I gave up.

Today I put all of my knives and stones and books up for sale.

I gave up on cooking. I got tired of working for minimum wage. I lost a series of jobs (the last one two days prior to xmas) for reasons I guess I don't understand. Maybe I am less in touch with reality than I had thought. Or maybe just unlucky. I still don't have a job. I don't know if I will be homeless or not at this point.

I don't have any other skills really and never was interested in much else but food and cooking- work stuff. Cooking professionally was a part of my identity.

To be honest I really don't care to think about food, much less fine dining, much less think about or even overhear about "the industry." I haven't cooked anything from scratch in more than 8 weeks, at home for myself.

Anyway. I haven't come looking for sympathy or anything I just thought it would be fair let you guys know I won't be around anymore. Sorry to darken your day.

Cheers. Enjoy yourselves.

SpoiledBroth

I was really hoping today was April Fools day. So sorry to hear this.

Sorry to hear this. Not sure how old you are or what your situation is - but sure do hope you get back on your feet soon.

Wow, I´m sorry to hear this. I wish you the very best of luck and I hope your life takes a turn for the better soon.
- Kim

Hope you find what you are looking for. May the light shine upon your new path.

Spoiled, What is said about "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy."

Remember, life is a journey and with a good attitude, some hope and continued pursuit, you can do anything. Its true. After never having picked up an instrument, taught myself (through videos) to play claw hammer banjo. I gave myself carpel tunnel syndrome in my left index finger, doing it, but I learned to play be damed. Find something else to do. If your that depressed, you might be clinically depressed, so get help, talk to someone you trust.

Just remember "this too will soon pass" and tomorrow will be better than today.

best wishes, just know that there are people out there that care.

dennis

Sorry to hear you're going through tough times, hope you find a path that puts you on the right track

Sorry to hear this, man. Kitchens will definitely kick your dick in.

Sorry to hear this as well. Please consider keeping a couple of knives and stones, as you will find some passion for cooking again at home once you get your new career path set. And please check in here at KKF every now and then -- we're about more then just knives and stones.

I can also only express sadness for the tough situation you are finding yourself in and hope that you find your feet in very short order.

I would echo WildBoar's comments about this community being more than about knives and stones. This has certainly been my experience here at KKF.

SB, good luck in whatever you choose...and agree with others that there's no reason not to visit and check in from time to time.

Don't sell your stuff. You'll feel worse later if you do. At best hand it all to a friend for safe keeping. Restaurant work is a crap shoot no matter where you are so don't feel defeated.

SB, I wish ypu find something that ignites your passion again and I echo the comments of others to welcome you to drop by from time to time

jessf said:

Don't sell your stuff. You'll feel worse later if you do. At best hand it all to a friend for safe keeping. Restaurant work is a crap shoot no matter where you are so don't feel defeated.

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This, for sure

Indeed — don't sell your gear; at least not yet. Good luck with whatever you chose to do in the end.

Good luck, whatever the path you choose. I second the recommendation to not sell it all off just yet. There's no reason you couldn't use all that at home. Most of us do. Would be a bit of a waste to just sell it all off.

Where are you located? I'd imagine there might be folks willing to chat with you here locally about what your next steps may be. Keep your head up, I hope you can find your way out of the emotional rut you seem to be in and get some clarity. Part of that may be getting some help either from folks here or from other sources. Best of luck, pulling for you

Skills from a kitchen are transferable, you just have to know how to pitch them and translate them for folks who are unfamiliar in the industry. If you have the work ethic necessary to succeed in a kitchen then you have the work ethic necessary to start in a number of fields.

I can relate to this, I recently went from a banquet management position that I loved to working the craziest brunch hot line ever.

I think I am don't too, at least the though has crossed my mind.

SB, it sounds as though you are in a really difficult situation. I hope that it improves for you soon.

