When did you know that you wanted to work in food? 

Ever since I found myself running a kibbutz kitchen in the Negev desert at the tender age of nineteen, I pursued "big" cooking as a serious hobby (i.e. for festivals, charities, etc.) But it was only after a middle-age "gap" year cooking at a meditation retreat centre that I realized I was happier in front of a stove than a computer screen.

How did you get your current good food job? 

The truth is that specializing in cooking for meditation/yoga/personal development type centres means that work is often seasonal and not that easy to come by. I rely on specialist and "green"-type job boards, word of mouth and sending out speculative CV's.

How did your previous work or life experience prepare you for a good food job?

Obviously the experience described above but also the financial, people and other organizational skills I acquired in my previous professional life as a fundraiser.

What was the greatest obstacle you had to overcome in pursuing your Good Food Job dream? 

Finding enough (decently paid!) work continues to be a challenge, seven years out of culinary school. I have had to fall back on freelance fundraising work but still find cooking more satisfying and always pursue those contracts much more enthusiastically.

Name one positive thing that a former  employer taught you that you continue to appreciate? 

I observed the person responsible for HR at a recent gig handle a difficult/under-performing staff member (whom we did not have the luxury to replace) with great skill and compassion, mostly by listening to/ acknowledging her position. Although this staff member was a big headache for me as kitchen manager, the HR person's skillful intervention got us all through the season.

What can you identify as the greatest opportunities in food right now? 

For better (meat-free) or worse ("clean eating"), the whole healthy food growing/purchasing/cooking/eating focus is huge!

If you could be compensated for your work with something other than money, what would it be?

I love the notes I get from participants on the various retreats I cook for, often asking for recipes but also expressing appreciation for the nourishment and care they received.