Four years ago, I was devastated for being unable to finish the last year of my college journalism studies due to financial hardship. I aspired to become a well-known foreign correspondent. I had an internship lined up with the largest newspaper in town but had to drop out of school for the second time and go back to my job full time. I was a line cook at an Olive Garden location and hating my life. And then came an opportunity to turn my career around. I got a cook position with a new restaurant where the chef prepared menu items from scratch and made each look like a million dollars on a plate. There I grew a new passion _ food. I fell in love with the culinary arts.

Today, I'm an executive chef with an exquisite palate and can-do attitude who, at a young age, has maximized her diverse culinary background and made two restaurant openings just four months apart a piece of cake. My recent experiences range from creating signature dishes from scratch with modern twists and subtle international flair, including the "first-rate" Kobe burger with peach ketchup, raved by The Washington Times, to leading the back of house at a new restaurant that quickly got popular and ranks #1 among "The Best DC Modern American Restaurants" listed by Urbanspoon.com after I helped get it off the ground as a two-time opening chef and to working in a Washingtonian's "top 20" premier DC fine-dining restaurant under a famed chef, who had been mentored by Michel Richard of Citronelle. Known for my versatility with ingredients and adventurous cooking style, I've been recently contacted by the Food Network for casting of Chopped chefs' challenge show.

To most people's surprise, I did not have the fortune nor time to attend a culinary school. Back when I was motivated to pursue a serious cooking career, I gave culinary education a thought in 2007. I got accepted to the New England Culinary Institute and won two prestigious national scholarships. By the time I was ready to go to school, which is in Vermont, I was offered my first-ever executive chef position to open a Bethesda's new tapas lounge. So I skipped the culinary school to become a chef! How did I do that?

Before we get into that, lets differentiate a chef from a cook first. The job of a chef comes with supervisory and administrative duties on top of preparing food, implementing menus and developing recipes. Most working chefs who have to work the line (where cooking equipment are lined up for an efficient production in a kitchen) make between $40,000 and $60,000. Established chefs could get paid as much as $85 K. Celebrity chefs' incomes? Too high to reveal. Remember chefs are salaried and could be working six days a week and 12-14 hour days.

On the other hand, cooks have it easier. They just have to come to work with a good attitude, a brain to absorb the knowledge and technique being passed on to them and the ability to follow recipes and do what's being asked and told in a timely and professional manner. Hourly pay for experienced cooks could be as high as $17 in some high-end places where only the best survive the pressure. The lowest I've started a cook at is $8 an hour.

The job description of a cook allows only so much room to grow. Inspired by the industry-related books, cookbooks and magazines I’d read, including Becoming a Chef by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, The Professional Chef by the Culinary Institute of America, Bones: Recipes, History and Lore by Jennifer Mclagan and Food Arts magazine. I couldn’t be satisfied letting my creative juices go to waste. I’d got to earn my position by putting my whole heart to cooking.

I've jumped around from one place to another to learn different cooking styles and methods. The cuisines I've exposed myself to include: American-contemporary and traditional, Burmese, Chinese, Indian, Italian, Japanese, Middle Eastern, Spanish, South Western, Thai and Vietnamese. Interesting things I've experimented with are congee, biryani, sushi, merguez, tartare, ceviche, charmoula, chimichurri, cioppino, paella, pat Thai and pho. Quickly, I’ve moved up to lead cook, to sous chef and ,eventually, to executive chef. The game is far from over though. To stay competitive, I think on my feet to create what I can call mine _ original recipes. Some of my creations such as spiced mushroom stuffed chick pea-potato croquettes with date-sweet chili emulsion and Kobe beef burger with peach ketchup and fried pickles have become hot hits since day one that a couple of copycat chefs take a chance getting themselves a lawsuit. I don’t let myself get intimidated by old-schooled chefs, while I never stop learning for a single day. I make sure my food tastes good and season it well, for this, I do not compromise. I let my food speak for me.

I understand running a kitchen isn’t like trying to win a Ms. Congeniality title. A great director must be assertive and demand the best performance from the crew. For those who can’t live up to my standards in a kitchen I run and those who won’t let me run a kitchen up to my standards, I don’t negotiate. I was happy to grab my knife kit and walk out of one such place and will do again with a heart beat. Gordon Ramsay, in his own words, can teach one how to cook but can’t give them a heart. Mastering cooking techniques makes one a good cook while passion and drive from the heart bring her success.

In the upcoming articles, I plan to share more about my experience working from bottom up in food business. School wasn't for me but if it feels right for you, go for it. You will be informed about culinary degree programs, scholarships, internships and networking opportunities. So keep coming back! Meanwhile, see my virtual chefolio (chef's portfolio) below to please your visual appetite.