The Beginning Carte

I thought I'd start my first blog with a big thank you to all other food bloggers already in existence. It's rather mind-boggling to me how much information is available on the Internet and that it can come from anyone who feels like sharing his/her own insights with the world, essentially, or at least the part of the world that is interested in whatever the subject matter happens to be.
I myself have been avidly devoted for the past year and a half of my life to my newish profession as a cook/chef (I'll probably get into my definitions of cooks vs. chefs in a later blog). I've always had a passion for the culinary arts, mostly on the baking and pastry side, and when my former job working as a business management consultant was not as satisfying as I would have hoped, I took a big leap of faith that working with food was where I wanted to go next. It was then that with that decision made I applied for a job as a kitchen assistant at the Thatched Cottage Hotel and Restaurant in Brockenhurst, England, and within the next month was on my way.
Prior to hatching this notion that I had what it took to become a chef, I had spent several summers and school vacations during my high school and college years working in kitchens close to where I grew up in Norwich, Vermont because it was an enjoyable way for me to pass the time make my spending money. However I never really pursued training in the field because I sort of had it ingrained in my head that a college degree was the best way to secure a future for myself.
Anyways, I am now still working at the Thatched Cottage, but have changed positions frequently, moving from kitchen assistant, to garde manger, to pastry, to running the main course line, and to even working in the front of the house, which is where I have been most recently. Incidentally I have retained my title as "Sous Chef" throughout most of these transitions; and while I have doubts about my own qualifications as a true chef, I do possess one quality that I think is absolutely essential for any aspiring chef: the passion and appreciation for all food and the sharing of it with all people. Thus, I again thank all food bloggers for their efforts in this pursuit, and will try in my future posts to share what I know and am constantly learning in the domain of food and gastronomy.