To me cooking is a spiritual experience.  I have to be centered and peacefully focused.  My whole heart has to go into it.  I have to be happy and enjoy the process. I have to be inspired by the ingredients and the dish I’m putting together.

During the process, I would almost say that I’m creating a magic potion.  I tend the conjure up images of witches adding the right amount of wild ingredients into a black cast-iron cauldron chanting their magical spell.

The process of cooking has to feel right, I have to find the balance in the amount of each ingredient I add and the flavour melody I compose.  Every ingredient and technique has its set of criteria and nuances that one has to respect.

It is a way I express my love to my loved ones and my guests. I cook to create an experience for my guests as well as myself.

When my center is misaligned and I end up cooking for the sake of eating or feeding, that is when things go wrong.  That is when I end up burning a baked good or over cooking shrimp or not balancing the flavours.

All my live I have felt this presence or energy when I am happily cooking.  and when it is not there i am better off getting take out.

I would equate this to a meditative practice much like yoga.  I equate an experienced chef to a guru or a Kung Fu master who has mastered the craft from within.