Faq
Q: Who is chef Gui ?
A: I’m a chef in Tampa, FL, where I’ve been running a fine catering kitchen for the past 9 years. I’m French (nobody’s perfect.) and I’ve got a fantastic clientele that introduced me to American culture. It’s been a great and eventful ride, which I partly relate in this blog (”story” category). To learn more about me, go to the “about us” page and scroll down.
Q: How do you pronounce “Gui”?
A: It’s Chef Gui. Rhymes with me. Or with oui. And do me a favor, don’t pronounce a long u sound between the /g/ (as in go) and the /i/ (as in hit). It’s more like the plural of goose: geese. But I’ve heard it all. From Chef Gooey to Chef Jee, Chef Guy and my personal favorite, Chef Gucci.
Q: Do you still cater or come to private homes to cook?
A: We accept reservations for private events on a per case basis. I spent the past 9 years catering high-end events to private homes and corporations, so that’s really what we do best. We still cater, but we have changed the way we do business. For large events like weddings, galas, or fundraisers, we have partnered with Elite Events Catering and I am mostly involved in the culinary side of the event in a consulting basis, while my great friend and business partner Melissa Misgen takes care of the event coordination with our service staff. For smaller, intimate seated dinners (under 25 guests), I still cater to VIP clients or their recommendations, again on a per case basis. You can contact us for information.
Q: What is this site about?
A: This site is a blog where I relate various information about food and cooking. I try to convey genuine and relevant information from my chef brain. You can visit the differnent sections by clicking on the links above or here:
- ask-the-chef
The anti don’t-ask-don’t-tell policy and your chance to know chef secrets. - design
Photos, tutorials, and reflections on culinary design and food plating. - itinerant-cookbook-project
10 cookbooks travel all over the world. We track them. - log
Food news, chef columns, and articles worth-reading. - story
American suburbia from a French chef’s perspective.
Q: So I can exactly understand what each of these blogs talk about, where can I find the first post for each?
A: Click here: ask-the-chef first post, design first post, itinerant-cookbook-project first post, story first post.
Q: Can I trust a skinny chef?
A: I would if I were you. People I meet seem extremely concerned about that. Relax, people; good food, and the enjoyment of it is not a sin, shouldn’t be associated with guilt, and is compatible with a healthy body. Just focus on quality, authentic and wholesome ingredients, and don’t worry about quantity so much. A bit of exercise helps too, of course. Yo-yo diets do not.
Q: I’m going to France in vacation. Can you help?
A: Sure. I’d love to share off-the-beaten-path tips and advices with you. I might change my mind if I get enough questions to drive me crazy, but go ahead for now, just email me.
Q: Do you cook for celebrities?
A: I have cooked for some. Nobody like Tom Cruise or John Travolta (they all have their private chef), but countless local celebrities and people such as Bill Gates Sr, Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, the president of the Republic of Estonia, Patti Labelle, Governor Charlie Crist and other dignitaries, and many sports celebrities.
Q: Do you have good stories to tell?
A: I have excellent stories to tell. When you spend 8 years cooking in private homes for dinner parties, sometimes as much as 30 times a month, you witness a lot of stuff, most of it I relate in the blog (”story” category). You see your clients before, during, and after the party. Decent people sometimes become wild, obnoxious party animals. Others are so nice you’d wish to adopt them. And of course in my case, there always is the idiosynchratic cultural differences between Americans and French, which has never ceased to amaze me.
Q: Aren’t you going to get in trouble with your clients?
A: So far so good. I have a great relationship with 99% of them. From what I hear, they actually get a kick out of it. While I expect the 1% to be really mad at me, I have a disclaimer on this blog, changed names, and of course, any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.
Q: I want to be a chef. Any advices?
A: Think about it real well. Remember what your mom told you about becoming a lawyer or a doctor. Remember that when your friends and family are working, you’re off, and when they’re off, you’re working. Make sure you do an unpaid, 2-week internship at a local restaurant before you go to culinary school. Also read my column about the topic here. If you’re still enthusiastic about it, go for it; it’s a great profession.
Q: Why are there ads on this site?
A: I cater, write culinary books and blog for a living. While ads don’t pay much, at least they cover the cost of making this blog happen. I try to keep sponsorship & advertising to a minimum.
Q: How can I support this blog?
A: Same answer as above. Sponsors, advertising and contributors help make this site possible. If you like the content, you can support us by checking our HotList and shop at amazon from our site.
Q: Can I use some of your photos and/or writing on my site, magazine, or something else?
A: Everything on this site, photos and writing, is copyrighted and we don’t appreciate AT ALL being ripped off. If you’d like to use something, please contact us and you may or may not get written permission. This depends on what is the intended use of our material.
Q: How do I get added to your links?
A: We don’t do link exchange. Just like everything else on this site, we post genuine, authentic content. We can’t be bought (well, it depends on the price, I guess). We don’t link to your site just because you ask us to, even if you reciprocate. We link to sites that we really like, and regularly read, to provide valuable and genuine information to our readers.
