#chefprofile

[bakerykart]

Deepika Namdev is founder of D'Chocolatist & D'Chocolatiere Academy (Indore) and an International Chocolatier & Patissier from ENSP, Academy of Pastry Arts Malaysia & Callebaut Chocolate Academy Belgium.

[kiaeatingfruit-blog]

What Does Food Mean to You?

   Food has taken on many different forms throughout my life. As a child, it represented home. My mother cooked and baked endlessly, batting my impatient father away like a misbehaving child as he stretched to stick his finger into this or that just to get a taste. Food was comfort, warmth, and familiarity. 

   As I grew, it suddenly began to represent something sinister, something to be avoided at any cost. Food became my arch nemesis; I either refused it or purged it from my body. I failed to comprehend that I could not fight my own cells. Finally, as my energy began to wane and I often felt dreadful, food became my saving grace. I started to feed myself three square meals plus snacks every day. I prepared each course thoughtfully, truly putting love into all the different ingredients I combined. 

   Now, I recognize that choosing the right food and the right portions is as vital as breathing clean air. Food means my beating heart, my growing hair and fingernails, and my love for myself. 

   I try to not eat anything that I don’t fully enjoy or that will leave me feeling sickly. Food is what generates my power, and I do not intend to fill my tank only halfway.  

[kiaeatingfruit-blog]

hello

   My name is Kia Vosper. I am eighteen years old, and I have had a passion for food since I was twelve. As I got older, I became more aware of the importance of nutrition and began to pay more attention to what I was putting in my body, and including much more variety in what I prepared. I wasn’t just heating up baked beans and making simplistic salads any longer; cooking had become an artistic expression. 

   My favourite staple foods are rice, mushrooms, potatoes, mangoes, avocados, and bananas. In the way of meals, I enjoy a wide arrange of soups and stews, chilli, pizza, sushi, and so on. I like these because I feel fulfilled and healthy when I have finished eating. What I dislike are foods that weigh you down, such as things deep-fried or oily in general, as well as extremely sugary treats. I’ll still eat them on occasion, but feel very scornful as soon as I begin to feel sick. I have been vegan for two and a half years, so I guess I could also say I prefer not to eat animals or their products, either.

   I really enjoy making this chilli - https://minimalistbaker.com/5-ingredient-sweet-potato-black-bean-chili/. It’s super fast and easy, but feels good to eat. I also really like these burgers, from the same blog - https://minimalistbaker.com/sweet-potato-black-bean-burger/. At first, they were really messy, but I’ve gotten better and learned that if they fall apart, you just have to call it a vegan take on a sloppy joe.

   Some foods I would like to try are more exotic fruits and vegetables. I have yet to try jackfruit, which supposedly can mimic pulled pork in certain dishes. I am also yearning to test out this recipe, which is a take on traditional chicken noodle soup - https://www.hotforfoodblog.com/recipes/2015/11/16/vegan-chicken-noodle-soup.

    For me, food is all about nourishment. I have struggled with eating disorders in my past, and a key point in recovery was beginning to look at food as something that strengthens and aids your body. That is why I try my best to eat uplifting, largely whole foods that make me feel good.

   My favourite food blog is probably minimalistbaker.com or ohsheglows.com. These are arguably the ones you would most easily run into if you were doing a vegan recipe search on Google. I like these because they have a lot of plant based recipes that don’t always rely on substitutes, such as vegan cream cheese or mock chicken strips. While these things can be nice at times, I feel like I don’t have a desire to work these substitutes into every meal I have. My favourite chef is probably Lauren Toyota, who is head of hotforfoodblog.com and makes videos on YouTube. Though her recipes can be a little more comfort food oriented, I enjoy her relaxed personality and obvious abilities, as demonstrated in her Recipe?! videos. I haven't watched food-tv in a long time, but I definitely tuned into repeated episodes of Chopped a few years ago. I can’t make most of the recipes on primetime food programs without a lot of tailoring, so I don’t watch much unless I want plain entertainment.

   My favourite restaurant is Eternal Abundance on Commercial St. in Vancouver. I order the quinoa waffles and a chai latte almost every time I go, but they have an array of other delicious items. Here’s the menu, if you’re curious - https://eternalabundance.ca/cafe-menu/. And a photo.

  I think this about covers it.