Interview with Chef Joyce

Cookbookwiki Interview with Chef Joyce

 * Hello Chef Joyce! How did you get started with cooking? - Alex

I have had the gift to cook since I was 8 years old. I learned to cook by watching my grandmother and mother cook. I was trained by a Sharon Shipley, Director of Mon Cheri Catering and Cooking School. Chef Joyce


 * How did you get started with cooking? - Alex

My mother returned to the work force when I was 13, the eldest of three. It was a choice of learning to cook and start dinner every night after school or eat at 8 p.m. Once I got into it I started reading cookbooks and experimenting beyond my mother's repertoire and have been hooked ever since. At 15 I threw my first Dinner Party as a surprise for my mother's birthday! Chef Joyce


 * Where have you cooked and where are you currently cooking?  - Alex

I cooked for a small restaurant call Penny U Bistro in Santa Clara, CA. in the early 90s. I have owned a personal chef service since 1997 and have cooked for close over 400 customers. Chef Joyce


 * What kind of training did you go through?  - Alex

Classes at Mon Cheri and just doing it. Chef Joyce


 * How difficult is it to become a personal chef?  - Alex

It is an ART not a SCIENCE. First and foremost, once you get the cooking part down, you have to be a business person and a sales person. Just like with any business you have to know how to sell, close business and watch the numbers. Chef Joyce


 * Is there anything that you regret regarding this career?  - Alex

No. Chef Joyce


 * Tell us a funny thing that happened to you while on the job.  - Alex

I dropped a tray carrying 6lbs. of cooked asparagus on the driveway of my client. The client watched the incident and it was so comical that we both laughed. Chef Joyce


 * You cook all day - so what's your favorite dish?  - Alex

Comfort food like polenta with 3 cheeses with Mushroom sauté. Chef Joyce


 * What do you like to do when not cooking?  - Alex

Ski, run, make love, dance, read, shop, walk my dogs, enjoy dinner parties with my friends, and many more things... Chef Joyce


 *  What's the most memorable thing someone said about your cooking?  - Alex

"Where is your restaurant, this food is incredible!" Chef Joyce


 * What advice would you give someone interested in becoming a chef?  - Alex

Get a bachelors degree in business as your back up!!! Chef Joyce


 * Do you have your own recipes, if so would you be willing to offer our readers one of your very own recipes? - Alex

Every recipe is my own recipe. No two people can ever cook the same recipe And make it taste the same as the other chef's preparation. It is an ART and ARTists can not easily copy each others' technique. I do follow basic preparation methodologies but always add my own touches. Herbs and spices are the "color palette" that helps me achieve the unique taste of my recipes. The freshest ingredients add to the balance of the preparation. Chef Joyce