SB, I am sorry for your struggles, brother. For what it's worth, I guarantee you that you are not alone in the career burn out that you feel, or the strange mix of self-doubt and nihilism that comes with it. I'd hazard a guess that many on these pages -- whether in "the industry" or otherwise -- have wrestled with those demons at one time or another.

Although any of us can offer a sympathetic ear, and many of us might have had analogous experiences in other fields, my hope is that someone who's been exactly in your shoes before finds the time to PM you and talk this out a bit. I know people here have come back from hard times in "the industry," and to the extent that your mind is completely made up about trying your hand at other things, I'm sure still others here have successfully made the transition from professional cooking to other fields. You do have transferable skills, as others have mentioned, so don't forget that.

Again, I'm sorry man. Whether you keep your gear in the meantime is up to you. It might be fun to put a knife and stone aside for another day. But if you need to make a clean break for now, who could judge?

Keep your head up. Seek help if you need it. There's no shame in it.

oh damn!!

dont sell everything. sell most of it, but keep something. you gotta eat, and cook right? i know some pro cooks and those guys are literally working their asses off. and it sure as hell aint for the money..

boomchakabowwow said:

oh damn!!

dont sell everything. sell most of it, but keep something. you gotta eat, and cook right? i know some pro cooks and those guys are literally working their asses off. and it sure as hell aint for the money..

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+1

And if you decide to sell all or most of it: talk to us here.... I'm sure there's more than one (I'd be one) who'd buy knives and stones from you (to help you in your current situation) and give you a buyback guarantee/option in case you're changing your mind!

Let me know. It's a sincere offer!

For what it's worth, I went through a similar thing when I stopped looking in before I started this business… If you ever want to talk about it, you know where to find me.

M,

I think we're the only KKF members here in Winnipeg. I'm really sorry to hear about what's happened, i thought I had noticed you weren't around as much recently, but then again I haven't been around as often either due to a number of issues… some of which are known on these forums.

I'd strongly recommend trying to get a job as soon as possible, as the longer you wait the harder it will become… not to mention more financial hardships. There's been a number of local places hiring I've seen on Instagram, the burrito place on corydon is a recent one that comes to mind, and this is just one of many ways places may "advertise" positions. You may even want to consider a different field temporarily… just about any job is better than no job.

If you need to sell your gear for financial reasons, I understand. But don't sell it just because… I haven't worked in a kitchen since c.2004 and I still use my stuff at home. It will be useful to you one day, even if you just keep the basics like a gyuto, petty and stone. I did get a bit of a tax refund (though nothing like I used to get as a student) and may be able to help out by "buying" a couple things and holding onto them and could "sell" back once things turnaround.

Lastly, never give up on your passion, even if it is something you can only do as a hobby rather than an occupation.

I still have your cell from 2015 but don't know if the # changed, but will send you a txt and PM regardless.

TJ

boomchakabowwow said:

oh damn!!

dont sell everything. sell most of it, but keep something. you gotta eat, and cook right? i know some pro cooks and those guys are literally working their asses off. and it sure as hell aint for the money..

Click to expand...

+2

Really don't know what to say about this. It could be bad luck, bad work habits, bad skills or bad local market. The fact that you were being paid minimum and were let go without explanation tells me something about the place you were working. My thought is to not give up and find a job to support yourself and then look for the right cooking job on your terms. There are plenty of douche bag owners and Chefs in this biz and sometimes you have to sift through the dirt to find gold.

I wish you luck. Keep your favorites (knives, books and stones) and try to stay positive.

Sorry man to hear that! Live it s more then just cooking so for sure you will find your path! Close one door means you will open another one!!
Keep strong and don't give up!

Obviously in this mood it's no good idea to close any door or take any irreversible decision.

I could understand if you sold your current gear and got a new, minimal set (for home or new professional use) from some of the money. Distilling oneself.

Naive question from an amateur : Why are dudes like you not running their own food business, be it as an owner-restaurateur, or somewhere up the supply chain? To those of us who are indeed amateurs, the biggest barrier always seems to be having the professional training/experience - which you without a doubt have.