Making It

Military precision comes in handy for former officer in his new career

As teenagers growing up in rural Arkansas, Neil Fletcher Wilson and his brother were on their own for dinner whenever their single mother worked late. As a result, they learned to cook.

"We were both interested in the sciences," Neil explains, so "we were good at following recipes."

Now, after a career in the Army, Neil is pursuing his lifelong passion for food. He became a private chef last year and already is largely replacing his salary as a major, grossing about $2,000 a week, on top of his $30,000 annual military pension.

It's common for retired officers to keep working for the military as contractors, for more pay. But Neil didn't want to stay with the Chemical Corps, developing ways to protect people in case of nuclear or biological attacks. Most projects would take several years before winning approval, and, he says, "I kind of wanted to immediately see something that I've created."

Neil's desire to cook professionally started in 2002, when he agreed to coordinate the food for his church's annual black-tie benefit. It was a "thrill," he says now, "being able to cook for that many people and seeing how much they enjoyed it."

The next step was a year-long course at L'Academie de Cuisine. He graduated first in his class and in 2004 took a job at Palena in the District, working for star chef Frank Ruta. He was 42.

Neil learned a great deal about food at Palena, but the work was stressful and the hours long. Being a personal chef seemed more manageable, so he put his name on a list at L'Academie de Cuisine. The phone started ringing. "My clients are not always wealthy. They're always busy," he says.

Neil, who is married and lives in historic Hyattsville, has been a chef for hire for a year now. His typical service involves going into a person's home and cooking five days' worth of meals, for four people, and packing the food for the freezer. That costs about $400, not including ingredients. He likes smaller kitchens the best; if there are three or four ovens, he says, it's easy to forget where you put something.

He also offers cooking classes for small groups, for about $50 an hour plus food costs, and especially enjoys this work. "You're talking to people who are very, very interested in food like you are," he says.

His most profitable service is catering for dinner parties, at $50 to $100 a person, plus groceries. He'll work with the host to plan the menu but might suggest such dishes as a Gorgonzola and pear tartlet, artichoke soup, rack of lamb and an apple tarte tatin. For this service, Neil's years of military training come in handy.

"He came in with this schedule -- he had it taped to the kitchen cabinet -- that had increments of 10 minutes with everything he had to do in order to get the meal on the table by 6. It was fascinating," said Susan DeMarse of Bethesda, who hired Neil to prepare a dinner party. "Afterwards, everyone was asking for his business card."

Have you recently left the military and found big success in a new career? E-mail presslerm@washpost.com