Food = Love

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet one of the contestants on MasterChef at a cooking series hosted by the Chicago Campus of Le Cordon Bleu.  The Spicy Chef, Suzy Singh, who's o-so-sweet, was there to talk about her experience as a student at LCB and about her experience in the spotlight on the MasterChef TV series on Fox.  (Click here to read my interview with Suzy on Gapers Block: Drive-Thru.)

The "sweet" gals in action.

The thing that really resonated with me about LCB's MasterChef cooking series class (aside from being star-struck at meeting the "as seen on TV" Chicago Chef), was the school's approach towards cooking.  The chef instructor told the class participants to think of a recipe as a set of guidelines and really encouraged everyone to make the recipe their own.  "Food is love," and when you make food for yourself and/or someone else, you're sharing that love.  "Sure, we made a lot of great food today, but I'm really in this for all the smiles you see around the room today."  That's what has attracted to me about working with food - the fact that the end product is about something more than just a nourishing, great tasting meal.  It's about the enjoyment and sense of community the act of sharing food at a table can give to you and the others enjoying it with you.  Bringing people happiness and joy from your labor of love.  That's what it's all about folks.

If you're interested in the MasterChef cooking series at LCB, they are hosted at least twice a month, each with different themes.  Anyone can sign up and you will get a MasterChef apron and receive a certificate of completion.  You'll want to put this one on the fridge for sure!

Anyways, I thought the experience was really inspiring.  Stay "sweet" my friends!