My name is John and I've been fascinated by fine restaurants and cooking since I was young. While in college, I began working for a private club in administration. I had a chance to go behind the scenes of a fine dining kitchen and really indulge my interest there. I got along well with the cooks and chefs and picked their brains often. Later on, when the kitchen needed help, they asked me to spend some time there--knowing that I knew my way around. As one of the chefs left the club, he began catering. He would often call upon me to assist with large functions. This was a great moonlighting gig as I made a little extra money, and furthered my cooking knowledge as well as professional experience.
I introduced a friend who likes to cook to French food, cooking and mother sauces. He would often call me with questions about some of the basics (like making stock). He sent me a link to Jacob's lesson on veal stock and asked what I thought of it. I was astounded that everything Jacob taught in his video (and other videos since) have matched what I've learned through chefs, books, etc. I just never had the luxury of video lessons! I told my friend that this guy (Jacob) is the real deal and to learn as much as he could from Stella.
I continue to follow to get a better understanding of familiar techniques and learn about things I've known about but never dabbled in (sous vide). Between this forum, the FSTEP program and podcasts I have further explored and learned. Thank you, Jacob, and the Stella community for this wonder opportunity!