false 2009-02-12T16:26:08-08:00 <p>I became interested in cooking while watching TV. Throughout college, I was the Food Network&#39;s biggest fan who didn&#39;t own a knife. For years, I faithfully tuned in but never cooked a thing. Upon graduation I took a sales job that had me home by 4pm. With the evening looming large and newly acquired cash in my pocket, I hit the grocery store and found that, in fact, you can learn something just by watching TV. I became a serious home cook whipping up dishes that left my friends drooling and asking for tips. Unhappy in sales less than one year later, I discovered personal cheffing. I would quit my sales job and go to culinary school! Eventually, I would help time starved families eat healthier meals with less time and money spent each day. Traditional culinary schools are focused on the restaurant industry. When I mentioned to a chef instructor that I was going to be a personal chef AND cook in families&#39; homes she laughed in my face. The chef told me that I would have no &quot;street cred,&quot; weak skills, and would fail. Better to first slave away in a restaurant for 10-20 years, wait until the time is right, she insisted. This became a theme with chefs in school. I ignored them. Finally, I graduated and began looking for clients. For 6 months-nothing! In the morning I would check my seemingly dead telephone. Was my email disconnected? Did my fliers fall off the community bulletin board? Why was no one calling? I tried everything I could think of including (illegally, I later found out) dropping incentives in mailboxes, posting ads, emailing former connections, agreeing to walk dogs and babysit kids if I could just cook one dinner... When I booked my first client they requested 20 servings of mac&amp;cheese and a gargantuan chicken pot pie each week. This is OK I thought, if not the more inspiring at least it pays. Later, this couple referred me to another who hired me to cater for a presidential candidate (OK, it wasn&#39;t Obama)! Finally, after almost one year of amateur marketing attempts my schedule began filling up. Now, I deliver meals to families each evening. Some days are still difficult-fingers are cut, asparagus is overcooked, clients cancel - but through it all, I know the most difficult part is over because I took the plunge. I&#39;m in business and I made it happen!</p> acR1cUsRuqllvkab8P4pmk false true true 2009-06-02T10:47:37-07:00 0 true 0 false false false 1 Mac&Cheese:Gets Your Foot in The Door 2009-06-02T10:47:37-07:00 bVqxZisPmqllvkab8P4pmk ChefAlison 619 0 dY1Ghod6ZhRBWr3AL8abBw