[shanediesel18]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

Many of us work in kitchens because that's what we want to do. I could probably make a lot more money elsewhere. But I don't care about money. (Read my posts, and you'll learn that I think money is basically worthless. "This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private." GREAT. But it's just a freakin' piece of paper.)

Half of the line cooks work in the kitchen because that's the best they can do with the skills that they have. Las Vegas casino cooks make around $40K before taxes. Probably $40K total take home with overtime. You can live a nice life on that, I suppose. The other half work in the kitchens because what else are we going to do? Answer telephones? Write contracts? Wear a tie? I don't think so.

There are other perks. For instance, you know what real Kobe A-12 beef tastes like? Unless you're a fine dining cook (or very wealthy), probably not. I've eaten so much Kobe, foie gras, truffles and caviar that I'm kind of tired of it all. When cooks and chefs go out for a meal, we gravitate towards dishes like cassoulet and feijoada -- dishes that take a lot of time but the ingredients are cheap. If I want to impress people, I make a cassoulet or a tagine or a souffle. These dishes cost next to nothing. But they take real skill to make right. I can take a cabbage and fifty cents worth of cream, mustard and horseradish and make something that will rock your world.

And when my wife and I go out to eat (or to a wine tasting, or anything else in the food and beverage world), we are treated like rock stars. I make a reservation and tell the hostess who I am and where I work. When we sit down, food arrives immediately -- a full gamut of everything the chefs thought up that day. We don't even get menus. They just seat us and start bringing us special dishes. Wine flows like a fountain. And when we're done (and totally stuffed), the check is, well, rather light. Then we tip the servers 100% or more because we just ate and drank a thousand dollars worth of food and wine and the bill was a C-note. And when other cooks visit us, we do the same thing for them.

And then there are the coworkers. Cooks are the best coworkers you could possibly want. (They can also be the worst, too. Moral: Stay on our good side. Don't be the restaurant [censored]-up.) If some random idiot attacked me, I would want to be surrounded by the following people, in this order: 1) Ninjas; 2) US Special Forces; 3) Pirates; 4) Cooks. For instance, Emeril Lagasse is famous for beating the crap out of people who messed with his cooks.

And finally, every job I have ever had (I'm on my third career, I get bored easily), I make something. I enjoy making things. I enjoy the process of making things. I don't want to sell things or fix things or be an instructor. (All worthy pursuits, mind you.) I enjoy taking a bunch of random ingredients and turning them into something special. And my coworkers and I do it so well that every celebrity in the world comes and eats where I work. It is an unusual day when we don't have some A-list celebrity dining with us.

I may have to take you up on this "I can take a cabbage and fifty cents worth of cream, mustard and horseradish and make something that will rock your world."

as I def believe you could do this with your experience it would be amazing to see what it would tate like given im not a fan of cabbage or horseradish..

I am similar to you as far as getting bored easy I usually work 6 months at a job if that and quit due to boredom.

[Clarkcty]

Originally Posted by shanediesel18

im from Illinois and looking to move to vegas in july and attend CSN. So far I have been accepted and filled out my fafsa at the beginning of this year. I have called the campus multiple times and i have been on hold for quite awhile at times with little help with my questions. I asked them what to do next as far as what i need to send to them and when i can register for classes etc. So a little insight on that would be helpful.

My main question to the las vegas community is which is a better program to enroll in...casino management or culinary arts?

I like cooking but I also like the casino atmosphere and I have been playing poker seriously part time for the last 2 years.

thanks in advance for replies

My best friend's acquaintance who finished a program at a prestigious culinary school now works as a manager at McDonalds. I hope you get a better job to pay a 60,000 student loan. At least that's what my friend said it cost his acquaintance attending this prestigious culinary school. Anyway Im sure the tuition at CSN is not as high.