Cristina Romero is a Spanish blogger and I catch up with her and discuss life.

Cristina, a pleasure to interview a fellow blogger. Tell my audience something important about you?

Thank you very much, Jerry. I could be compared with the hands of a clock. In other words, I am always “functioning”. I am a very active person and I don’t stay put. I do not think there are enough hours in a day to do everything I would want to do. I am very human; my heart drives me. I like to help people around me. As a result, I find it worthwhile because that shapes the person I am. In conclusion, I am a woman that is very independent, very devoted to others, with clear ideas on her mind and who doesn’t settle.

Tell me a little about your blog and why did you decide to blog?

My blog is the start of a new phase in my life. After having worked in media and communications, I stopped working full time to take care of a family member.

After two years, I created the trademark “by Tina” and designed a handbag collection of different types of material, which were made in Spain. The fixed costs were high and I did not have any financial backing. I, therefore, decided to pursue something that I liked which is writing and having my own blog.

It was challenging at the beginning and a new world for me. I thought through the whole process and designed the website by myself. I am a perfectionist by nature. I took courses on blogging and www.elblogdetina.es was born.

The blog is about my thoughts, reflections, and state of mind on various topics like a visit to a restaurant, my kids, or just cooking. It is a journey.

What kind of journalism do you specialize in? What do you like about journalism?

I have worked in the press and radio.  I did not like what I saw when I started working for different media companies. To my mind ethics are a key feature of individuals, and this should be even more highlighted when you work in the “fourth power”. When I was faced with the truth about journalism, I was hugely disappointed. My ideas around journalism pictured the great reporter investigating for news but the reality is very different.  The news is delivered to you by the big press agencies and that is a debacle for your ideas.

What does female empowerment mean to you?

I believe women need to have their own dignity, be independent, and have their rights acknowledged. I further think that Spain where I live,  men and women have the same rights and opportunities (at least from a legal perspective, which sometimes plays out differently in practice).

When I was born, I had the same opportunities as my brother and the same is true for my friends. Maybe if you look back two generations it was odd to see the same number of men and women study, but nowadays any child born, be it a boy or a girl, will go to school and have the opportunity to go to university and have a future. I don’t see women as a prejudiced social group in Spain because of being born female.

I think that the word empowerment is fully compatible with women, as the word indicates, gain control over their own lives and circumstances. Maybe it is actually the circumstances each of them faces in her life that makes that woman give up on her professional life (be it because she has kids she wants to raise so that she can be independent in the future or because she has a disabled relative who she needs to take care of or due to other reasons…). And it is here where I see that laws don’t work properly: both a woman and a man should be able to take care of their families and home without giving up on financial independence, but there is no government help for this.

How has social media changed your society?

Social media has allowed people to have a broader view of life.  In other words, not everything is controlled by the same media. Therefore, the freedom to express yourself has substantially increased. It is a great tool to exchange information and has led nowadays to a steep change in mass media.

Spanish society has evolved positively in a lot of ways on the back of social media as it has given everyone a voice. The flipside of this is that it gives rise to abuse, to people manipulating social media to achieve their goals or to professional haters hiding behind the anonymous status a profile gives them, but that can be mitigated by the right of every individual to choose what he wants to read, follow or do.

Help me understand some of the challenges you have faced in life and how did you overcome it?

The first was in the workplace. In order to move up in the media world, I faced, as we say in Spain,  “pasar por la piedra”, It means as a woman if your boss comes and tells you that in order to progress you have to have dinner with him (or do anything, as we have recently seen in the cinema world) and when you say no he makes your professional life unbearable until you quit.

Another tougher challenge was when the CEO of my company told all female employees that he didn’t want any of us to get pregnant and that if we did no one could in “his” company (which wasn’t actually his) apply for a part-time job as is set out by Spanish law. When my second child was born, I decided to focus more on my family, and therefore against the will of my boss I notified HR that I applied for the reduced working hours that I was entitled to. They couldn’t obviously object but they made life difficult until I voluntarily left. That challenge has been very important and thanks to the fact that I actually sent that notice to HR and subsequently left women can (and do) now have different options of working hours in that company and can find a work-life balance.

