COOKING

For me, professional cooking is a complex intellectual process that evolves mastering culinary arts, food chemistry – the science behind cooking to develop flavour – and nutrition.

Nutrition is very important. A chef is an ambassador for the process of choosing and preparing ingredients in a manner of protecting their nutritional value.

Great cooking is a business of relationships with the source. Learning how the ingredients were raised or grown determines the quality of the dish.

Fresh and organic is always better – it is an expectation.

Food safety is a moral obligation.

“Cooking is a metaphor for life.” – Nigella Lawson –

Balancing structure with flexibility, embracing mistakes, and focusing on the process rather than just the final result. Believing in nurturing oneself through cooking, finding strength and survival in sustenance, and appreciating the present moment. Key aspects of this philosophy include:

Balancing Rules and Flow: Cooking requires understanding basic principles (structure), but you must also know when to “loosen up and go with the flow”.

Embracing Imperfection: Rather than striving for perfection, we should acknowledge mistakes in the kitchen and rectify them, which makes the result uniquely our own.

Process over Result: While the “point” is the end result, the true meaning of both cooking and life is in the process.

Living in the Present: Cooking teaches us to concentrate on the present moment, rather than worrying about the past or future.

Survival and Nurturing: Cooking as a way of strengthening oneself and a form of self-care.

We need structure, an understanding of the process and acceptance of the rules that actually matter, but just as importantly, we need to be able to loosen up, enjoy and go with the flow.  

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well if one has not dined well.”       – Virginia Woolf –