I guess Ill start with a little foodie history.

I'd love to tell you that from an early age I pulled on Moms apron and begged her to teach me the mysteries of the kitchen. Or even to say I was fascinated by all the smells and sounds of dinner..
 I wasnt.
I was floundering around in my 20's not really knowing what I wanted to do ( well I knew, but didnt have the courage to do it, but thats another blog..)
I was working as a waitress, in a cocktail bar, that much is true. ( excuse my human league-ed-ness) for a crazy Russian lunatic who called himself Arnold. Arnold had bigger dreams than the basement "spaghetti Cellar" of Frans at Yonge and Dundas. He talked the owner into letting him run the cellar as a nightclub, dark lights cheap beer, cool alternative college types. It was odd and fun.


Long story short, Arnold opened his own place and brought me along, where I started to learn the restaurant business, and how to drink shots of wodka. We eventually had a falling out, I left and ended up starting an apprenticeship at "The Amsterdam" , a newly opened pub. The very first brew pub in Ontario.


The Amsterdam was managed by Gary Hoyer, who at the time, was a lunatic culinary genius. What an amazing place to do an apprenticeship. It was mad chaos, all the time. The line up were impossible and the food more so.


At a time when tzatziki  was still a relatively new treat to the status quo of Toronto, Gary, and the kitchen led by Alan Tenehouse had us making our own curries, I mean garam marsala from scratch. We were roasting 400 lb wheels of grana padamo cheese, to enhance its flavor prior to grating. Everything was from scratch from the mayo to the Ice cream, we made our own pickles and preserves. I think they even got half cows to butcher, but I never was a meat girl, so I stayed clear. We even built a smoker out of a locker and smoked our own salmon.


I started out 2 days a week in a small little room, a closet really, with Mr. Lee, an ancient Chinese man who smoked many cigarettes and smiled when he spoke of drinking "Lemy Maltin" (remy Martin) Mr Lee and I peeled potatoes, sweet potatoes, and rutabagas by hand, and hand cut all the "three colour" fries we served at the time.


They told me years later every day when I left they took bets on if I would return. And to everyones amazement I did.


I ended up becoming a red seal chef, patisserie really. I worked for some of the best chefs inthe country, at some of the best caterers and restaurants. I cooked for the Royal family on a visit here, I was chosen by the "Eat to the Beat" committee as one of the top female chefs in the city of Toronto. I won raves reviews from Toronto Life Magazine and Joanne Kates ( formerly Globe and Mail)


I dont want to work as a chef any longer,I have other passions to pursue... but I do love food and love to share what little I have learned along the way.


So with each post I'll share a story from the trenches and whats on the menu for the night.


Oh yea, I want to hear from you guys!! I never know what to eat  :)