From Chef Gerard Hall:
I have been asked to write about why I like working at Wisdom House. Well, given that I am the chef here and loathe talking about myself, I've decided to write a metaphorical analogy about stew. As an aside, I consider myself a parochial townie with a natural curiosity about what's out there, and I'm perfectly happy to figure it out from right here. So anyway, the story goes that some 30 odd years ago a father sent his son to the grocery store to purchase the fixings for a traditional Irish stew. As the young man left the house, the father admonished his son to find the same ingredients his grandpa used to make stew. The young man asked his father why get the same ingredients? The father was almost beside himself and said, "Well don't you love your grandpa's stew?"
"Yes," replied the son.
"Well then, why shop for anything else?" asked the father.
Paradoxically, the young man left for the store without an ingredient list, but with all the ingredients necessary. Thirty odd years later, he finished shopping and ended up at a retreat house working for someone who
said, "Make it like your Grandpa's."
I do love this place and you all add spice to my stew. God bless.
