A 12-year-old with a push mower and six neighbors who needed their yards cut – that’s as close to a business plan as I’ve ever had.

My father died when I was 6. My mother was a public school art teacher. The math was simple: If any money was going to be in my pocket, I was going to be the one to put it there. So I mowed yards. Three years later, at 15, I landed my first real job as a radio station disc jockey, spinning records and falling completely in love with music in the process. They gave me the shifts nobody else wanted: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day. Twelve hours each. Two years straight.

I thought I’d won the lottery.

Spring break, summer vacation, Christmas holidays – while my friends were at the lake or sleeping until noon, I was clocked in. This isn’t a column about how hard I work. It’s about the word itself.

Work.

Say it out loud and watch people’s faces. It lands somewhere between obligation and dread. Like something to be endured. People say find something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life, but they say it like it’s a myth.

For me, it wasn’t.

I started in restaurants at 19 and never left. Somewhere along the way, the job became a career, and the career became something I can’t separate from the rest of my life. Not because I have no boundaries. Because I don’t want any.

Right now, I’m in Tuscany, hosting groups through my travel business. Every morning, I walk to the same bakery, check email and wait on reports from restaurants back home. When I have a few free hours, I find Wi-Fi and get to work. Forty hours a week, easy. From Italy.

My friends think that’s a problem. I think it’s Tuesday.

The truth is, I’ve never found a better word for it. “Work” doesn’t quite fit, at least not the way people use it. Craft? Calling? Purpose? Maybe. Obsession? Probably closer.

When my son was 14, he asked what he should do with his life. I told him to find something he loves, figure out how to get paid for it and do that. Then I said something I hadn’t planned: In all my years in the restaurant business, I’ve never once woken up and thought, “I’ve got to go to work.”

Not once.

That’s what I wished for him. Not a title or a salary – just that.

These days, I hear it all the time: I don’t know how you do everything you do. The answer is simple – I don’t do it alone. The people around me make it all work. When you’re surrounded by folks who care, the word “work” starts to feel less like a burden and more like a privilege.

Maybe that’s the point. Work isn’t the problem. Doing something you don’t care about every day – that’s the problem.

For me, this has never been just a job. It’s something more personal than that.

Mine.

DENVER OMELET QUICHE

Serve 6 to 8

Ingredients:
1 recipe pie dough
1 9-inch deep pie dish
2 tablespoons light olive oil or canola oil
12 ounces good-quality ham, cut in 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1 cup yellow onion, medium dice
3/4 cup green bell pepper, medium dice
3/4 cup red bell pepper, medium dice
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
9 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces white Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)

Instructions:
■ Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
■ Remove the prepared pie dough from the refrigerator. Lightly flour a clean working surface and place the dough in the center. Lightly dust the top of the dough. Roll from the center outward, rotating the dough and adding flour as needed, until it forms a 16-inch circle. Transfer to the pie dish, press into the bottom and sides, crimp edges and trim excess. Chill while preparing the filling.
■ Place half the oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add the ham and sear without stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir and cook 2 more minutes until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil, onions and peppers. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until onions are translucent. Stir in garlic, salt, pepper and Creole seasoning and cook 1 more minute. Remove from heat.
■ In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and cream. Stir in ham, vegetables and cheese. Pour into the chilled crust. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 40 minutes. Remove, tent crust edges with foil and return to oven for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. The center should jiggle slightly when done.
■ Cool 20 minutes before serving.

CLASSIC PIE DOUGH

Makes enough for two 9-inch pie crusts

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, chilled
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup lard, very cold, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup ice water, plus more if needed

Instructions:
■ Combine flour, salt and sugar (if using) in a large bowl. Chill 30 minutes. Add butter and lard and cut into the flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-size pieces.
■ Drizzle in ice water, starting with about 1/4 cup, mixing gently. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together.
■ Turn onto a floured surface, knead lightly and divide into two discs. Wrap tightly and refrigerate at least 1 hour, preferably overnight.
■ Roll out to 1/8-inch thickness before using.

Robert St. John is a restaurateur, author, enthusiastic traveler, and world-class eater from Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He has spent four decades in the restaurant industry, written 13 books, and written a syndicated newspaper column for more than 24 years. Read more about Robert at robertstjohn.com.