The second guest in my series of interviews with insanely interested people is Kevin D. Weeks, a personal chef, entrepreneur and writer insanely interested in food. Kevin blogs about food at Seriously Good and shares a blog called A Year in Bread with two other food enthusiasts.

I asked Kevin a few questions about food, business and being insanely interested. Let’s hear what he has to say:

Jarkko: Based on your blogs, your chef business and your own description you definitely seem to be insanely interested in making food. Where does this interest come from?

Kevin: My mother believed every civilized person should know how to cook, so when I was six she started teaching me by letting me make Jell-O. Over the years, in various ways she continued to encourage my siblings and me to cook by moving us on to making things like brownies from a mix.

Eventually we were all occasionally cooking complete meals for the family.

Jarkko: Your career path is fascinating: computer programming, bluegrass music, working as magazine editor, cooking. How did you happen to go through so many different things before concentrating in cooking? Or are you still looking for new challenges?

Kevin: I’ve just stumbled from one thing to another, sometimes driven by passion and sometimes by desperation. I’m always looking for new challenges — I get bored easily — but getting this personal chef business off the ground is about all the challenge I can handle at the moment.

Jarkko: To get back to food, what’s the one type of food that you’re most interested in?

Kevin: My cooking leans toward Mediterranean-style dishes (ranging from Spain to Greece and back along the southern coast to Morocco). I like the flavors and techniques used in that part of the world.

Jarkko: I noticed in your pizza recipe that you like to make your ingredients yourself (like the tomato sauce and sausages). Why?

Kevin: I’ve always liked knowing how to make things so there’s an element of exploration involved, but mostly the foods I make from scratch are better than anything I can buy — although frankly, while my Italian sausage is good, it’s not yet seriously good.

Jarkko: Before visiting Kevin’s Cucina I had never thought about a personal chef service. Tell us a bit about it. Where did the inspiration come from? How does it work?

Kevin: When my last magazine shut down I tried to make a go of free-lance computer writing, but the truth is the days of making a living writing about programming are gone. I read about the personal chef services and it seemed like something I could get into with a minimal investment. And I certainly had the skills and knowledge required.

A personal chef works with his clients to develop a set of meals (typically five) — a “menu” — that is geared specifically to the client’s likes,
dislikes, and dietary requirements.

For instance, let’s say you hate garlic, love cheese, and are following a Weight Watcher’s diet. In that case I’d never include garlic in a dish, and would look for ways to feature cheese but that wouldn’t blow your diet. Once we agree on a menu I prepare and freeze it. Then on your schedule you thaw the meals out and heat them.

You get restaurant-quality meals, prepared to your specifications, and ready to eat at your convenience. When you finish those meals we come up with a new menu and do it again.

Jarkko: What kind of reactions have you seen from people when you tell them about your work?

Kevin: Typically the reaction is, “A what?” My biggest problem here in Knoxville is no one knows what a personal chef is. So gaining new clients requires educating them about the service.

Jarkko: How do you keep your interest towards food alive when you do it every day for customers? Are there days when you have to make yourself get to work or does it always come naturally?

Kevin: Whatever one’s job, there are mornings when you just don’t want to work. One advantage to my particular niche, though, is that it’s seldom routine. I have different clients with different preferences, I have no standard menu so each service is created from scratch, and I also cater dinner parties, which is great fun.

In addition to the cheffing, I also teach cooking classes, write about food and cooking, and consult with ChefsLine. As I said, there’s not much routine.

Jarkko: As this month is Insanely Interesting September, there is something I’m asking all my guests: What will make this September even more interesting than the previous months for you?

Kevin: I’ve got an idea for an article that I’ve been trying to sell for a couple of years and I finally found a magazine that’s interested in it. It’s going to require a fair bit of research into food history to write and will involve an element of fiction, something I’ve only lightly played with in the past.

Jarkko: And in general, what do you think is the best part of being insanely interested in something?

Kevin: You’re never more alive than when you pursue something with passion and dedication. Although I’ve done a lot of different things in my life, I’ve seldom done more than one at a time.

At the moment my life is about food and cooking — and my belly shows it.

Jarkko: How would you suggest someone interested in starting cooking to get started?

Kevin: I mentioned ChefsLine above. It’s a service dedicated to helping people who want to learn how to cook or learn to cook better. There are around 25 chefs such as myself spread around the country who provide cooking classes over the phone and Web and are also available for quick consultations by phone or instant messaging.

Jarkko: Thanks for your answers! Before we finish the interview is there still something you’d like to say to the readers?

Kevin: Take risks, they’ll keep you alive if they don’t kill you.

This month we’re celebrating Insanely Interesting September. Check out the announcement and participate in the group writing project: What do you find interesting today? What makes this September the most interesting so far? Why are you insanely interested in something? Share your thoughts and see what others have written.

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