Winter Cooking~ In Touch with Your Soul...

If I have written about it once, I have done so hundreds of times...with much love and heartfelt sincerity I might add. It is a time in our lives as cuisiniers, that we sink our teeth into something real. Something concrete. Something that touches your soul! It is a type of expression that allows one to be whole. To be free from the superimposed pressures of becoming posers for the high society of diners and cooks alike. It is true, slow, succulent winter cooking. By that I simply mean that there are times when although our profession warrants it, and for that matter, demands it, we tend to cook and prepare things that are driven by a higher power, a stronger force set into motion by our peers, competitiors, business leaders, owners and media. A style that can be misconstrued as something it is not, if by no other reason, than perhaps just not being what one really, truly wants to cook. It is restaurant food. Glamorous and sleek~yes. Sophisticated and elegant~ absolutely. Avant Garde and cutting edge~of course, and why not? These dishes we see and cook in our restaurants each day are what we live for. They are what we seek to find in the worlds best eateries. Now, don't get me wrong. I love the food that I cook each and every day. It is what kicks my ass to keep going, and trustfully, those who follow along in the wake of my employ. If the femmes et hommes in our kitchen read this, and I know they will...("hi guys")...they will all surely think I am faux. But honestly, it is the true winter cooking that can allow us to release our identity and connect with the seasons offerings. To bring out more of ourselves than quite possibly any other time of year. For me, it is cooking that is simple. It screams the bounty of the region in it's profound beauty, brought together in harmony by means of the art of cuisine grande mere. That warmth and precious sense of wholesomeness is what penetrates the superficial nature of what we tend to get caught up in. This labor of love, simply put, is "one in touch with itself". As we commit to the long process, commit completely to it's existence, we soon realize what cooking is, and can be, all about. It is my hope and vision, to share this with my sons as they grow so that no single important part of this memory and knowledge will be lost. This done, will ensure the legacy of my soul as a chef.