LineDog

It all started when i was 17 years old looking for a summer job. Telemarketing paid $6/hr. Line cooking pulled in $8.50!

I didn't know about the 130 degree kitchen, the 4 plates per minute weekends, or waking up in a pool of sweat in the middle of the night hearing the sound of the ticket machine printing in a stressmare.

I didn't know that in less than 30 minutes I could severely regret trading the bartender a plate of fajitas for a pitcher of margaritas at 8:00 on a Saturday night. Or that I would ever work with someone who could put a plate in a 500 degree oven, then hand it to another human being... But I saw it all and was addicted.

"Comparing cooking to the restaurant kitchen is like comparing chess to war." that's the only cooking quote of mine I like, so it had to end up somewhere in here.

I cooked at different places through college - doing both full time. One day my chef walked out and I took over the kitchen, quit college for a year, and realized that being a chef was a lot easier than he made it look.

Went back to school, got the bachelor - in history - then off to cooking school (a good time was had by all and I got da paper).

Then, to New Orleans. Worked in some big name places. Saw 30 year old line cooks who had been at the same establishment a good portion of their working lives. That scared me, so I got out.

Changing tack I interviewed at a tiny Creole/Sicilian place in the French Quarter called Irene's Cuisine . It was one of the best cooking experiences I have ever had. I was a line cook who was better paid than most sous chefs in the city, was treated like family, and heard the stories that only small family owned restaurants have the opportunity and interest to tell. From then on, I've only worked for small - chef owned establishments.

In 2002 I had the opportunity to travel around the world for 10 months with my new wife.

During the trip I decided that, when we got back, I'd get a video camera, find a skilled filmmaker interested in food, and shoot the stories I'd heard in the kitchens of New Orleans.

"The Great Chefs" series meets "Inside the Actors Studio" is how I pitched it to PBS and - believe it or not - it was called "The Apprentice".

I know, I'm a bit naive thinking that it could get on PBS (it is not so public anymore, is it) but I stuck with the dream and hope to get neworleansfoodstory.com (a web food channel dedicated to New Orleans Food... stories) online by the summer of 2008.

If you're interested in seeing the short videos in their pubescent state check out:

www.youtube.com/docnoproductions