Thomas Fields

I dont know why everytime I see something about Chile in these threads it is always about Santiago. The majority of Chileans who live outside of Santiago dislike Santiago and those who live there love it. The majority of Chileans have a small town feel. I personally live int he south of Chile in a city called Osorno, American by birth but married to a Chilean woman. I am also a Chef working here in the city. When I worked in Frutillar I did tasting menus in a restaurant called Meli and the people always asked me why I dont go to work in Santiago. My answer was always the same, I dont want to live in Santiago because some of the best seafood is from the south of Chile and also the products of the south as far as vegetables and even the meat is the best in the country. The land is trully blessed here but the locals are not ready for a fine dining type atmospheree yet but here in Osorno we have alot of Argentinians pass through here for a close and easy vacation. Osorno is really a transit city that has not been exploited and the food and people are fresh for a new move. I feel that for the true tourist who wants to see the substance of Chile you should make a pass through Valparaiso, Concon, and Santiago but you should also make a trip to the south to Valdivia, Osorno, and Chiloe to see the real Chile and to taste and proove some of the best ingredients in the world.

I'm an American Cook living and working in Chile. I would really like to get a restaurant stage in the capital of Santiago here. The problem I think will be that I don't have the culinary school degree behind my resume because here it is more about degrees and accreditation more so than the U.S.. How do you guys think I should go about doing that with limited contacts?