In April 2004, I decided to quit my job as a catering chef and pursue a career in food writing. The 60-hour weeks were taking a toll on my social life, relationship and too-young-to-feel-old body. I needed an exit strategy.
Encouraging words from family and friends included: "You're leaving a thankless, underpaid profession and going to one that's 10 times worse!" "Did you know that average freelance writer makes $7,000 a year?"They were right. It's hard to earn a living from the written word: after four months, I had only published two articles for a grand total of $100. I kept at it, but starting cooking part-time so my next rent check didn't bounce.In the fall of that year, I was flipping through the Beach-Riverdale Mirror and caught a job posting for a food columnist at a new midtown community paper called the City Centre Moment. I sent a cover letter with my only two clippings and was asked by the managing editor to write a proposal for the column. The next day the job was mine and Menumental was born. The food scene in Toronto has changed considerably over the past seven and a half years, most of it for the better. When I first started, farmers' markets were small, neighbourhood curiosities patronized by chefs, locavores and the occasional hippy. Today they're everywhere, on every day and fun for the whole family.In 2004, a first-class meal meant dressing up, speaking softly and taking out a loan. Today, the most exciting food is served at lively restaurants with no tablecloths, no attitude and no heart attack when the bill arrives.While I recognize that technology and social media have had a positive impact on food awareness, it has created iPhone junkies who live tweet every meal to their 5,000 followers, while ignoring the people at the table. It has also spawned vitriolic online commenters who hide behind the veil of anonymity and obviously didn't get hugged enough as children.But overall, more and more people are in tune with where there food comes from, how it's produced and how to cook a healthy, delicious dinner. Foodie may have devolved into a pejorative word, but like it or not, there are a lot more foodies out there than there were when I started this gig.So, it is with a heavy heart that I resign my post as food columnist to pursue new opportunities. I'm fortunate to make a living from this racket and I owe a big debt of gratitude to Toronto Community News (TCN) for giving me a start. I would like to thank all TCN editors, past and present, who let me have free reign, use $5 words and make Star Wars references.But most of all I would like to thank you for tuning in every week, whether in print or online.