Three cheers for cooks!

      Cooking is not chef-ing, although it seems that chefs are everywhere. Chefs run kitchens, create signature dishes, host television programs, sign their cookbooks and generally live the life of the adulated few. Cooks, on the other hand, may or may not aspire to that high wire upon which a chef balances, where a lapse may be career-ending and not just an unsuccessful stutter. It is true that all chefs were cooks at one time, laboring for long hours in the hot sweaty line of pressured production for little money and no recognition. A chef's life isn't for everyone and not everyone aspires to it, although some cooks may admire the apparent rewards lavished on the most successful chefs. This doesn't deny that chefs have attendant headaches behind all the glamor and they might say “Oy, you have no idea” to that. But today's American food culture places an extraordinary value on the accomplishments of chefs and by doing so hints that the contribution of the cook is of lesser value. How wrong-headed is that? Many cooks have undergone extensive and exquisite training in particular specialties, and have served ably with loyalty and distinction on the battle line in the kitchen. They have been responsible for the presentation of countless tables of richness and worth that have pleased customers of the most, and of the least, discriminating taste. These are the professional cooks of whom I speak, whether their work tables are barbeque or blue ribbon.

     Then there are the dedicated and superior amateurs who not only serve their families on a daily basis but also their friends and guests in an unselfish effort to entertain, amuse and beguile in addition to satisfying them. To be good at that requires dedication among other qualities including creativity if not artistry, technical skill, improvisational deftness, concentrated organization and, not least of all, a caring nature. For someone to cook a meal with the particular desires and preferences of the recipient in mind is a process that involves time and effort both in and outside the kitchen. The menu planning, the ingredient gathering and the recipe selections are not a small part of this performance and can require as much attention to detail as time spent in the kitchen. To do this with excellence on a daily basis is an exhibition of remarkable love and caring, no doubt about it. You may know what I mean. To create these little essential artworks of tribute regularly is a sign of great devotion. It doesn't matter whether the dish is potage or pheasant, as any cook will tell you. Cooks undertake these tasks willingly with the hopeful attitude of aiming to please. Just the accommodation for varied dietary preferences, let alone requirements, at a single table can be daunting. There is nothing easy or simple about it and a lack of appreciation for this can sting terribly. Praise is not expected at forkful but an acknowledgment of the effort that goes into the entire presentation is always gratefully received in my experience. The simplest sincere expression by a guest or a family member can make all the difference to the cook's assessment of achievement.

     To those cooks who identify with this description, I say thank you and can only say that I trust that your loving care does not go unnoticed, nor should it ever.

   Biggest Smooches, Celeste