Chef J.P. Gelinas
Food has always played an important role in my life. Before the Second World War, my Gran'ma Dufek was the personal chef for the Empress Zita of the Hapsburg royal family in Austria. Gran'ma was an excellent chef whose enthusiasm for new recipes and cooking techniques knew no bounds. As a result of the war, she ended up coming to live with my family in Fitchburg, a small town in Massachusetts. A lucky day for me!
When I was growing up, Gran'ma and my Mom always made it a point to prepare lavish dinners, especially on Sundays. I was raised in the European tradition where meals usually involved several courses of food. Gran'ma always made it a point to encourage me to help prepare the family meals. This was my first taste of life in the kitchen!
Another thing that made food a large part of my life was the fact that my Dad was a physician in the U.S. Army. This made me what they call an "army brat." The family moved every two or three years, bouncing back and forth from the United States and Europe. While this placed a certain amount of chaos in the lives of the family, it also gave us some great opportunites to see the world.
We were stationed in Germany and France for several years and travelled quite a bit, seeing many parts of Europe. I was exposed to all sorts of strange and interesting food along the way; crisp baguettes from a French baker, hearty German bratwursts, cheese fondues in Switzerland, garlic laden escargots in Belgium--my food memories are endless!
In the United States, we also spent time in Texas (TexMex food), Pennsylvania (Amish cooking) and Massachusetts (New England seafood). My favorite place that we were stationed was New Orleans. That city made a big impression on me when we lived there in the 1960's. The unique culture was a veritable melting pot of food and music. When we left New Orleans, I swore to myself that someday I would return there and eventually I did in 1973 while attending college at the University of Dayton in Ohio.
After graduating from college in 1974, I pursued a musical career in the Long Island area of New York while working as the lead singer of a rock band called THE FREELANCE VANDALS for 10 years. 
One of the highlights of this period of my life was hearing one of my songs being played on the (gasp!) Rate-A-Record segment of Dick Clark's American Bandstand tv show.
In 1983, when my days as a rock & roller were winding down, I decided to try and find work in the food service business and took a job as a dishwasher in a local restaurant. Working in a commercial kitchen for the first time was an amazing experience for me. I finally realized how much I had truly learned from Gran'ma Dufek while working beside her in the family kitchen. At my first restaurant job I had the opportunity to work under several different chefs who were more than happy to pass on a lot of tips on cooking and working in the restaurant business. Eventually, I graduated up to working as a lunch cook and then working the line during dinner service. After three years, I felt ready to open my own restaurant.
In 1986, the cajun food craze was sweeping across the east coast. Along with my wife, Loretta, and a friend of ours, Kathy Leskody, I opened The Bayou in Bellmore, New York. The timing was right and the place was a big success. A lot of the dishes I created were extra spicy. For most of the folks, their attitude was "the hotter, the better." That extra zing I was putting in the food earned me the nickname The Chef From Hell!
In 1993, Loretta and I opened Big Daddy's in Massapequa, New York. The food differed here as I was trying to encompass most of the Southern food genre instead of focusing only on cajun/creole food. We actually got northern folk to try grits which was quite an accomplishment!
After selling Big Daddy's in 2002, Loretta and I opened a wonderful cozy place called Yazoo City in Lindenhurst, New York. The food at this restaurant had an American Regional theme which had been inspired by a visit to Disney's Epcot Center in Florida. One of the highlights of this amusement park is the many pavilions which represent different countries around the world. In fact, many of the pavilions had excellent food but what the American site offered was extremely disappointing-- hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, french fries and soda... the usual crap. I couldn't believe it! America, a country that has such a rich culinary heritage had gotten the bum's rush! Later, when researching a possible theme for Yazoo City, I remembered the horrible food in the American pavillion at Epcot and decided to have a restaurant that paid tribute to the great traditions of American food.
Loretta and I closed Yazoo City in 2007 and I'm now concentrating on a career as a freelance writer and posting this here blog at hellchef.com... ah, the adventure continues!
Nowadays, whenever I'm cooking in the kitchen, I always remember what my Gran'ma Dufek used to say...
"Listen to the food.
It will talk to you...
be sure you finish the conversation!"
