Atlas Twp.-Dressed in an spotless white shirt executive chef Mitch Plant skillfully chops an onion into small pieces.
Oblivious to the distance between his finger and razor sharp knife blade, Plant 50, methodically slices through a crisp, thin skin of the bulb resting beneath his exposed fingers.
‘I tend to burn myself more than cut,? Plant laughs.
Plant has been cooking for about 33 years, nearly 23 of which have been spent as a chef at the Atlas Country Club, 8313 Perry Road.
It was never his intended career, says Plant, but is glad things worked out as they did.
‘It’s something I grew to enjoy,? Plant says. ‘I have a lot of freedom to come and go. I enjoy the people I work with and the ones I work for’I enjoy cooking.?
The first meal Plant ever prepared was a breakfast, and though he can’t recall the specifics, he’s sure eggs were involved.
He never went to school to learn how to be a chef, which Plant considers to be an advantage.
‘I learned the truth about the business more so than in books,? he explained.
One of the aspects of his job Plant most enjoys is his ability to experiment with new recipes and to be creative.
It’s that love for mixing up a recipe which Plant said gives him difficulty when baking.
‘Baking is very hard. I’m not a baker. I don’t like to measure things out exactly,? says Plant.
And while he’s comfortable with the 5 second rule (food that falls on the floor is still good as long as it’s retrieved in fewer than 5 seconds) while at home, he says it doesn’t work at the club.
‘It’s not worth the risk of doing harm to some