Austin Maynard: Achieving Your Dreams in the Face of Adversity Inside The Pressure Cooker

In this episode of "Inside the Pressure Cooker", Chad Kelly interviews Austin Maynard, a hardworking chef who, despite some challenges, has found his passion in cooking, music and art. 

This episode is about The importance of finding something you're passionate about outside of the kitchen. 

"We really are pirates and misfits, and he couldn't be more right. We get to play with food all day and we get to make a living doing that, and it's pretty damn awesome."

In this episode, you will learn the following:
1. What it's like to work in a kitchen and the different types of people you meet
2. How Austin Maynard got into cooking and what inspired him to pursue it as a career
3. The challenges and rewards of being a chef
Resources:
Chef Austin Maynard on his Instagram Page
I do not think this made it to the final take but Austin mentioned Chef Chris Cosentino as someone he follows and admires. Who wouldn’t really? Chef Chris is very relatable to so many of us in the industry. He screams “I’m a cook at heart” and not some kind of pretentious white coat know it all. 
Find Chef Chris on Instagram
Chef Chris Cosentino 
Books by Chef Cosentino
Beginnings: My Way To Start a Meal
Offal Good: Cooking from the Heart, with Guts: A Cookbook
Offal Good does not appear to be in production anymore and is a collectors item… kind of kicking myself for not picking up a copy when it first came out. I’m an avid cookbook collector but like many of us out there, restricted to budgets. 

Other episodes you'll enjoy:
Riley Redfearn: Chef Riley's Journey from Fast Food to Fine Dining
Josh Morris: The Delicate Balance between Work and Family
Jeff Platt: Culinary Diploma and Ego in Hand
Connect with me:
Instagram: @insidethepressurecooker
YouTube: @insidethepressurecooker7872
Website: https://insidethepressurecooker.com
Patreon: Inside The Pressure Cooker
Feedback: Email Me!
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[00:00:02]
Over the last 20 years working in restaurants, I met a lot of really interesting people. Bourdain called us pirates and Misfits and he couldn't be more right. We really were. I say were. We are a hodgepodge of cultures and backgrounds, and we get to play with food all day and we get to make a living doing that, and it's pretty damn awesome.

[00:00:27]
This is what inside the Pressure Cooker is all about. It's about making some new friends and sharing some stories with some old friends. And listen, we all know that life inside a kitchen is not for everyone. We've seen plenty of people come and go that thought they could hack it and they couldn't. It really does take a special someone not only to survive, but to really thrive in an environment of just what feels like complete fucking chaos.

[00:00:56]
But it's pretty damn controlled. And then just the constant pressure and the stupid hours you put in, not to mention it can be a very thankless job. Before you know it, it's all in your blood and it's the only thing you know and you need more. It's an addiction. This is the bond that all wine, cooks and chefs share.

[00:01:17]
It's becoming the heartbeat of the kitchen, as cliche as that fucking sounds. But it's in our blood, which means it's fucking pulsing through our veins and it's what we live for. This is Chad Kelly, and I've been slinging pants for over 25 years. And in that time, I've been fortunate enough to be a part of many successful kitchen teams, many of which I had the privilege of leading. And during those final few years of my career, I found that my passion was not only just in cooking, but it was the people, and it was mentoring the next generation of chefs.

[00:01:56]
There's something special about teaching someone how. To cook, and it is probably one. Of the most fulfilling things there is. It's not about just putting a smile on a guest's face after a certain time. Some of that luster kind of fades a littl