ANYONE CAN COOK — YOU JUST HAVE TO LEARN TO SLOW DOWN, CHEF SAYS
Chef Simon Reynolds is a jovial character, and you’re guaranteed many a laugh at one of his cooking classes in Saskatoon.
He started teaching nearly a decade ago, helping people learn simple skills and techniques in French, Asian and East Indian styles. He offers sourdough, dessert, sushi and pasta-making classes and even ones for couples or parents with their children, all geared to spark creativity in the kitchen.
He’s fighting to get people back in the kitchen and learning important skills that ensure self-sufficiency, while keeping food costs in check.
“It’s helping people cook for themselves rather than eating out. Chain restaurants and takeout food has kind of destroyed peoples’ need to cook. And it’s cost efficient. Food’s not cheap anymore, but if you have skills to cook, you can definitely save money.”
The Norwich, England-born chef was influenced by classically trained French chefs, including Gordon Ramsey and Nico Ladenis.
“There was a whole bunch of chefs that were ahead of their time back then. And that was the path I took,” he says.
That path — cooking from scratch, using seasonal ingredients and supporting local farms — took Reynolds on a journey to some of the U.K. and Australia’s best kitchens during a time when the locavore food movement was taking off.
“People wanted to know where their food came from and where things were sourced and what they were eating,” he says of the late 1990s to early 2000s.
In 2007, he opened a restaurant that featured locally sourced, seasonal menus in Saskatoon, his wife’s hometown. He later transitioned to running a cooking school and catering company.
Teaching his children how to cook and eat well has always been a passion.
“There are so many things people are rushing around to do, but they need to dedicate a couple of hours a week to a cooking experience together, then they’ll start to build up real skills,” he says.
“You need to be able to cook throughout your life to be able to eat well. It’s a good thing to teach at home.”
His advice? Everyone can cook — just slow down.
“Good food isn’t hard. Good food just takes time. People are in a rush to make a gourmet meal in 10 minutes. Everyone has a different level of confidence and skill level — it’s just demystifying what you can and can’t do.”
Simon’s Fine Foods also offers in-house private chef services and catering to Saskatoon and area. Visit simonsfinefoods.com for more info.