An Interesting Question...

Last week, a young woman contacted me about cooking classes. She was interested in learning the basics - knife skills, how to chop an onion and some simple recipes she can feed her family instead of frozen food. I designed a class tailored to her needs and came up with several recipes that will be easy enough for her to prepare but tasty enough that she could serve them to company.  To make her cooking lesson more fun I suggested that she ask some friends to join her.  She and I were both surprised to know how many young Moms jumped at the chance because they need this kind of instruction. I'm thinking that maybe she was even a little relieved.

One of her friends sent me an email to ask something I'd never been asked before.
Emily wrote, " I'm very interested in the class.  Do you have a cooking philosophy or style".  You know, that's a darned good question. I thought you might be interested in my reply:

So glad you asked! My philosophy is this - Serving a meal is another way to say I Love You - it comes from your heart. Preparing the meal is not just about making food, it's a social activity.  There are often a lot of people around and I like to include them in the process.  Sometimes the experience of making the meal is as meaningful and memorable as the food that you eat. No matter what food I prepare, whether it's just me or the entire family involved,  I want the food to be delicious and not complicated. 

 

In my cooking classes everyone is involved. There's no competition. I want everyone to feel comfortable, no matter their level of experience. It's very informal here. The phone rings. Sometimes my grown kids come in to say hi. To me, cooking is about my family and friends  and that's exactly why I teach in a home kitchen.