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, finding the exact ingredients, spices, and following all the traditions. I used to make my own pasta and noodles, dumpling wrappers, and as the family liked it, I'd make everything from scratch.<br><br>I'd get up at 4am, commute to work, and then cook through the day until 9pm sometimes 10pm for this family. I was making $60,000 a year.<br><br>The clients were very happy with my food, but it was killing me physically and I had no life outside of work. I sometimes only had $30 a day for myself, and I couldn't afford to go to any mid range restaurants and it was even impossible for me to go to a movie because I would have no money left for food after paying rent and bills.<br><br>After 3 years, I had a mental breakdown and was close to quitting my job and my career as a chef. I couldn't keep going like this. So I decided to take matters into my own hands.<br><br>I started buying high end, organic sauces, pasta, and dumpling wrappers. I started using pre-made ingredients like pre-minced garlic. Sometimes instead of making my own stock, I'd buy high quality stock from Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.<br><br>I was able to leave work at a more reasonable hour, 5pm, and started having a life. I had some money to spend and made new friends.<br><br>The client didn't even notice a difference, and somehow, the food was even tastier and of higher quality because the products I was using were better and more consistent.<br><br>I now make $80,000 a year and I don't have to kill myself to impress my clients.<br><br>But I feel bad, I feel like I've failed as a chef. I was taught to make everything from scratch. I was taught to put in the long hours and years of hard work to hone my skills.<br><br>But now I feel like I've lost all my passion for cooking. I don't enjoy cooking anymore because I'm cheating.<br><br>I don't know what to think.