Nice to Meat You: Chef Paul Mahoney
What do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a common question we ask children, but not one we ask adults. Maybe it’s because we assume by the time we reach adulthood we’re done growing, but do we ever really stop?
Not Paul Mahoney, who after a 33 year career in engineering decided to quit his job and go to culinary school to become a chef.
“There was a time in my career where I didn’t like Fridays because I wasn’t working on Saturdays and Sundays, and I couldn’t wait until Mondays came,” says Chef Paul. “Then it got to a point with engineering where I was like, ‘God I hate Mondays’ because that meant I had to work all week.”
Cooking had always been a passion of Chef Paul’s, a love that started around college and one he carried with him as he raised his two children with his wife Debbie. Eventually he couldn’t ignore this feeling and knew he needed to make a change.
“And I never ever looked back,” remembers Chef Paul fondly. “Switching careers is probably one of the greatest things to ever happen to me.”
After completing his culinary arts diploma at Hennepin Technical College in 2012, him and his wife set off to Italy to continue his education at the Good Taste of Tuscany culinary school in Florence.
“l learned a lot, made pasta until my hands hurt, and loved every second of it,” jokes Chef.
The pair enjoy traveling and wherever they go he likes to enroll in cooking classes to enhance his skills. They’ve been to Portugal, Spain, Ireland, and before the pandemic hit he finally got to study in the country who’s cuisine inspires him the most. France.
For a chef obsessed with sauces, Lyon was the ultimate destination.
“That’s what drives me,” he explains. “Making sauces and vinaigrettes to go with the food to bring out the flavors.”
His love for sauces runs so deep, he even got a tattoo of a whisk, the tool used for making sauces, on his arm for Christmas.
With travel restrictions now lifted, he hopes to make Greece his next destination as he is unfamiliar with Mediterranean cuisine.
Following his travels, Chef Paul started Taste! LLC, his own business specializing in cooking classes and private dinner parties. When he first began, he had a goal to do at least one dinner party a month. He quickly exceeded his expectations with two parties a week.
In 2013 he gained recognition as the winner of the Minnesota Culinary Art Skills competition, earning him a spot at the National competition where he placed 11th in the country.
The hunger Chef Paul has for learning is what makes him a great chef, and luckily for us he’s always eager to share what he’s learned through social media and his cookbook Taste! A Journey of Passion.
After the death of his mother, Chef Paul discovered the meals he ate growing up weren’t written down. Saddened by this, he decided to record his own recipes his children and clients have enjoyed in a cookbook so they can be devoured for years to come.
Known for her spaghetti and bread pudding, his mother is remembered as being a talented cook, which explains where Chef gets his gift from.
The best piece of advice Chef Paul has for both aspiring professionals and the everyday cook is to not be afraid to try new things, and know it’s ok if they don’t turn out the way you expected.
“I made chicken liver stroganoff for my family the other night and I swear this was just going to be one fantastic meal. I was so excited I even woke up in the middle of the night,” says Chef Paul. “We all took one bite, and there was nothing on God’s green earth that could’ve saved it. It was just terrible.”
Yet, his advice doesn’t just apply to cooking. So, go out there and try new things. You may be surprised by what happens.
“The only thing I ever regretted about changing careers is not doing it sooner,” says Chef.