Everybody likes free food.
Except maybe the chef in this story… who would have to be the person providing the cost-free cuisine.
Let’s see how this food fight plays out.
AITAH for refusing to give my family free culinary services for a party?
I (22M) am a trained chef and recently graduated from a course in culinary school. It was a bit expensive, and my aunt and mom contributed to help me pay the fee there (relevant later).
Ever since I finished and started to use my skills to earn some cash, my family has been treating me as some sort of personal chef, which I didn’t mind at all at first.
I don’t know, sounds like this is a recipe for trouble.
It started small… helping out at small family gatherings, giving tips on recipes. But now it seems I’m actually expected to be doing real loads of work for free.
Last week, my aunt asked me to cater my cousin’s engagement party, to which she invited 50+ people. This was wild, as she just approached me while casually saying other professional chefs are too expensive for her.
Food costs are high, so cooking up ways to save money is important these days.
When I said I couldn’t do it for free, she acted shocked and said, “We are family, and you wouldn’t have this opportunity if I didn’t invest in your skills.”
So, she went and spread the word around about how I refused to help her, and some uncles and cousins are telling me how I’m sort of greedy and I should use the opportunity to repay the favour she did me.
Uh-oh, sounds like this chef got burned.
I told them I love cooking, but it’s my job now, and I can’t work for free. Now they’re calling me selfish altogether.
AITAH?
This family thought they found their meal ticket, but now they’re eating their words.
Let’s see what the comments say…
This poster says NTA, the aunt is asking too much.
This commenter says the solution is simple: pay back your debt and you’ve got a clean plate.
This person wholeheartedly agrees with that strategy.
This person has a sick diss for the aunt and company:
And this commenter agrees, help paying for school doesn’t equal free food for life.
Can I get a “yes, chef?” You are NTA.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a daughter who invited herself to her parents’ 40th anniversary vacation for all the wrong reasons.