The third challenge was that I was in a relationship with a male chauvinist. When I wore a skirt, it was too short and he wanted me to wear pants. He did not want me to drive and was emotionally abusive.

He was very controlling, negative and it had a deep impact on my personality. He was very aggressive in his character. I became aware of his negative impact on me and mentioned that I wanted to end the relationship. He became manipulative, by threatening to jump out of the window, screaming, and even broken a door to get into the room I had locked myself in.

However, I decided to quit this toxic relationship, as I would never be happy and called it off. We should be free in a relationship and not be subdued and unhappy. I still have to see him because of certain issues but I have learned to forgive and have pity on him.

Talk to me about Spanish society and is it still patriarchal or an equal society?

Spanish society is undergoing constant change. In the last few years, it has changed significantly and there is a long way to go. Spain has a constitution since 1978. We were coming from a completely patriarchal society, where women’s role was basically to be the wife of someone and raise the kids whilst staying at home (with some exceptions). Women gained the right to vote in the 30s, notably 1933 and it was strange to find women studying in university and having a job linked to their career thereafter. The change was accelerated in 1978 and since then boosted, and it has only been 41 years! It is amazing to see how everything has changed since now we live in an equal society.

As I said, most women are free to decide what they want to do in life and if they want to continue with their career or prefer to devote more time to their family and give up a professional career. But there is still a lot to improve regarding maternity leave and the way back to work once it is finished. Rejoining your job isn’t easy and sometimes your salary is not worth it. A lot has to change. You can of course always decide to start your own business and try to balance family life and work that way, but not everyone has the financial capacity to be able to do that and the government doesn’t, unfortunately, help much. On top of that, not everyone has the personality you need to start your own business and prefers to settle for a company or, if you are a woman after maternity leave, stay at home.

Walk me through some of the best restaurants in your city?

The restaurant scene has exploded in Madrid in the last decade.

There is a choice for every palate and wallet. From eating fantastic pinchos in the San Antón market to a nice plate of pasta in an Italian restaurant such as Don Giovanni, Mediterranean food as in La Ancha or El Qüenco de Pepa, nice fish in el Barril or go to restaurants that are more trendy where fusion food or Japanese food are growing such as Amazonico, Bibo, Sushi 99, Inari and many others…. you can also have a great piece of Brazilian meat in Rubaiyat. This is all on top of your classic paella or other rice dishes like in St. James restaurant, but Spanish food goes way beyond paella.  A very welcoming restaurant where you have great food is La Buena Vida, with one of the best cheesecakes in town. Another one of my favorites is Taberna Laredo. I could go on forever…

What is your city famous for and why should we visit it?

Madrid is 1000 years old, historic and one of the greatest European capitals. It is a thriving, cosmopolitan city with a dynamic cultural scene and amazing weather.

Food is an obsession (not least the Mediterranean diet has been considered the most healthy diet worldwide) and there is plenty to choose from as madrileños tend to go out a lot…

On top of that, if you have enough of Madrid, which is very difficult to happen, you have amazing places nearby, including several world heritage sites like Toledo, or the Roman aqueduct in Segovia, or the walls of Avila…all within less than an hour drive.

How do you find balance in modern-day society and what are your priorities?

I think we have gone very quickly from one extreme to the other, from not having the technology available to having access to everything. New technologies bring with them a lot of good things but also give rise to something that is very bad: social isolation. It is very sad when for example I am having dinner in a restaurant and look around me and see most people with their mobile phones, teenagers meeting their friends and each of them just looks at their mobile, rather than speaking to each other, playing cards… there should be more education on the bad use of technology in order to foster healthy, natural and true relationships.

If when you raise kids you should impose time limitations on the use of technology. At home we have rules for the use of technology (including the fact that when we have lunch or gather with our family or friends we can’t use technological devices) and, to be honest, life is good that way because at the end of the day we are people and personal relationships should still be channeled through conversations and face to face instead of through phones or screens.

