HOW I CAME TO BE A FOODIE...

Wow – since this is my very first food related post, I thought I would begin by sharing with you how I became so enamored with food in the first place.

My passion for cooking really began when I was just 11 years old. While living in Germany in the early 1970's, I was fortunate to spend lots of time with Oma Ruth, my beloved grandmother.
Oma encouraged me to experiment in the kitchen, letting me sidle up next to her at the counter while she prepared our favorite meals. I have very fond memories of Oma reciting each ingredient as she added it to her recipe. Later I will post a story I wrote in honor of my Oma Ruth,  describing her love of food and how it left its effect on me to this day.

My inspiration for experimenting with new flavours initially came to me from my travels throughout Europe during family vacations. It was there that I was exposed to cuisines most youngsters would never even imagine sampling: Calamari in Athens, Prosciutto and Melon in Venice, Goulasch in Budapest and Smoked Eel in Hamburg. Having that International exposure gave me huge inspiration to create my own renditions of the tremendous foods I sampled during my travels. More recent trips to Asia and South-East Asia have given me the impetus to experiment with more exotic flavors to create delicious, nutritious meals in my kitchen.


I love to watch Food Network and get huge inspiration from the various chefs showing off their skills. Some of my favourite shows are: Iron Chef America, Chopped, Top Chef, Sweet Genius, because the chefs have to think on their feet -showing their utmost in creativity under immense pressure. Some of my favourite celebrity chefs include: Jamie Oliver, Anna Olson, Mario Batali, Lynn Crawford and Giada di Laurentiis.

Here’s to great food and the endless stories surrounding it!