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 a 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.<br><br>When I first started cooking for them, I made elaborate dishes that took hours to make with fresh fish and produce shipped from other countries. They were perfectly plated and nicely presented. They'd eat in silence without saying much.<br><br>One day, I received a bad shipment of produce. I had to get a substitute for a dish I had to make with sausage and pepper. I went to a US supermarket chain that's considered mid-range and bought some peppers to use for that dish. I also happened to have some spicy smoked paprika sausage from that same supermarket chain that I used on a whim.<br><br>Turns out they loved it. They said it "reminded them of Europe." I continued to make this dish and show them pictures of the dish I was going to make. They'd say they were excited about it, but I'd actually make something totally different.<br><br>I slowly started making easier dishes that were cheap and took less time to make. I had extra time so I started making other dishes just in case they wanted more food. It turned out they loved the extra dishes even more than the ones I initially made and paid for. One of the dishes I started selling to them were frozen empanadas from Peru that just had to be reheated. The brand is widely available in the US. All I had to do was throw some dipping sauce together in a bowl and it was done.<br><br>I'm also a big fan of Indian food so I sometimes make some curries for myself. They happened to smell the curry and wanted some. They said it was "amazing" and "tasted like India." I happily shared my curry with them and they said they wanted more. I started buying curry pastes, sautéing some onions and putting in coconut milk. I also froze the leftovers and they were none the wiser. I eventually made a huge batch of curry and froze it. I thaw it out and reheat it whenever they want curry.<br><br>One of my biggest secrets is the "fresh fish" they get. I used to have fish shipped from Scotland. I made some trout fillets breaded and fried and they said it reminded them of "the Lake District in northern Italy." The problem was that they wanted it more often than I could get shipments of fish and trout are very hard to find where I am. I decided to go to a local grocery store and see if they had any trout. They had a brand called "Tilapia" that was actually trout that was frozen and cheaper than the "trout" they sold. I thawed it, breaded and fried it, and they couldn't tell the difference. I now keep aNice in my freezer and thaw it out when they want it.<br><br>I feel bad that I'm no longer making the food I thought they initially hired me for, which was authentic food from different countries. I've faked entire cuisines. The food is great and they're happy, but I'm just mad at how much of a waste of time and money it is to pay for long-distance shipping and hours of preparation when some sausage and peppers or curry paste is good enough.