In My Basket
Check the life stories of well-known chefs. Most likely, you will find that most of them left home, the quiet little towns of their birth, early in their lives. As young men, they got impressed with the cooking of their mothers. The smell of soup boiling in the kitchen, the roasting piece of meat or chicken, plus the many flavors emitting from the burning home stoves all made a strong impact that inspired them to seek better cooking techniques in big cities to learn more.
One of these men is Wolfgang Puck who needs no introduction. At an early age, the aromatic smell coming from his mother’s kitchen in his native Austria drove him to venture out and fulfill a culinary adventure, which he recalled in the book he wrote, “Wolfgang Puck – Adventures in the Kitchen.” Today Puck has five restaurants in America where he settled, the crown jewel being Spago in California, frequented by celebrities and other gourmets and gourmands.
More than a decade ago, Puck predicted the emergence of healthy and simple eating. Here are some of his views expressed more 10 years ago – restaurants and the public’s tastes have gone eclectic; new cuisines using spices while maintaining French techniques have evolved; less red meat, more fish and poultry, grills and roasting will be prevalent and sauces are lighter.
On the homefront, our “resident chef” (a monicker given by wife Mina) Graham Northcott also left home in Devon, England early in his teen years, and landed in the kitchens of the Middle East, subsequently joining the Manila Oriental Hotel in Manila in its glory days. Mandarin habitues to this day remember his fabulous roast turkey stuffed (including its legs) mainly with chestnuts. Plus, who can forget his bread pudding with vanilla cream?
Today he no longer works with a hotel, but is still very active in the food industry, with the chain called 99 in Jakarta. He is also an advocate of healthy eating, recommending salads and fish. Their son Matthew, after schooling in England, is likewise involved in the hospitality trade based in Melbourne.
Hurray to the gentlemen who left home and are now successful chefs!