Hi I’m Eric,
My love for food has been with me from a young age. My mom is a pretty good home cook and she encouraged us to make our own meals and snacks. I would watch cooking shows as on PBS, chefs Ming Tsai and Mario Batali were my favorite. Eventually this peaked my interests into cooking as a career.
Out of high school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. So, I went into culinary school in hopes to one day become a chef. I didn’t have a clue what I was in for.
I started from the bottom from the bottom, washing dishes, doing prep-work and eventually worked my way up to Sous Chef. It was literally blood, sweat and tears that got me to that point. That didn’t change as being a sous chef either. Working in kitchens is not for the faint of heart. I hate to use so many clichés but there is no other way to describe it.
Being that my last name is ‘Holmes’ I always had several nicknames. Good and bad ones, but often my friends and co-workers would call me “Holmeskills” or “Skills”. The friends I still keep in touch with still call me ‘Skills’ like nothing’s changed. So that’s why this blog is called Holmeskillet, it’s an homage to that nickname.
I never made it to Chef de cuisine or Executive Chef because the life took a toll on me mentally and physically. Getting a vacation, holidays, or even just a few days off in a row can be extremely challenging in the profession. In the last kitchen I worked, I was so unhappy I hoped to get into a car accident on my drive in just so I would get some time off. I really needed a change.
So, to say I lost my passion for cooking is an understatement. When you lose your passion for your work, all reasons to keep being there fall quickly. Everyday working just felt like I was treading water and my life was passing me by. When I finally found an entry level job since I didn’t have experience doing much of anything else, I had found my way out. It didn’t pay great but the benefits were promising and it gave me a chance to start a new chapter.
Of course, not long after being out of work, I enjoyed cooking again. Making all my favorites at home and trying new recipes, sharing meals with loved ones and friends it was rewarding again and fun. So that’s it. That’s my story and how this blog came about. Thanks for reading and hope some of these recipes inspire you.
HolmeSkillet 