply routed in local heritage. Draw a restaurant crew together from all over the world and a special magic that few outside the business can truly appreciate is the result. A restaurant staff of Harvard educated white males would find it difficult to derive the same kind of magic and creativity inspired by true restaurant people. I live my life for this magic and like a highly addictive drug, would struggle in life without it.
My favorite kind of food to eat is anything spicy. I grew up on salsa and Mexican American food. You couldn't eat in a restaurant in Arizona that didn't have some kind of Mexican or Southwestern influence in the menu. This is what I consider the backbone of my career as a chef. My culinary frame of reference is chili pepper induced! Even today most of the menu items and primary points of creativity in those items are indicative of the Southwest. I'm frequently called the "Salsa King" by some of my piers. A title I accept proudly.
Contact
- Dollard, Mark
-
- Orlando FL
- United States 32801
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- 407-341-8966
