What do you do? I'm a chef's wife!

     I'm a chef's wife and what does that entail? You reschedule holidays so that even if the world is celebrating Christmas on the same day, you may have it just before New Year which means you'll be lucky if you celebrate New Year's before February 14.  Am I complaining? I did that the first three years of marriage to my chef and then got used to it and found ways of dealing with it. As a chef's wife you have to reassure your chef that it is okay and that a holiday isn't a holiday unless you are all together no matter what day that may be.
     Sometimes you inadvertently find yourself with a second job you never asked for. I have been a bartender, server, hostess and prep cook at many of the establishments my husband has worked at. So after I worked a full day at my regular job I would don my black and whites and sometimes do dishes for the rest of the night. I think I may have gotten to the point where I won't have to do that anymore but who knows. My first memory of prep cooking was being in tears out the back door of a kitchen after having worked 16 hours and couldn't stand on my feet any more. These adventures in the culinary industry, I think, make me tougher than before.
     The thing I can't get over however is the job jumping. Is it an industry norm? I don't know yet. I am still trying to figure that out.
    If you think you will receive gourmet meals marrying a chef? Think again. When they are home rarely do they cook unless they have two days off back to back.
     On the plus side you become their closest adviser, research assistant, secretary and negotiator. Chefs who have a passion for cooking don't know what they are worth. So despite their arrogance they will work for peanuts just to be able to save a restaurant from closing its doors forever. What are they seeking?  Despite their arrogance I think they are the most self conscious people I know. Even though their food can make a five star restaurant look like McDonald's they are always afraid that someone will not like what they have prepared.  So if you are a chef's wife or just interested in hearing about how my husband nearly severed his wedding ring finger three months before our wedding.... Stay tuned.
  ~ Nina