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Fulfillment is something that does not come naturally, its something everyone is consistently looking for, myself included. When I find myself in a kitchen it can be a place of hard ships and doubt; however, for me overcoming such challenges is what brings me fulfillment.

As a cook and or chef the road to success is hard and arduous, but this is the road we take to gain skill and structure within ourselves. More often than not we are met with tasks and it is our job to finish said task efficiently, enthusiastically and in a timely manner. When I am faced with such objectives it feels like a fire is kindling within myself and pushing myself to work harder. As I am a product of my mother and her father before her, my work ethic is a constant push to do the best and most that I can.

So to say what brings me fulfillment is a hard question to narrow down to a simple answer. I am fulfilled every day for having the ability to work hard in a kitchen. I am also fulfilled that I have had a great experience learning from the chefs and people within this industry so far. Lastly I get the most fulfillment knowing that the only one who can make myself feel fulfilled is myself, and I cant wait to see what lies ahead of me in my culinary pursuits.

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Soft skills are something that people tend to overlook in day to day life, yet are some of the most important things when working with in a busy kitchen atmosphere.

For me I would say my best soft skill is the ability to work as a team, I often say team work makes the dream work as with out it a kitchen would fall into disarray. Teamwork is something that some struggle with, as they are not used to working as a unit. When working as a team it helps every individual working by cutting down on time lost and assisting where others could be lacking. With out the team its hard to live the dream.

My second soft skill that comes to mind would be my work ethic, as I find it hard to stand around and do nothing. When in a kitchen there are always things to get done, whether that is helping a coworker with their work, cleaning your station, or starting another item on the prep list. The work in a kitchen never ends and I love how it keeps my hands busy.

Lastly I think my ability to communicate is pretty good, being able to communicate laterally with in the culinary world is extremely important. Whether that is talking to your coworkers to communicate how a dish is handled, active listening and coordinating with what the head chef tells you, to being able to assert yourself when asked for an opinion. Communication is an important part of any work place and something people need to practice always.

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Hard skills are things learned and gained by gaining information and showing how to use the gained knowledge effectively.

When talking about my hard skills a few come to mind as important criteria. Firstly I believe my First Aid certification is one of my most important gained skills. Without this working in a kitchen can become a very dangerous place, between cuts, burns, and other injuries. The first time I took a first aid course I was in cadets around the age of 16 and could not believe how much their was to learn about injuries. Since then I have taken the Red Cross First Aid course 4 times Eager to take something new away from it each time, as accidents will always happen.

My second hard skill that I am proud of would be my knife handling capabilities. As an aspiring chef it fills me with awe watching someone handle a French knife with such dexterity and skill. Now I know that my ability to use my knives are far from perfect, and I still have much to learn when it comes to having my knives become an extension of myself. It is such an exciting part of my journey to become a chef, and one day it will be an astounding skill to have under my belt.

Finally to have had access to the courses regarding proper food handling, food safety, and WHMIS. These guidelines are what shapes any and all establishments, covering the danger zones of food times, dangerous chemicals used in kitchens, to legal rights as a worker. These courses help shape the minds of people eager to be in the workplace and help protect ourselves within it.

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Success is something I have always struggled putting my finger on; however, I found a great sense of pride in my ability to cook. Pursuing this ability has been a journey where I started to understand what success means to me.

Firstly I find being fast, coordinated and efficient are some of my biggest indicators of success. As an example being able to send out plates of food with out issue on the line, and hearing that the meal was enjoyed by all fills me with joy. From that point forward I decided to stay in food service thus applying to the Culinary Institute of Canada where I found success in being accepted as I had always struggled finding my way when it came to education.

These days are where I find the most success in myself, seeing that I can work hard and gain valuable skills with in the kitchen. Being able to learn from experienced chefs, while also seeing them want us to succeed is another odd form of success I find hard to put into words.

In the future I hope to succeed within my career, being able to work hard and get my red seal. Proceeding to work within the hospitals and ensure that the food I prepare is nutritious and delicious. While also pushing myself to keep learning and honing in on my skills, that is what success looks like to me and I cant wait to get there!

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A job that often has a bleak reputation are hospital chefs, and honestly I think its false. As a kid my mother worked as the hiring and firing manager for our local hospitals kitchen and cleaning staff. In that time being a single mother she often had me and my twin sister accompany her to work in the early evenings. Being able to witness the staff work was amazing and actually fueled an inert desire to do that work as well that I have only recently discovered.

The job is by no means easy as a regular day often starts at five AM. Once there it is important to evaluate the menu for the day and make sure that everyone there is working hard and keeping on track. Everything is down to the minute within these kitchens and under pressure to make sure all the patients within the hospital get what they asked for. Not to mention the dietitian that is making sure the nutrition is accurate the serving sizes accurate.