Balance in modern life would to me be complete equality of rights between men and women, that we were all free people with the ability to think for ourselves, without being conditioned by anyone and that we could all study and work to be truly independent.

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The Burnt Tongue is a cozy restaurant with a few locations in Hamilton, Ontario.

The focus is on comfort food consisting of soups, burgers, salads, fries, and sandwiches.

Hamilton is a sui generis city, called the Hammer by locals and Steel Town by outsiders. Hamilton is the waterfall capital of the world with more than 100 waterfalls. Hamilton has a rich past, vibrant culture, and nature surrounding it. The urban feel is unique, the arts scene is pulsating and authentic with a vibrant downtown.

The City that gave us Tim Horton’s has a bustling food scene with incredible restaurants.

The founders of The Burnt Tongue wanted to create a chain of restaurants in Hamilton known for delicious soups and burgers. Everything about the restaurant is to create a casual and comfortable environment. The focus is on bringing food and hospitality together by providing healthy and delicious food.

The Burnt Tongue that we visited is located at 10 Cannon Street East.

We order at the counter. A single classic burger, a single deluxe burger, fries, and a Coke. The service is friendly and they bring the food to your table. I do sense an extra serving of warmth that is ingrained in the culture.

The burgers are delicious and outstanding. This is comfort food at its best. The ingredients are fresh and all the ingredients are locally sourced.

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Perfect Chinese Restaurant in Scarborough offers the best dim sum in Toronto for your money.

History

Dim sum is a classic, long-established, time-honored Chinese dish and snack served with tea. Guangzhou in the 10th century saw a huge increase in economic travel. To meet the needs of these commercial travelers, many teahouses sprung up offering yum cha or ‘drink tea’ meals. Yum cha has two notions attached to it.  The first is Yat jung leung gin which means to serve two pieces with tea. The second is Dim sum which means to touch someone’s heart and to give small items of food with tea.

The Communal Aspect of Dim Sum

Taking part in eating appetizers, small dishes, and nibbles is a time-honored communal eating tradition all over the globe. North Africa and the Middle East have meze, Spain has tapas, Italy has mozzarella finger food, Mexico has antojitos and Greece has Kalamata olives in Greece.

Dim sum is a traditional communal way of eating a meal around a table. It is an array of meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes baked, steamed, or fried.

The Decorum and Protocol

I have been to Perfect a dozen times to try their dim sum, various Chinese dishes, BBQ duck, lobster, and fish dishes. This review is all about their dim sum offerings.

Perfect is as authentic as can be. You are seated at a table with a plate, bowl, and a pair of chopsticks. You have to request a spoon and fork. At Perfect, you are automatically given green tea, as it is an essential part of the meal. The person closest to the teapot should pour tea for everyone before their own cup.

If the pot is low on water, take the lid off and put it on the side. The server knows that you want a refill.

Perfect has a menu whereby you tick what you want and the server brings it for you. There are no pushcarts here.

Here are My Recommendations

Start with the Har Cow or shrimp dumplings. A huge shrimp wrapped in a semi-transparent dumpling wrapper and served in a bamboo steamer. I like mine with soya sauce.

The Cheung Fun is delicious. Rice noodles steamed and rolled around shrimps. Ask for it to be lavished in soya sauce.

I have given you my two favorites shrimp dim sum. Now try the squid steamed with ginger. The meat is not chewy. It has a lovely texture that is delicious and tender.  The ginger gives it the right flavor and it is also healthy for you. I like to add some hot sauce to this.

Think outside the box and go with steamed beef ribs. This is a tamer dish. Go ahead and add mustard.

Dim sum smoked seriously? Yes go ahead and order the smoked meats. A variety of smoked meats. Lavish with mustard and hot sauce and enjoy rice with it.

