Becoming a Wino

I drink beer. A lot of beer. If your buying I'll take a Cold Smoke or a Gusiness. If I'm buying, I'll have a PBR. Wine to me has always been the thing I want to know more about, but I was happy with anything as long as it was red. I never gave a shit about the nose or the legs. Who cares, just give me some wine. Over the last three years, that has changed, mostly thanks to the hard work of Missoula's dedicated wine distributors.
Now, on the rare occasion my wife and I go out to eat, I spend the first 20 to 25 minutes looking at and discussing the wine list with my server. I have even gone to the restaurant 15 minutes before my reservation and before my wife is scheduled to arrive so that I can sit at the bar and have some alone time with the wine list. I sometimes think, "Am I turning into one of those douche bag wine snobs I use to hate?" The answer to that question is, yes, in fact I am that asshole.
But what's wrong with that? Chef's and owners put a lot effort into their wine lists and why shouldn't I make the most of it. Most of the time I spend more time making my decision about what to drink than what to eat. The way I see it, if food is the vehicle, then wine is the key. You can have the best car made by man, but if the key doesn't fit, you can't get very far

Why do I do this?

Its a question I ask myself a lot (almost everyday since I became an Executive Chef). I thought it only appropriate to answer this question as my first endeavor into the world of food blogging. So what is it that makes a person want to cook for a living? It's not the money (at least not in Missoula). It's not the hours, or the people. It's not due to a burning desire to make people happy. I do it because I love to cook.
I told myself over and over again while I was in college, "This is just a job to get me through the next four years. I don't want to be a cook for the rest of my life!" When I would talk to my brother (also a chef) he would tell me to drop out and go to culinary school, I would tell him the same thing.
I guess it didn't become real for me until I got my grades after my 4th semester of school and was barely passing my favorite classes. I was not sure what the hell happened, so I went back and looked at my notes. I discovered that while my professors were lecturing about important battles and public figures, artists and composers, I was writing down special ideas and thinking about what the fuck I was going do with 25 pounds of kale the chef didn't mean to order.
So I dropped out of school and jumped into the job full bore. All or nothing. And though I didn't go to culinary school, I think I made my brother proud.
Now, to answer the original question I set out in this post, yes, I love to cook. I love the job, the hours, the heat, the stress, the pace, and I'll admit, it feels pretty good when a customer is happy with your dish. The real reason I do this is for me. Some people say that you have to be crazy to want to be a Chef, I say if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.