Next Chef Update: The Elevator Pitch
It's a little sad that the Next Chef sessions are almost at the end, but at the same time, I am feeling a sense of excitement at what's to come. This morning, we had our last mentoring hangout with Zac Young, pastry chef and finalist from Top Chef: Just Desserts. Though the message was short and sweet (no pun intended), it was clear that I came out of that session with a lot of interesting questions for myself.
Zac opened early by asking us to give him a reason, in 30 seconds, why he should watch our shows. Though Lee Allison from Social Skillet gave us a similar challenge, this was the first time it was thrust upon us so spontaneously. It's surprising if you haven't practiced your 'elevator pitch' how insanely challenging it is to respond to a question like that. Everyone has an idea about what they do. We do it everyday. We are very aware of what our signature is, our niche, our style... until it comes to the point in time where we are faced with the task of explaining it to someone else in 30 seconds or less.
I have been really challenged by this for a long time. I have a passion for food. I love to cook interesting dishes and experiment with different styles and flavors to come up with something fresh. I also enjoy cooking the classics from all over the world that people hold close to their hearts. Like I've said in my intros before, food is a wonderful thing. It gives us life, brings people together and creates memories. A powerful thing about food is it can make us emotional. It's a Frito Pie that brings me back to being the new kid in a new school in brand new place or someone's beloved croque monsieur that shouldn't have mustard and will be vehemently defended in the YouTube comments.
The other great thing about it is that a lot of the great dishes were made from humble beginnings. Slaves, peasants, farmer's wives, mothers, immigrants, dishwashers... these were people that made wonderful things from what no one else wanted or thought was good. These are the people that have stories to tell and this is what makes me excited about cooking. Though none of these people knew it at the time, they projected their souls into their food and gave it to others to share and enjoy.
I'm Aimless because I like to explore, or wander to be more honest. I think the most interesting things are off the beaten path and that there are still many great stories to be told. What's yours? In the meantime, I'm gonna work on my elevator pitch.
- J
