THE CHEF
When I was a kid,my grandmother gave me her passion for cooking. She had many guest at home. So she cooked with all her heart to prepare meals for guests. It was magic to see the wonder in the eyes of guests.
All products she used were always quality and selected from local merchants. I accompanied her to the providers. So I learned a lot from many discussions I heard (products,cooking time for different varity of vegetable…): Breton lobster, Saint Jacques with their shells, oysters, peaches, tomatoes, beef heart…
So I quickly decided to practice and to learn in a Hotel School in Bordeaux to find this shared pleasure to prepare and enjoy a good meal.
Those who prepare the meals are primarily for others to pleasure: they look carefully revenue , take into account the tastes and preferences, and apply in the preparation of dishes. The meal itself is a time of sharing, exchange and relaxation.
But the kitchen is also a place of conviviality.
I remember spent with my grandmother, watching preparing meals, our discussions, « knacks » and secrets that she taught me. The little things that she let me do, associating myself with her work and pride that I pulled. Smells also of her tapioca cake when i came back home from school.
All these memories are forever etched in my memory. They show that the kitchen is a link between each people, between generations, between family and friends. It can be simple or sophisticated, but it will be successful in both cases if it is prepared with passion and desire, prepared for the enjoyment of others.
Olivier BERTE