The Perfect restaurant is located at 4386 Sheppard Avenue East in Scarborough and is open 24 hours. There is no fuss or snobbery here. It is like going into a tea house in China and experiencing their hospitality. It has the best dim sum in Toronto for the money you pay.

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Every February, Canadians celebrate Black History Month which consists of festivities and events to honor the legacy of Black Canadians and their communities. The theme for 2022 Black History Month is: ‘February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day,’ which focuses on the daily contributions that Black Canadians make to Canada.

I am a big fan of farm-to-table or farm to fork. I believe in food security, proximity, self-reliance, and sustainability. It is important for us to have a healthy relationship with food. Food is important for us as human beings.

A family that eats together stays together. Eating together allows conversations to happen, it sets a routine, it helps with assigning tasks and allows parents to influence what their children eat. I have known Michelle Marshall for more than a quarter-century. I am proud when my friends do well. Michelle Marshall has raised 5 children, continues to work full time, and runs an amazing catering business. I want to know a little bit more about her and her philosophy. I strongly recommend her for any of your parties.

Michelle, an honor to have a chef, mother, wife, and a woman of faith on my blog. Tell my audience something important about you?

I love listening to people’s stories, especially over a great meal. I also love rainstorms.

What inspired you to become a chef?

To be honest for a long time I did not consider myself a chef. That is a title that others have given me for the work I have done. My first choice of career was to become a psychologist, but at the time my family couldn’t afford that education. Instead, I went to school for Culinary Management because I really enjoyed cooking. I cook because that is my expression of love and care for others.

Name three ingredients you consciously avoid or eliminate even when the recipe calls for it?

Margarine, all vegetable oils, and flour. These ingredients each cause inflammatory responses in the body, and there are natural health-supporting alternatives.

Name three things you have to use in most recipes?

Coconut oil, scotch bonnet pepper, and lemon zest (and juice). A heart-healthy fat; flavor and fire; and that added ingredient to brighten up the flavors in most dishes.

How important is eating meals together as a family to you?

Eating together as a family is a key to helping us stay connected. Our meal times are very loud with lots of teasing and joking. The challenge that we face is making time with all our different schedules. But we are fighting to make it happen as often as we can.

What are your favorite regional cuisines or specific foods?

Indian food certainly, followed by Hakka. The love and care that go into Indian food flavors are beautiful. Similarly, the combination of Indian and Chinese influences in Hakka is addictive.

I should also mention that I love Caribbean food – especially Jamaican food because of my roots.

Over the years, I have catered events that have required me to prepare Ukrainian, Korean, Chinese, Canadian, Trinidadian, Jamaican, Portuguese, Italian Greek, and Ecuadorean dishes for very discerning audiences.

One of my new pursuits is to learn traditional cultural dishes from various elders. This summer I had a great education in Indian cooking from a mother and daughter team. I recently blogged about that exciting experience. 

If you could have any four people, from anywhere over for dinner, who would they be and why?

Firstly, my Grandmother has passed. She was the best cook and the kindest person.

Maya Angelou, because I would love to cook with – and listen to – her.

Michelle Obama, because she is a great mother and I would love to learn from her.

Nelson Mandela, because of his humility and forgiveness of others were so inspiring.

If you could just banish any one food, from the earth, what would it be?

I would banish hydrogenated fats because they have no redeeming nutritional qualities. They mainly exist because factory-produced foods require cheap fats to extend their shelf-life.

What’s the one superpower wish you had?

The ability to heal.  Of course, that would lead to lineups around the corner and very little sleep. I have also always wanted to be able to sing well.

I have been dying to ask you this one question. How did you manage five kids in the home?

I would like to say that we are super-organized and it is easy, but the truth is that it is really hard to meet the ever-changing needs of 5 very different people. We do our best, but the pressures of raising children in the digital age (where everything is available to them on their cell phones) is challenging. We try to be vigilant, present, and open with our kids. On the practical side, they all have their responsibilities around the house, and everyone cooks and can help with meals. That helps a great deal with the daily tasks because both my husband and I work full-time. We are grateful for the 5 beautiful souls that we have gotten to grow alongside for the past 18 years.

