A Culinary Point of View

To start I should say a few things about myself and some of my points of view, I guess!

If watching three seasons of the Next Food Network Star has taught me anything, it's that any good chef needs to have a clear point of view. While the blog title does start with Gard(e)ner, I think this blog is going to end up dealing primarily with food preparation (some growing too!) and cooking on a regular basis. Just don't call me a foodie!

When it comes down to it, I'm interesting in simple manageable cooking that produces strong flavours and great experiences. Of course, I say manageable, when my signature dish to date is a four hour pasta sauce! Really though, any dish worth cooking should be able to be made in any kitchen with a basic minimum amount of tools and gadgets. Sure, fancy complicated toys can help and/or complicate a dish, but shortcuts should be available.

I'm also an apprentice of sorts to PEI Chef Michael Smith, who's culinary point of view can be summed up succinctly as "simple is best". He prepares tasty uncomplicated food, without worrying about too many details, and not always worrying about a recipe either. While I can't say that I can pull off freestyle cooking completely, it's nice to have a recipe to start with and be able to tailor it and adapt it to my tastes and needs as inspired. I do mean inspired too - cooking, when don't properly is an art form. Just a very tasty one! ;)

Good cooking should be shared too - I love cooking for other and being inspired by what I think my friends would like to eat. I've taught a few cooking lessons too, and its amazing to be able to pass on what knowledge I've picked up on the subject, especially since I'm entirely self-taught.

I believe in an organic approach to gardening and farming - not necessarily because the food is any "better" or healthier in itself, but because the less chemicals we take into our bodies, the better off we are. It's the main reason I won't use pesticides or herbicides in my garden either.

My garden is a source of great pride, joy, and frustration for me. It's about 20 ' by 6' and is usually overly full of both weeds and whatever I can cram into it. I literally spend hours weeding and preparing it each summer...and usually but not always get a crop in. In fact, I've only had it fully planted once...but there's still a chance this year. There's something incredibly rewarding about being able to plant and grow your own food though, and it's just too hard to pull off in the house.