These are excerpts from the author’s book “Deep,” which contains eight of his small books published in the form of Wisdom Literature covering different aspects of life: Facing troublemakers, dealing with pain, personal financial issues, gastronomy, reading, criticizing, inspiring, and feeling always good to go.

Series 4: Cuisine – Feeling Good.

Week 62: Your Mentors

• See who inspired you to cook. You will find at least one person who gave you the confidence to start and still gives you the determination to keep going. This person does not necessarily have to be a good cook. He or she may be one of those close people who have always valued what you offer them with love and sincerity.

• The best culinary mentors are not necessarily the best chefs. Teaching is generally an independent talent. In any case, make sure to take advantage of every opportunity to learn from everyone as you search for the culinary mentors having the best teaching capabilities and predisposition to inspire.

• The good chefs you love will inspire you even better. But don’t let your annoyance at some excellent chefs keep you from taking advantage of them and being truly affected by their inspiration.

• With the specialized programs and platforms flooding cyberspace, you will never miss an answer to any question related to any recipe. It is wise not to exhaust your special relationship with your mentor in traditional questions. Instead make sure to passionately observe his or her cooking and listen carefully to the precious pieces of advice that spills over from him or her while at work.

• There is no shame in dreaming of exceeding the capabilities and stature of your mentor. This does not imply any disrespect. There is no point in creating yourself a ceiling you fear or do not want to exceed for any reason. Unleash your potential and let it define your deserved stature.

• In order to get the best of your mentors, make sure that your relationship with them is strong on a personal level, and do not make it appear as if it is limited to the interest of learning. This does not mean intruding on privacy; rather you should show sincere personal attention and honest stature appreciation.

• The most important thing in evaluating an inspiring mentor is his or her unique cooking style, not necessarily the number of recipes he or she has created.

• You do not have to act as if you were in a regular traditional school. Cooking is a world without limits, and your mentors are as many as you can find those who can benefit and inspire you in this exciting world full of adventures and challenges.

• A good mentor should not keep some secrets of the recipe to himself or herself and divulge some of them. In any case, to appreciate the benefit you have gained from your mentor, do not count what you think he or she has withheld from you, but look at what you have already learned from him or her and what he or she inspired you.

• While looking for the best mentor, don’t just focus on the illustrious restaurant and hotel names he or she has worked for. The most important thing is not where he or she worked, but what he or she was doing there, wherever having a job opportunity.

• A skilled experienced mentor explores your strengths and what you can excel at in your culinary future. But do not lose sight of the areas that did not arouse the attention of your mentor. You may have talents buried in these areas absent from even the most skilled professional mentors.