Miller: 'My office is right here in the kitchen'
By ALYSSA HARVEY The Daily News aharvey@bgdailynews.
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| Chef C.J. Miller of Bowling Green Ky., stands in his kitchen, Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012, in Bowling Green, Ky. Miller was diagnosed with crohn's disease as a child, and is in his final year of the Culinary Arts program at Bowling Green Technical College. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Daily News) . |
"She told me to just add butter. It was so good that way," he said. "It taught me that you don't have to listen to what's on that box. That started me experimenting."
Before that, Miller's mother had a rule: Each of her children had to be 5 years old before they could help in the kitchen. She made an exception for him, though.
"I got to help make deviled eggs when I was 4 years old," he said.
Once Miller got a taste of cooking, it was difficult to divert his attention away from it. 'They would try to get me to go out and play," he said, laughing. "I'd be with the women in the kitchen."
He had to take his experimentation tip a notch when he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect any part of the digestive tract, when he was 12 years old.
"I had to pay attention to the way I cook. I had to read every single thing on the label," he said. "Because of my Crohn's, I wanted to get into graphic design because it allows you to stay at home. I had friends who thought I was nuts. It scared me from having any kind of life. I was in the bathroom seven or eight hours a day. I was always flaring."
To keep his Crohn's disease under control, he eats well and takes Remicade infusions every six weeks for four hours.
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| Crustless smoked quiche with a roasted sour cream sauce prepared by Chef C.J. Miller of Bowling Green Ky., Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2012, in Bowling Green, Ky. Miller was diagnosed with crohn's disease as a child, and is in his final year of the Culinary Arts program at Bowling Green Technical College. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Daily News) . |
"Eating doesn't make it happen. It's brought on by malnourishment," he said. "!t's not eating healthy food that causes it to flare up. It's affected by what you're eating."
Learning that he could have a career as a chef despite his disability helped him make his decision to continue pursuing his dream career. Miller learned there were other ways to make it a reality. He could be a columnist, do television shows, personal chef and numerous other things that involve cooking if he chose not to become a restaurant chef. He will soon finish his studies in culinary arts at Bowling Green Technical College, where he has been a student for three years.
'That would've been the most drastic mistake I would've made," he said of giving up on becoming a chef.
"I knew I knew how to cook well. You're not going to get anything handed to you at school."
Miller Appreciates what his professors at BGTC have taught him.
"Miss (Lisa) Hunt (culinary arts co-program coordinator) and Chef (Michael) Riggs (culinary arts co-program coordinator) have been really good to me," he said.
Riggs said Miller "just gets it." "He understands there's a lot to working with food. He's not afraid to try something new. He's willing to get in and try and see what happens," he said. "He wants to share what he learns with people. Chefs want people to like what they cook. I think he's going to do well in his career."
On a recent morning at his home, Miller served a frittata he had just made as he explained how he feels more comfortable in kitchens than anywhere else.
"My office is right here in the kitchen," he said, showing his office "equipment mingling with various whisks, spoons, pots and pans, which he buys from eBay, Walmart and auctions. "I always wind up sitting in the kitchen."
He shares his love for food via his Facebook page, "CJ's Culinary Journey presents/Food Rescue," a radio show on rokoutradio.com, and plans to film footage for YouTube. He wants people to know they can cook well with proper ingredients even if it seems expensive.
"We're uneducated. We don't understand that it isn't at all," he said.
For example, Miller grows herbs in his garden and dries them out in the microwave instead of buying fresh or dried herbs from the supermarket.
“It comes out to $10 over a year and they come back, except the basil,” he said.
Buying healthy foods can help people feel better no matter their income bracket. Miller said he learned about something called the “poverty paradox” in health class.
“People buy stuff that stretches out, but it doesn’t keep you full as long,” he said. “That’s how low-income people are getting obese.”
Another thing that Miller said he notices is that people feel like a complete failure after watching food shows because the chefs don’t tell audiences about the equipment and brands of ingredients they are using. He wants to change that.
“I take them through all the stages to make it visually appealing,” he said.
Miller hopes that, with his help, people will not be intimidated by cooking.
“Recipes are a road map. Some people say, ‘If I have an allergy to that, I won’t make that one,’ ” he said. “You can supplement for that or not add that one.”