Other Teachers Who Honed My Cooking Skills…
When I graduated from high school, I sometimes traveled and lived in Hawaii. That time, I experienced a variety of cuisines made by equally wonderful professional chefs and home cooks. I realized that I love dining out and enjoying meals cooked by other people just as much as I love cooking meals myself!
When the time came that I had to decide what course I should take up in college, my choices were (You might not believe it!) education, medicine, and culinary school. But then I chose to go to medical school. I worked in the service industry back in college. A fine-dining restaurant was one of the first places where I worked and learned so much about food, beer, wine, and spirits. This work experience also helped me enhance my food pairing and plating skills. I kept working in the industry and learned more about food and drink. I was even lucky enough to be given the chance to observe how some popular chefs worked and work with them.
When I was 20-something, a good friend’s grandma taught me how to cook classic Cuban and Salvadorian dishes using an old clay stove in her backyard where she always cooked meals. The meals and fragrance coming from this oven are so incredible! Such a big honor to learn a few cooking methods and recipes of hers. My learnings went a long way no matter how small they are. I was so proud when she said my pupusa (a traditional Salvadorian thick corn tortilla dish) had the same flavor as the ones she made. Her words made me feel like I already made it big in the cooking world!
Any kind of cookbooks and cooking shows brings out the culinary enthusiast in me. Culinary experts continue to inspire me, and so I’ve followed their entire lives and careers.
Presently, I usually cook for my family at home. Holidays and get-togethers excite me because that means I’ll get myself busy again in the kitchen and enjoy meals with my loved ones! Eating, drinking, and sharing are some of the things that make me happy.
I never made a career out of cooking, but I keep on cooking and learning. My passion and enthusiasm for cooking have turned into a real creative outlet for me. My dream is to build my own catering company or small café someday. Before it becomes a reality, I’ll be spending time in my kitchen doing what I love!
When I was putting this cookbook series together, I was a bit apprehensive because it wasn’t clear to me why people would care about it when there are legitimate chefs and cookbooks online. I was also thinking about having better pictures of food. But ultimately, I realized that there’ll always a better cook, chef, food photographer, blogger, or whatever. I made this cookbook series to share and connect with people through beautiful and delicious cuisines. Lastly, thank you for your time! Hurrah to sharing a deep passion for cooking!
