Culinary Adventures – At Home and Abroad

As anyone who has ever taken a class with me will know, culinary adventures are my passions. As a kid, I had little interest in food – unless I was eating it – but my mom was a talented cook with notebooks full of her own recipes. When I finally caught the cooking bug, I was thankful for those hand-written instructions. I still use them today.
In culinary school, I was more interested in cooking than baking but every professional chef needs at least a basic knowledge of baking. I don’t believe you can call yourself a chef without being confident with soufflés! During my time abroad in Spain and Germany, cooking was my focus but I did get to see incredible German pastries being made daily. To go back and a spend a day in that frantic kitchen in Munich would fill me with both angst and excitement.
Learning to cook and bake are skills that literally changed my life. Despite being a little late to the table – my detour involved studying law and then music before finding my place at the Culinary Institute of America – these skills are the basis of my career today.
My culinary dream would be to travel around the countryside of Japan; not for the sushi but to really immerse myself in the Japanese culture and experience the traditional dishes that the rural areas have to offer. While I’m on that side of the Pacific, I wouldn’t mind making the twelve hour flight to New Zealand to meet Chef Neil Perry, of whom I’m a great admirer.
The career and travel opportunities that a a good understanding of the culinary arts present are plentiful, and it’s my mission to help people see their potential in the kitchen. My 18-Week Professional Master Chef Program will teach you all you know to succeed in today’s restaurant environment. This French-based system is a comprehensive cooking program designed to teach in individual modules that build from Knife Skills, to Sauces, to Vegetables, to full Meals. Recipe Development and Costing are key components of this program. For those passionate about baking, my 10 Week Master Baking Program will give you the confidence to be a competent pastry chef in a professional kitchen or start your own business.
My next Master Baking Certificate Program begins this Saturday 2/7 at 10am and my next Master Chef Certificate Program begins on Sunday 2/8 at 9:30am. Find out more HERE.