Hi! Any other culinarians out there?

I've managed to lvl my culinarian to 28 now. I'm wondering if I could get some tips on some best ways to progressing further.
  • How to level after ~28? Should I still go for lvl25 guildleves and are there still some that give 200% additional exp? Completing the crafting log seems kind of tough without some rare materials. Are there low lvl foods I should grind on?
  • How to make gil? Selling food is an end-game thing and I'm wondering what some hot food items are there? Seems like the ones helpful for other crafters seems nice, but are there others you have found sell well?
  • How to manage shards? If I'm grinding, I lose a lot of shards and they sell for like 40 gil on the market, which I'd prefer not to pay. Do you guys farm your own shards with a DoL class or is there another way to get them?0

Thanks for the tips in advance. Also I'm looking for some high level botanists on Gilgamesh to work with.