Culinary school or not

Already November with the usual Christmas decorations in the shops and people discussing plans for the December holidays. This year is racing towards the end. All the old cliches come to mind of 'time waits for no man' and 'you don't get any younger'. Then paranoia sets in. On of those 'Oh F*ck!' moments where you (again?) start questioning you existence and the usual interrogation of 'Where are you going with your life?'. This existential crisis has been raging forever as many that know me will tell you.

I recall a saying: 'sometimes all you have is the dream'. So I have had mine for a very long time. It entails collecting tastes and smells through cooking with fresh ingredients in an innovative way while also recording the experience and learning more techniques and skills. (This sounds very corporate-ish motto style reading it again.)

The unthinkable happened these past two years when both my older brothers died. The one was sick and died 2016 and the other was not and died in 2015. But what is scary is to be left behind with the ghosts of their unfinished plans and dreams. This made me painfully aware that life is too short for not enjoying what you do for a living and that time will eventually catch up with all of us. That is inevitable and then it is 'game over'. We might as well make plans, follow dreams and appreciate food and love every day. Sounds very 1960 and free-love-style! And I am sure that there are a few 'get-over-your-miserable-self' prophets now reading this!

BUT, I want to start heading in the direction of my dream. I know that I want to write more about food, culture, cooking etc and not just that, but also creating these experiences myself.  Now the question  that always pops up is the dilemma whether proper formal training will enhance my credibility. Would I be able to write with authority and seriously cook for people (other than my usual bunch of friends and family) with the necessary self assurance possessed by someone with the necessary culinary training?

There are diverse opinions out there and even some chefs like Bourdain whom I respect says that the training route is not always the right option. Then there are so many people out there practicing what they love and just riding the experience train. The following is also an insight into the problem.

I gather that it is a very personal choice and all is relative to what you want to achieve. I am still in two minds, and will have to make a decision at some date.

Let me know what is your opinion on getting formally trained at a culinary school.

Happy cooking!

Sustainable Cooking aka my cooking obsession

Recycling, upcycling and the concept of no waste have always been something close to my heart. On a daily basis, I strive to apply that in my daily life, my art, my household, my decorating as well as my cooking.

Today I watched an old program of chef Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" where he visits Napoli, Italy. He tries to trace 'the red sauce' introduced to him by many Italian eateries in New Jersey, USA, growing up during the '70's. The one scene is quite special where he joins a family in Napoli for typical Sunday lunch, Ragu. The grandmother cooks the assortment of meat in a tomato sauce for hours, then ladles the meat sauce over pasta like big macaroni or rigatoni and then the meat with green leafy veg is served as the main. Slowly she cooks the meal - no fuss, no story. It is clear that La Mama is the fierce ruler of her kitchen and that will be the case until it is time to take a boat ride to the other side of life! This is the way she has been doing it forever, with dangling cigarette and all!

Then the program cuts back to New York where Bourdain interviews two young chefs from Italian descent. They apply the waste-not principles of their Italian forefathers by using local ingredients and adapting their dishes to the local influences.

Then the lucidum intervallum moment occurred. The challenge is to fuel my lust for Italian cooking with some fresh ideas from my local market. Instead of trying to mimic the Italian recipe in front of me it needs to be adapted to what is available here and now. This takes me back to a sour response from a cousin when I told her about my dream to live in Venice for a while and document my cooking experience. She naively asked why it cannot be done here in South Africa in Johannesburg. Because it is defeating the purpose, duh! But in retrospect, I am here now and cooking now, so yes, I can apply those lovely principles and don't need to search our shops for authentic Italian - not taking any glamor away from the dream! Adapt or die.

The other idea that is occupying my mind is the private restaurant, pop-up dining, or underground dinner club - call it what you like. Many people started like this with great success. I know it is not as simple as laying a table and opening the front door. But all big ideas start small. This has been something I have been toying with for years. Time to start acting on this now. I don't want to compare myself to Rachel Khoo, but it can be done.

Maybe it is also time to start acting on that chef's course! It is definitely time to go check on the tomatoes drying in the oven and start cooking my own Ragu for dinner with the spinach from my small garden.

Let me know how you apply sustainable cooking principles.
Happy cooking!