I want you to give my audience three tips on how to be a great loving mother, an awesome humble wife, how to cook a quick meal for a family?

My new goals, because they have changed over the years, are to learn to give unconditional respect, communicate openly (even if I have to write in a journal to get my thoughts across), and seek ways to be lovely to my husband.

3 quick meal tips:

• Start with what you have
• Reinvent leftovers
• Use fresh vegetables, not meat, as the star of your meal

How did you have time for yourself?

Time for myself is best spent in the company of good friends. Whether it is a walk or a cup of tea, being with people who I love fills up my emotional cup.

What was your greatest failure and what did you learn from that?

My greatest failure has always been trying to be what people want me to be, instead of being who I really am. No one wins in those situations. People deserve the choice to love me for who I am, rather than the person I think they want me to be.

Walk me through something challenging you have been through in life and what did you do to overcome it and thrive on the other side of the tunnel?

18 months ago, my father-in-law had a life-altering stroke. During his recovery, I felt helpless to do anything to support both him and my mother-in-law. Calling to check in on them, or suggesting snow removal services wasn’t enough.

At that time, I started to explore the healing properties of food. That began my journey into the field of culinary nutrition. With the support and encouragement of my husband I researched and signed up for an intensive culinary nutrition course. In the 18 months since my father-in-law’s stroke, we have moved them into a condo from their home of 35 years, and I have gone back to (and finished) school. We then renovated our home and moved 3 times in 6 weeks. That renovation was to allow me to teach culinary nutrition cooking classes. I will also be doing catering from the new space with a focus on using whole foods to promote better health.

The learning curve to begin this new endeavor is huge, but it has been worth it. What once was a situation that felt hopeless is now filled with possibilities. I can now help people to find food solutions for their health challenges.

Although I have been in the food industry for decades, coming through this challenging period is the story behind Michelle Marshall’s Food Solutions.

If I want you to cater to 20 guests who are vegans, have allergies, and are on the Atkins diet, can you pull it off for me?

[Laughs] Admittedly, you might want to have them over on separate nights! Yes, I can pull it off, but that dinner party would be a tough one. The vegans might be offended by all the meat the Atkins guests are eating, and nuts would be out of the question if some guests are allergic.

Personally, I would start by excluding everything that causes an allergic reaction, and then find out what foods people love. It would probably be a vegan menu, but it certainly can be done.

We have covered food; the family now let’s talk about faith. I believe we need more unconditional love in this world and less judgment. Do we have something in common?

Unconditional love in practice is a beautiful thing. We all need it, but it is hard to give. It is the one thing that is able to cross every boundary and bring peace both to the giver and the receiver.

Forgiveness and gratitude go a long way in this life and being joyful. Please comment?

Forgiveness frees us from the bondage that is always threatening to enslave us. Around every corner, hate is trying to grab a hold of us, but forgiveness is freedom.

At the heart of every truly joyful soul is gratitude. The amazing thing is that gratitude goes beyond our circumstances and sees the beauty in even the smallest kindnesses and gestures.

Peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, compassion…. universal qualities. What does your faith say about these things?

My faith says that peace, patience, kindness, gentleness are all attributes of love. Not a feeling, but actions that we take into our daily lives to protect our hearts – and the hearts of those we encounter. Love is a choice we make to treat others as we would desire to be treated.

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The fermented juice of grapes is made into an alcoholic beverage called wine. Apples, cranberries, plums are also used to make wine. However, if it says wine on the bottle it is from wine grapes. Wine grapes are sweeter, smaller, and have more seeds than table grapes.

Have you ever heard of the saying ‘what a great vintage’? Hmmm… Vint means ‘to make wine’ and Age is the year it is made. It takes an entire season for wine grapes to ripen and hence it is produced once a year.

There are several factors and dimensions to a bottle of wine and its amazing flavor: aroma, sweetness, acidity, tannin, alcohol, and the aging process.

