Hi Karen,

I hope this isn't too off-topic but I was wondering if you could give me your advice on a dilemma I've been having regarding a possible career in the culinary world. I have always wanted to be a chef, from the time I was a kid, but always left it as my fall-back option if everything else failed. I'm coming close to making the decision to finally follow my heart and train to be a chef, but I have a couple of big problems: first is my committment to low-carbing for life, and second (and probably more serious) is my gluten intolerance (no wheat, rye, barley etc). I know that at some point in my career I will hopefully be in a position where this won't be an issue (like when I am head of my own restaurant...), but until then I believe these two things might be a major handicap for me. I have no problem learning to cook with things I can't (or won't) eat, but I imagine that not being able to eat what I cook might be a problem in culinary school, and later on the job. I'm especially afraid that it might hinder my job prospects if my prospective employer knew. Have you had any experience with chefs who had serious dietary restrictions, but still managed to cook mainstream food? Is this something I should let stop me from pursuing this career?

I would really appreciate any advice you can give me.

I also appreciate the time and energy you put into this forum - it's the main reason I joined, even though you can see I'm not a very active poster

Thanks very much!