— Karin Aberg

You're never over the hill, you're just, uh, wise, uh, wiser than most, right? Karen? Uh, Char, I'm gonna let you answer that as being, um, a 60 or over person, uh, to be able to say what you think. And I'm sure we both remember Karen from VE Chef where she made the most beautiful food. And, uh, it was always a joy, right? It was always a joy to refute review, uh, Karen's work. So, um, I have a friend who, uh, was the director of culinary at a major university near my house, and his motto was this, show me how you walk and I'll see how you work. And he said to me one day, oh, I'd hire you in a minute. Meaning that, um, it isn't about the age. It's about your skill, your person, your passion, and what you do. Uh, if you do not choose to go the traditional route of working in a restaurant or whatever, uh, there are opportunities for, for food writing on websites and in color. You know, in plant-based magazines, um, you can make and sell food. Uh, this has been very profitable for many, many people. I will tell you that for about a year, I made food for somebody who was on a very strict whole food plant-based no oil, no salt diet. Uh, but it wasn't fun because I had to make almost the same things every week. And I gave them a six week notice that I wouldn't be able to, you know, do this for the rest of my life. But look for avenues for cooking. There are today, the internet provides you with resources and ideas for taking whatever it is that you do to the next level. So the the funniest thing is, and Dan will remember this, uh, after my shindig, I made a beautiful veggie burger, and I had a few of them left over and I took them to a friend and I said, I know you're gluten-free, blah, blah, blah. Enjoy these burgers. They're on me. And a week later she called and said, Hey, my little coffee shop needs a veggie burger. Can you make these for us? And so every week I made 60 veggie burgers, and by the end of about three months, I thought, I can't make another veggie burger at all. So find your passion, find your balance, and do what you love. Yeah, and I do have to say with the, um, the restaurant industry the way it is right now, I think most restaurants would be thrilled to have you, uh, not only because of your experience, but also because, um, as somebody over 60, you have a work ethic that a lot of, uh, a younger generation doesn't have at the moment. Um mm-hmm. So I think that that is actually something that's advantageous to you. So, uh, don't sell yourself short. Try any restaurants you want to, um, you can explore a little bit too. Um, you know, it was a common practice for chefs, just kind of culinary school to be able to do something called the sta, whereas where they went to different restaurants to be able to improve upon their skills, and they would work at those different restaurants for a period of like three to four months to be able to learn what they could off of those restaurants and go to other ones. I highly recommend to be able to do that still, to be able to improve upon your skills. And don't just think about the ones that are right next door. Maybe think about going something, um, a little bit farther away, or even doing like, uh, you know, um, like cruise ships or something like that would be great. Um, all of these opportunities are great things to be able to look for no matter how old you are. Oh, cruise ship. That sounds fun. Sounds great. Oh, yeah, I've had a couple friends that did, uh, did that. And it was a great way to see the world. Um, uh, a lot of work, but definitely, uh, a lot of fun too.