Growing up not only was it very cool to see my mother help navigate the day to day with in that kitchen, but it was a blessing to have people I am very close to work inside it as well. My best friends father Emanuel Bernard has recently retired after working there for 25 years, and my Great Aunt Leila Sharpe is soon to follow. These two chefs came to work at the hospitals when their was very little chefs to be had and many hands were needed. Taking a 6 month course to get them into the kitchen was all they needed then but today it is much more than that. To work in a hospital kitchen one must have taken a culinary course, gained their red seal, along with having two years of experience within a kitchen environment.

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When thinking about the extensive possibilities available in the modern culinary world there are always a few options overlooked, and one of many are food trucks.

Food trucks are a great way to have a restaurant on the go and really hone in on a specific cuisine or on specific menu items. For example some people do burgers, others do tacos, and in Prince Edward Island we even have rolled ice-cream food trucks as well! Food trucks are an excellent example of innovative chefs eager to share their specific love for cooking. Starting a food truck isn't really as hard as some would believe, you would need the truck of course, proper storage and cookery, alongside of food product and flat wear/kitchen wear. Oh, and not to mention a particular food goal in mind.

A great example of someone who revolutionized the food truck world is a man by the name of Roy Choy based in Los Angeles. This man took his inspiration in cooking Korean and Mexican food to the next level as a chef. He is celebrated for creating "Food that isn't fancy" and known as one of the founders with in the gourmet food truck movement that started 14 years ago. Funny enough Roy is only one great example of a food truck operator gone successful, and maybe one day ill be doing the same.

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Cookbooks. Something all of us are fairly familiar with. Whether you remember your grandmother flipping through one, or you own a couple yourself, they are a staple with in the culinary world.

A great example of cook book authors would be Miss. Julia Child's who to my knowledge was one of the most influential woman of her times and was well known for her culinary prowess. Her debut cookbook is well known for bringing French cuisine to America. To start a cookbook it often takes a while to accumulate enough recipes of your own (or with your own touch) to have it published. However do not let that discourage you, cook books are something that are always keen to inspire new chefs and are excellent learning tools as well.

Cookbooks are something of a timeless classic, and just because the first one does not pan out there's no reason to stop. With in the cooking world there is room for trial and error, and that is the way of a chef anyways. Keep your head held high and keep trying, after all maybe you have the next hip trendy recipe after all.

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A great ulterior to the world of cooking is Health Inspecting. A health inspector guarantees to keep people safe from unsafe foods to unsafe kitchens. As someone who works within the kitchen now its an interesting choice of career to think about. Health Inspectors often get a bad reputation with in kitchens as they tend to disrupt or disturb the flow of a kitchen; However, they are the front line on the fight against food safety and disease.

If someone is looking to leave the life of a kitchen behind them but is not necessarily ready to go, becoming a Health Inspector would be a great option. Depending on where you live you may have to upgrade your education, yet in others you can begin training straight out of high school. In doing my research I found a woman named Rebecca M. on linked in, her reputation seemed excellent. She attended Dalhousie University for her Bachelor of Science in Biology, then went to Mount Saint Vincent University for another Bachelors Degree in Science Applied Human Nutrition, she then finished by going to Cape Breton University to attain her Bachelor in Health Sciences (public health)

I think this would be a great career for myself as I am a firm believer of the first in first out rule, and am genuinely a very clean individual. The context of making sure an establishment abides by the countries health regulations would be exciting, as shutting down the nasty restaurants that exist out there is important for the safety of the consumer.

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Julia Child - https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/julia-child#:~:text=Famous%20chef%2C%20author%2C%20and%20television,French%20food%20simply%20and%20easily.
Roy Choi - https://kogibbq.com/about-chef-roy/#:~:text=Roy%20resides%20in%20Los%20Angeles,MGM%20Las%20Vegas%2C%20and%20LocoL.
Bobs Burgers Image (Taken from season 11 episode 6) - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=416113046247628
Rebecca M. on Linked in - https://ca.linkedin.com/in/rebeccamurphycphi
Mathew Yamali (Food truck picture) - http://voyagedenver.com/interview/meet-mathew-yamali-food-truck-owner-chef/
Hospital Chef Image - https://www.insideedition.com/paging-dr-chef-how-some-hospitals-are-serving-gourmet-food-patients-42520
Swedish Chef image - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Muppets (Also I know wikipedia isnt a good source I just couldnt find the original website, sorry)

Scrambled egg photo - https://pinchofyum.com/soft-scrambled-eggs
Soft skills image - https://www.wikijob.co.uk/content/interview-advice/competencies/soft-skills
Photo of Chef Illona doing a lobster demo - https://amainsider.com/5-memorable-maritime-meals/

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MLA - Spring, Kelly. "Julia Child." National Women's History Museum. National Women's History Museum, 2017. Date accessed.

Chicago - Spring, Kelly. "Julia Child." National Women's History Museum. 2017. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/julia-child.

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MLA - Spring, Kelly. "Julia Child." National Women's History Museum. National Women's History Museum, 2017. Date accessed. Chicago - Spring, Kelly. "Julia Child." National Women's History Museum. 2017. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/julia-child.