Throwing out the horns

Taking the leap. There's at once a certain dreaminess thinking about what you're passionate about. Sort of like planning what you'd do with all the money if you won the lottery. Then there is the cold reality of actually making a decision to change part of your life. I put off calling Chef C for a whole weekend, then finally screwed up my courage and just dialed the numbers off the hastily scrawled and smudged numbers on the notepad I always keep tucked in my back pocket.

"uhm...hello?" I asked.

All I can hear is the very loud buzz of people in a bar full swing at happy hour. The murmur of people all talking at once, the clink of glasses and liquids being poured. There's nothing but that for a while then someone says something on the other end. I can't hear them properly over the din of the crowd, and I don't understand a thing.

"Hello?" I asked again, then suddenly there is quiet.



"Ya, hello."

"Hi, is this Chef C," I ask.

"Yup, what can I do for you?"

"I don't know if your brother talked to you about me, I'm Apprentichef. He said you were looking for help with a french restaurant you were opening?"

"Oh ya, he said you were looking for part-time work. Did you study anywhere?"

"No, I've never studied anywhere."

"Do you have any experience cooking in a restaurant?"

"No."

"Have you ever cooked for a lot of people, or know your way around a kitchen?"

"Just the odd holiday meal for friends and family."

"We're just starting out and we're on a tight budget. I can't take hours away from my full time guys for someone without experience. I'm sorry, but..."

"No, no," I say hurriedly and almost in a panic, "I'm not looking for any pay. More of a trade where I'll do work for learning from you."

"Oh, ok, if you're looking to stage then we can arrange something. Are you looking to switch careers?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I do have a full time job, but any time after 6 on weekdays and all weekend I'm free. I'll do anything, I've honestly regretted not doing this 20 years ago. For me food is all I think about. I go to sleep thinking about food, I wake up thinking about food and I think about food all day. It's what i'm most passionate about, it's only taken me till now to wake up and realise it."

"That's good. The most important thing in this business is being passionate about what you do. That's something I can work with. So this is a trial to see if this is what you want to do," he asked, "I can respect that. We're not opening till mid-october so give me a call closer to then. You can work any time you want, and leave when you want, just give me two or three days advance notice."

"Alright then, thanks a lot, I'll give you a call in a few weeks. Thanks again."

"Bye."

*click*

And just like that, I'm an apprentice chef.

As soon as the phone hit the cradle I got wildly excited, did a few victory fist pumps in the air and then rushed out of my room and did the only thing my adrenaline filled brain could think of.

I threw out the horns to my two cats.