Passion

For everyone who has a passion for food, there is an experience that takes one from mere dabbler to someone truly dedicated to culinary arts. Memories of making poundcake with my grandmother, the truly glorious gourmet meals my stepfather regularly served all of us, and a hobby of experimenting with New Orleans cuisine in my mid-teens all were definite precursors to my eventual culinary passion, but these were merely seeds that were planted when I was younger. Then a day came in 2007 when my mother suggested I watch the television program Good Eats. Once I did so, I couldn't stop and worked my way through Alton Brown's recipes until I'd completed the majority of them. Brown's approach to cooking and baking caused me to understand, for the first time in my life, what goes into creating an appealing dish. Ultimately, this experience set me on a course that led to working in the industry.

When I first began attempting Brown's recipes, I quickly learned just how little I knew. In the beginning, there were many botched recipes. At times, my palate was not yet developed enough to recognize subtle mistakes in flavor or texture, which when having a family of stern bankers who tell it like it is came in handy.  Determined to get my skills up, I slogged through each recipe over and over again until I got it right. Nothing could stop me, not even my low point of exploding a hot Pyrex baking pan of water I had put in the oven with baking bread to help with crust formation by refilling it with cold water when it had all burned out. Like any good student, I learned things, like what thermal shock is, from my mistakes. Over time, I became more confident and competent, even taking my baked goods into classes at University Of Arkansas to serve my fellow students. Still, going professional had not yet occurred to me.

Although I was definitely a foodie by late 2008, I still thought of culinary arts as a very enjoyable hobby. My future, I thought, was in teaching at the high school or college level. Then in fall the economy crashed and I lost confidence in professional wisdom of pursuing an academic career. Wanting a more practical skill, and having spent two years of increasing passion, I enrolled in culinary school in Rogers, AR. As it had been in the beginning, I quickly learned how little I knew. Simulating, as any decent culinary school would, something approximating the professional kitchen environment, I learned that a faster pace was expected, that you must be willing to try any food you are asked to try, and that there are a lot more variables than I had previously thought. Hard though it was, it taught me that I was strong enough to get through it, prepared me for the pressures of owning my own dessert business, and showed me that my passion for food was stronger than I realized. So that's when I understood that my passion was stronger than I knew and it all began with an appetite for Good Eats.

-Frank