I have often said that being a chef is much more of a lifestyle than it is a profession. Working in a kitchen is far more demanding than most jobs, and I don’t think that there is any career that combines high stress with low pay so seamlessly. But the most demanding element of professional cooking is actually the schedule: even when the pay begins to improve, the odd hours remain mostly the same. As far as I’m concerned, this willingness to consistently work nights and weekends remains the job’s biggest sacrifice.

Of course, at the very foundation of professional cooking, there are the elements of creativity and craftsmanship that originally draw people into the business (I don’t think that any professional chef entered the business simply because of the long, stressful hours). The idea of travel can also prove appealing, moving to France or Italy to hone your skills for a year — it all sounds pretty great. But even though cooking certainly contains a lot of romantic ideals, in reality, few of us are truly cut out for a nomadic lifestyle.

Personally, I admire anyone who has the drive and the dedication to see what’s out there. For many in the restaurant business, experiencing the world’s cuisine requires working during your vacation. But for any chef who is truly serious about living the life, this type of sacrifice is de riguer, and I know plenty of folks who have taken time off from one kitchen job, just to spend this hard-earned vacation time by working a stage (for free) somewhere else. This approach shows a passion above and beyond mere professionalism.

With this fact in mind, I gladly accepted a house guest last week, someone who was slated to do a week-long stage at The French Laundry, having already spent the last year employed at The Fat Duck under Heston Blumenthal. For me, anyone with this much culinary insight is someone I want to meet, and since she was also a friend-of-a-friend, I felt pretty comfortable playing the host. As a result, I’ve covered a fair amount of local cuisine recently, as I’ve done my best to deliver the full Bay Area experience to my guest.

I haven’t blogged much lately, since I’ve been out and about so much, which means that I have a lot to catch up on in the next few weeks (last Tuesday’s photos from the farmers market are the only things that I’ve had time to post). So far, I have reviews in the works for Ubuntu, Pizzeria Delfina, and a few other places. I also have a couple book reviews on the way (all food- and wine-releated, of course), along with all kinds of other odds and ends. The list is long.