The History of a Foodie

My world has always revolved around food. It is my passion. I love everything about it particularly eating it. I enjoy cooking; I read cookbooks in my spare time, I watch cooking shows. I particularly love discovering new or rather old well used recipes from family, friends and even strangers.

A perfect evening out for me is discovering a new restaurant with my husband. I love to try cuisine from all cultures but I must say I am particularly drawn to Italian food. But what I love the most is entertaining with family and friends around the diningroom table.

I believe my earliest passion for food was inherited. I was born of a French Canadian mother. She grew up in a rural Northern Ontario French community. She was exposed daily to the cultural influences of her heritage and the cooking skills of her mother and grandmother, many of those influences were carried over into her own kitchen. Even today I love rustic food, unpretentious, simple food of the earth.

Once I was old enough to make my way around a kitchen at the age of eleven or twelve I began to cook. It started with simple things like pizza, usually made for my Dad on Saturday nights while he watched Hockey Night in Canada. Pizza is still one of my favourite things to cook. I have fond memories of making desserts on Sunday afternoons for the traditional Sunday dinner. I believe pudding parfaits were my specialty in those early years. As I became older I learned more dishes of my heritage and when I married into an Italian family my mother-in-law strongly influenced my love for all things Italian. She was a phenomenal cook whose skills in Italian food could rival any chef.

At the age of 16 I began a small catering business and by 21 I was running the kitchen of 300 seat restaurant in Toronto which later propelled me into becoming a restaurant manager. I have worked in both the full service and quick service industry.

Today after 20 years in the hospitality industry, I am back in my own kitchen, back to where my love of cooking was ignited and I look forward to rekindling my passion again, lost after years in the industry. I am in search of marvelous meals to share with my family and friends. I am seeking out great restaurants offering fabulous food and superior service. I look forward to sharing those experiences past and present with you.

Please join me on a weekly basis as I reveal my kitchen experiences, restaurants reviews, great recipes and any and all things food related. Welcome to The Kitchen Sink Journals.