In the world of fine dining, perception often matters more than ingredients.

One personal chef discovered this firsthand when shortcuts and supermarket staples proved all it took to win over a “gourmet-loving” family.

You’ll want to read on for this one!

I’m a chef and I’ve been living a lie about the quality and authenticity of my food

I’m a personal chef for an upper-class family in the US with a multi-million dollar house who go on many vacations every year. They claim they miss authentic European and Asian food after living abroad for several years.

He worked hard to find only the best for this family, but their reaction wasn’t what he expected.

When I first started cooking for them, I made elaborate dishes that took hours to make, finding the exact ingredients, examining each piece of carrot, potato, or chicken by hand. Finding the right brands and going to multiple grocery stores to find the exact Pinot Noir to make the perfect red wine sauce.

They didn’t like it.

Ultimately, he discovered he didn’t have to work near as hard as he thought.

I once messed up a dish and had to remake it really quickly, so I took a few shortcuts to make sure it was still tasty. A normally 12-hour dish, I made a quick version of in less than 30 minutes using vinegar instead of red wine.

They said it was the tastiest thing they ever ate. It reminded them of the times they were traveling through some European mountains.

Shortcuts it is, then!

Since then, I’ve realized I don’t need to spend hours making all the food perfectly “authentic.” I stopped using expensive brands of wine (sometimes I don’t even use wine at all. Grape juice or vinegar or even sugar seems to taste just as good, if not better to them).

I’ve saved tens of thousands of dollars and probably thousands of hours getting cheaper ingredients that have already been brined or marinated, and they absolutely love it.

The family soon began to brag about just how “authentic” their dishes were.

They even had me prepare larger meals for parties or events, and they’d claim it was authentic French or Italian food. They’d ask me what combination of flour I used to make the pasta that was so clearly handmade (it was 99-cent boxed pasta from Walmart).

Or it was clear I used a very particular Pinot Noir for a coq au vin, for which I actually just added a little fruit juice with some vodka. Or that the saffron really made a difference in my risotto when I really just used turmeric.

Or how the food tastes so much better when sauces are freshly made with raw ingredients — when it’s really mayonnaise plus ketchup or some other dumb combination of common condiments.

He doesn’t have the heart to break the news to them.

I just smile and nod.

A part of me feels guilty, but not guilty enough to go back to making the more authentic versions that they’d just complain about that cost me way more time and money anyway.

I’m more just worried that one day they’ll find out, but I’ve gotten away with it for almost eight years now.

What’s a little white lie to go with dinner?

Redditors weigh in.

Ingredients aside, it takes real skill to make food taste good!

Maybe, in its own way, the food is authentic!

Being wealthy doesn’t necessarily mean you have refined taste.

There could be several reasons for this rich family’s behavior.

Maybe “low-quality” ingredients aren’t that low-quality after all.

Part of him feels guilty for his deception, but who is he to stop the clever shortcuts that have brought such delight to the family?

If it tastes good, it tastes good!

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.