It was always challenging growing up in a family with eight siblings to be the one to get to lick the stir spoon after Mom prepared her famous chocolate fudge icing for her even more famous chocolate fudge three-layer cake. Mmmmm.
All of us would line up at the kitchen table hoping that we would be the lucky one who had “earned” the right for that sumptuous lick of the stir spoon. I remember feeling like I won the lottery when it was passed my way and I deliberately closed my eyes so I would not see the longing, disappointed look on the faces of my brothers and sisters. It was such a joy and such a treat that I felt guilty having it all to myself, but never guilty enough to share that experience.
There has always been a close association in my family between food and feelings. My fondest memory of growing up was smelling the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen when Mom was cooking, especially around the holidays.
My mother was a chef who loved to experiment with food, textures and taste, but her expertise was definitely in baking. She took enormous pride in perfecting traditional desserts with her own unique flair.
So it was no surprise I was extremely excited when Michelle Gallant, Sudbury Living event co-ordinator, came to me with the idea to launch a new event titled Cook for Me Sudbury.
Gallant’s idea was to have an event to showcase home chefs in the Greater Sudbury area and to have their food creations judged by noted chefs in our community along with attendees at an event Oct. 24 at the Caruso Club. Full details for the event and how to become involved are on the website sudburylivingmagazine.com/cookforme.
I was even more excited when we announced our line-up of celebrity judges for Cook for Me Sudbury: Simon La Henaff, culinary professor at College Boreal; Mark Gregorini of Ristorante Verdicchio; Stephanie Piche owner of Legacy Catering; and Maria Mohammed, the recent MasterChef Canada runner up.
Hosting the event with our resident foodie Mathieu Beausoleil, who moonlights here at work as our web and digital media manager, is a blast. Filming the promo for the online video promotion was way too much fun.
The competition is limited to individuals who do not have previous training in the culinary/kitchen industry, but who love to cook with a passion and who would be proud to be crowned Greater Sudbury’s FIRST Cook for Me Sudbury Champion.
The winner will receive $1,000 cash, a story and profile in an upcoming issue of Sudbury Living magazine, as well as a number of other prizes and unrelenting promotion.
As more preparations for the event unfold this month—deadline for submissions is June 20—I am getting more excited. There are so many nationalities and cultures in Greater Sudbury that I am hoping to see creative and tasty recipies that we can all try at home and enjoy.
So, closeted cooks, come out of your kitchen, tie on your aprons and cook with passion. You could be Greater Sudbury’s FIRST Cook for Me Sudbury Champion!
