This NPC has more items for sale with GP than are listed here. I am currently 93 cooking and see there are 3 more Key Items available other than just Raw Fish Handling (needed to make sushi).
There is also a Culinarian's Belt you can buy for 10,000 GP. This has 25 charges (I think) and gives you advanced Synthesis support. It can be used every 3 minutes.
You have to be Cooking:30+ Which is novice, she asks for a certain food, say, Dhalmel Steak, you trade to her, she gives you points. Can only trade that food so many times in so many vana'diels days, after that time, she will change it, its like a time limit. It's a good few in real earth hours though, no need to panic.
Anyone got a list of items he requests at various cooking ranks? I used to get requests for food that i could buy locally but lately i have to hunt up recipes for the request items. This info would be helpful for those people still leveling cooking and wanting to make some profit off the results.
The best place to find info on such before you logon is FFrecipe's guild pattern thingy. That way you can figure out if it's worth it and where to get it or ingredients. I use'em for cooking all the time ^^ They're usually right on the money.
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Elizara, Mithran WHM of Quetzalcoatl LS's: SpecialFriends, ShikigamiWeapon, Noble's, WeSayHurray, JingZen, Betrayed (Dynamis and Aby)
Still a MithraPride kitty at heart, tho that shell is gone..Also still CTY at heart forevah!
Midgard: NEVER FORGET.
Alla profile: http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/profile.xml?11530
I'm a level 60+ cook, so I have dealt with the Cooking Union representative a decent amount.
There are many other web sites that will fill in more specifics, but here's the general overview. This is focused on the Cooking guild, but the basics apply to the other guilds as well.
Once your crafting 'rank' is high enough, you can do business with the Union rep by making a 'contract' - this is done by talking to the NPC. You can only contract with one guild at a time.
The Union Rep NPC will tell you the item of the day. You can earn Guild Points (up to a daily limit) by giving them the object asked for, or the +1 version which gives you many more points each than the normal ones.
The object asked for will switch once a RL day (talk to NPC to find out when the time will run out) unless you 'rank up' with the guild. When you do this, it will switch automatically. Keep in mind that when I say 'rank up', I'm talking about when you hand in a specific item to the Guildmaster to remove the level cap (and you get a new title within the guild). You can still continue to do synthesis that gets you skillups, and the item to turn in will not change.
Once you have accumulated enough Guild Points, you can trade them for special objects. The type of objects available for purchase with your GP depends on your crafting 'rank'.
The first things you are allowed to buy are the High Quality crystals. I don't know if they help with Cooking at all, but with many other guilds, you can name your crafted items (such as a sword named 'Bloodslinger' in the description field, etc). Still unsure if they increase the chance of HQ synth, but they do stack to 12. :P
There are also 'key item' skills you can acquire, such as 'raw fish handling' (new with Promathia) which allow you to do synths that you cannot do without it. Allakhazam lists the 'key item' required in the recipe list for these new synths.
Finally, there are the guild special objects - Chef's Hat, Apron, and Cordon Bleu set for the Cooking guild. These items require increasingly higher guild 'rank' to be able to purchase, and cost a LOT of Guild Points. The wearable objects will give you crafting skill bonuses while equipped. Still not entirely sure about the benefit of having items like the Cordon Bleu set besides bragging rights, although I have heard from some that this item increases the frequency of your HQ synths.
If you wish to set up a contract with another guild (that your skill is high enough in), you may, but you will lose all Guild Points that you have not spent in your currently contracted guild.