My passion is food, and I feel fortunate to have such a love for something that is so vital to our existence. I believe we all have the potential to be good home cooks, but time constraints and lack of interest and ideas sometimes get in the way of that. I offer easy-to-follow, approachable recipe ideas that also allow you to branch out and try new things, thus expanding your cooking repertoire and making food preparation something you look forward to.
As my children get older and spend more time outside the home and socializing with friends, meal time has become increasingly more important to me. It is the one time in the day where we all sit down together and have the chance to catch up on what has happened for everyone in the last little while . Making food taste good during this time only adds to the pleasure of being together. For me, meal time is as much about nourishing our bodies with thoughtfully prepared and healthy food as it is about sitting down to reconnect with our children, spouses and loved ones. Food is what brings us together.
Over the last few years, I have had the privilege of combining my love for travel with my passion for food. Here is a brief synopsis of my most recent culinary coursework abroad:
Mexico – Mexican food is one of my favourite cuisines. I worked in San Francisco with a large Mexican population and learned how to prepare authentic tortilla soup and chilaquiles among other dishes. I’ve also taken cooking classes in Mexico, most recently at “The Little Mexican Cooking School.” There, I learned how to make a perfect guacamole, some amazing salsas, charro beans and homemade corn tortillas.
India – I recently returned from six months in India where I took cooking classes in the north with an amazing Indian cook named Sashi, (http://shashicookingclasses.blogspot.com/) and at a South Indian cooking school called Jay’s Kitchen in Chennai where my family and I lived. For six months, I also worked along side our family cook who taught me a great deal about preparing Indian food.
Thailand – While living in South East Asia, we also travelled to Thailand and I spent a good deal of time learning more about Thai food which is one of my favourite cuisines. In Chiang Mai, I went to Baan Thai Cooking School and while in Koh Samui I took a course at Samui Institute of Thai Culinary Arts.
Vermont, USA – I am also an avid baker and dessert maker and last year went to the King Arthur Baking Education Center in Vermont where I did a 5 day course on artisan bread making at home.
My passion for food began as a child in my family kitchen. Early exposure to lovingly prepared home-made meals helped shape my life and culinary philosophy: When you bring love to the food you prepare, your friends and family bring love to the table, too.