The Leap of Faith

So friends, I’ve taken a leap of faith and enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) Ottawa to finish my Diplôme de Cuisine.

Those of you who know me well know that, just a little over two years ago, I spent five weeks at LCB working to get my Basic Cuisine certificate.  It was a great experience – a chance to explore a subject that has intrigued me from the day I first picked up a whisk.  I made a few great friends there, friends who have inspired me to learn more, and challenged me to examine what it is that I really want in life.

I can say this - I didn’t expect to be doing this at the age of 35.  I’ve been very fortunate – far more so than many people.  I have always been able to turn my interests, passions, and obsessions into work that pays, and it has long provided me with a lifestyle that I enjoyed.  But something always rang a little false – there was always something missing.  At the end of a hard day or a hard week, I always found myself in my kitchen, fiddling with a technique or ingredient, or tweaking a recipe that didn’t meet my expectations.  My kitchen is where I’ve blown off a lot of steam, and regardless of whether a particular dish was a success or a brutal failure, it’s always given me a sense of having accomplished something, or at least having learned a lesson along the way.

So I hope that some of you will follow my adventure.  I don’t plan to write a detailed blow-by-blow of every minute of class or of every recipe.  The story I hope to tell is one of taking chances, having some fun, and giving the critical eye to an old institution that has trained thousands of the world’s chefs.

And “Le Canard Enchanté”?  I’ll get to that….