I agree with robert40 when he wrote that my story is common in a lot of American kitchens. But what Cooked provides is a voice to people that no one hears about. Most restaurants can’t afford the CIA grads, so they hire the dreads of the world, the ones the general public knows nothing about. These are the boot strap cooks that prepare the food in most James Beard award winning resturants. The great chefs that are out there deserve a lot of respect, but we must give these cooks their just due. More than that, giving second chances to people with backgrounds like mine is important not just to fill the jobs that need to be filled, but to help the people around us. I’m very appreciative of all the people that have helped me along my path to become a chef, and now that I’m an executive chef I do all I can to make sure that I give opportunities to people that need them.