Oct
13
FAQ’s
Why did you start cooking?
I have always loved cooking and would help my mom as a kid, but it wasn’t until college when I really started to cook for myself. I started because after entering college I quickly gained the dreaded “Freshman 15″ and needed to lose the weight asap.
How did you learn to cook?
During college I learned a lot of techniques from the Food Network. I watched that channel like it was my job 
After graduating college in 2008 and moving to Los Angeles, I decided to attend Culinary School. It was at Culinary School where I was able to hone my skills and learn various techniques and cooking styles.
Why did you start a website?
I started What’s Gaby Cooking because I wanted a way to keep all my recipes in 1 place. I have recipes and magazine pages and scratch paper filled with recipe ideas ALL over my house. I needed somewhere where I could easily organize everything and make it accessible to my friends and family.
Where did you go to Culinary School?
I went to Westlake Culinary Institute right outside of Los Angeles. I had a fabulous instructor, Cecilia de Castro who upon my graduation opened her own Culinary School – The Academy of Culinary Education.
What are you doing now that Culinary School is over?
I am working on my first cookbook and I work as a personal chef in Los Angeles!
Do you write all your own recipes?
For the most part I write and develop all my own recipes. I do however love food magazines and am constantly on the lookout for fabulous food ideas so occasionally I will use another recipe… giving credit of course!
Do you take your own photos?
I take all my own photos… everything you see on the site has been photographed by me unless otherwise stated. I use a Canon 15.1 pixel Rebel and have a few lenses that I use for different shots! All of photos are protected by the Creative Commons License. Please do not use anything on the site without my permission. Please just ask first!
Do you review products?
If you have something that you would like my to review, please send me an email with a description and all the information needed. I don’t normally do product reviews unless it is something that I am extremely passionate about and think would benefit my readers.
Will you link to my blog?
Typically I do not exchange links with just anyone but I do love linking to other food bloggers or people that I think have relevant information for my readers. It never hurts to ask!
I have a great recipe, do you want to try it?
Send it my way along with a brief background about the dish and why it is important to you. I will review the information and the recipe and let you know.
I want to go to Culinary School – do you have any advice?
I get asked this question all the time! It really just depends what you want to do. Being a personal or private chef generally requires you to have some formal training. Going into the restaurant world is a whole different story. Some forgo culinary school and start on the bottom and work their way up, and some go to school and start in prep positions! It depends if you want to spend the money or not! Just remember – going to culinary school doesn’t guarantee you anything… its all about the hard work and long hours!
