 YES CHEF
By: Michael Killip, Chef, Entrepreneur, Restaurant Consultant and TV Personality |
 What do You Want to be When you Grow up?
How many times were you asked that question as a child, and how many times did your answer change? I know that I certainly did not become an astronaut! At the ripe old age of fifty, and well into my second career, I still question what I want to do with my life - assuming that I still need to “grow up”. As children we all dreamt of becoming anything and everything we were exposed to; Doctors, Circus Clowns, Astronauts, Farmers, Teachers, etc! The list changed daily and went on and on. During adolescence, most of us began thinking to the future and questioning ourselves on what we might like to do with our lives. Very often in life, there is one person (or a select few) who influences this decision. This individual is often successful at the given profession and we choose to emulate their success. That person can become a “mentor” in your development towards your chosen goal. What is a “mentor”? In the Collins Pocket Reference; English Dictionary – Canadian Edition: 1998, The word is defined as an “adviser or guide”. This individual will lend advice, pointing you in the right direction on your journey. The journey of life can be a twisted road and because of this, it is common for an individual to have more than one mentor. My journey began with a love of animals and a summer job working for the neighborhood veterinarian. I had a ringside seat, looking into the life of my first mentor. Working in his mixed animal practice only fueled the desire to take the next step and apply to the University of Guelph Ontario. I was accepted, and enrolled, in the four year Honors Science program. With this program I was well on my way to the next step in my journey - working towards an admittance into the Ontario Veterinary College. Feeling great about my journey, the realization of life threw my first twist in the road. In the early 1970’s, students needed a grade point average of 99.3% to apply to the Ontario College of Veterinarian Medicine. That was not me! I was devastated and unsure which turn to take next. My mentor suggested that if I could not be the “pilot”, why not be the “co-pilot” and become an Animal Health Technician. From that day forward, I worked for him as a technician for the next 7 years. It was an awesome job, where no day was ever the same - every day was a new adventure! After working and learning everything to know on the job, I eventually reached a career ceiling. At the age of 27, my twisting road took me to a fork. A life decision needed to be made. Would I go back to school at this point knowing what I knew about “life as a veterinarian”, or choose to do something completely different on my journey? The only other passion that I truly had in life, other than my love for animals, was a love and appreciation for food. My paternal grandfather had been the head operating chef for the CP Rail cars on the Toronto to Vancouver runs, back in the 1940’s and 1950’s. This was a man I never knew, but I was inspired by him and the success of his career. He immigrated to Canada and, with his talent and old world work ethic, was able to support a family of six through a career that he was passionate about. Without realizing it, my grandfather became my second mentor and an inspiration, as I still to this day work at my craft as chef. Throughout life, having a mentor is a special gift. Being a mentor is the greatest gift of all! Lending your drive and direction to others, resonating your enthusiasm as it acts as inspiration, is a feeling that you must one day realize. I feel fortunate to have experienced the guidance of more than one mentor on my journey, and having been a mentor myself on more than one occasion to others in this profession. My journey is not yet over. I look with great anticipation to the many more twists that my road has waiting ahead for me. The road of when I GROW UP!
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