This read is for the person who's never been in a professional kitchen before but is considering entering the profession or beginning (as well as finishing) culinary school. This is a reality check as well as a source of knowledge from experience that I would have appreciated reading before beginning down this path myself.

Food journalist Michael Pollen has transformed the public’s awareness and perspective concerning what we eat and the implications these choices carry over time. This article picks apart the vicious cycle of the procurement of processed foods and the unhealthy effect it has on us and more importantly, the environment.

I write this because when I started cooking, I often wondered if anybody out there had taken the time to share what they had learned to make this game easier, or more efficient, or less painful. I write this to share what I have learned and what I've passed onto my co-workers either passively or intentionally. The same tenets here apply to the barista, as well as to any skilled chef.

This classic cooking oil of Ethiopia is a great thing to use whenever you want to give something a more complex North African or Middle Eastern Flavor. It is also a primary ingredient (along with the spice mixture berebere) of Ethiopian cooking.