David Kinch is a James Beard Award-winning, Michelin-starred chef who has made the jump to food television thanks to Mind of a Chef. Kinch is one of the biggest names in his industry. But long before he hit the big time, Kinch was a 16-year-old cook at Commander's Palace in New Orleans. There, he had an experience that separates the serious culinary pros from the pretenders.
In this video from Mind of a Chef, Kinch tells the story of his first encounter with turtle soup, which wasn't for the faint of heart. The scene involves two Commander's cooks and a six-foot snapping turtle, cut open but still putting up a fight. Witnessing the grisly moment, Kinch says it's when he realized "cooking is about life and death."
"It was an image seared in my mind," Kinch says. "Things give their lives to satisfy our needs."
Watch the video above for the full story, but maybe don't do it right before bedtime.