Candy Mah Executive Director at Cave & Cellar, Malaysia talks about wine.

Candy please tell my global audience a little about you?

I am a wine importer based in Malaysia for over 20 years.  I distribute throughout Malaysia in the HORECA, retail, and duty-free market.

Do I have to be a foodie and elitist to drink wine?

One does not have to be a foodie or elitist to enjoy wine. Anyone and everyone can drink wine anywhere.

I want to drink red with white meat, is it OK? Or, is it still white with fish and chicken and red with meats?

To be honest with you, there is so much creativity and fusion in food. People can do the wine pairing as they deem fit.

When I am at a restaurant and order a bottle, how do I know if the wine is good? Do I have to swirl the glass, smell the wine, have bread to taste it, and smell the cork? In other words how to drink wine with food?

Smell, swirl, and taste are the basics to find out if the bottle is good to keep or return at a restaurant.

Does having a cork make a difference in the wine bottle?

Not at all. The screw cap wines are just as good. 

When I go to the store to buy wine, should I always look at the score or buy something that I like?

I would always buy something I like, so I’ll suggest the same for others.

Is an expensive bottle always better than a cheaper bottle?

Price is not an indication of the quality of wines, but it depends on the type of wine. Normal drinking wines that taste better will always cost a bit more.   Grand Crus wines these days are overpriced. As a matter of fact, some Cru Bourgeois which cost less can be the same and sometimes even better.

If I want to have a few bottles of wine for the holidays for guests how do I build a collection?

One should know the preference of the guests. However, here is a guideline:

a.  Western guests you can keep some Pinot Grigio (white), or Rose (dry) for summer and preferably Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir.

b.  Asian guests, you can keep Chardonnay and/or Cabernet Sauvignon.

How do you balance food, faith, finance, and family in the 21st century?

I separate the working and non-working hours.  Once working hours are over, I relax and during the weekends spend precious moments with my family.  Work is never-ending. Time is in our hands to control to do the right things for ourselves and our loved ones.

Photo Credits: Kelsey Chance Caroline Hernandez  Brett Jordan chuttersnap Matt Lamers Amy Chen 

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What’s the heck with Hakka?

The Hakka are part of the Han Chinese group from the Central Plains of Northern China. They were a nomadic group, hence the word ‘Hakka’, which means ‘Guest Family’. They settled in Guangdong province and from there migrated to India, Taiwan, Malaysia, Canada, Indonesia, Peru, and Jamaica.

The history of Hakka Cuisine

Traditional Hakka cuisine focuses on preserved meats and vegetables. However, in Canada, Hakka food is associated with Chinese food with Indian spices cooked by the Hakka people from Calcutta.

The Chinese came to Calcutta in the nineteenth century as a result of trade between Canton and Calcutta. The Hakka community in Calcutta focused on the leather tanning and shoe-making business. They had a niche in this business. The reason is that certain ethnic groups could not do it for religious reasons.

The Hakka community started migrating to the Greater Toronto Area in the 70s after the Indo-China War. Hakka cuisine is the heirloom of migration, conflict, struggle, and colonialism. Some of my favorite dishes are chicken lollipops, Hakka noodles, chili chicken, chicken corn soup, and vegetable Manchurian.

Golden Joy Restaurant

Linda Huang and her Husband Clifford offer authentic Hakka food at Golden Joy Hakka Restaurant located in Etobicoke. The restaurant is located in a strip plaza at 900 Albion Road. The couple speaks Bengali, Hindi, English, Hakka, and a dash of Cantonese and Mandarin. Linda greets us with a great smile and she is joyful just like the laughing Buddhas at the restaurant. Gold is a sign of prosperity in Chinese culture.

The choice of items on the menu is extensive. The restaurant is halal so no pork is served. Linda runs the front of the office and Clifford is at the back leading a brigade of experienced chefs. The focus is on quality and freshness.  I was amazed to know that all the sauces: curry, honey garlic, honey, sweet and sour, Szechuan and Manchurian are made in-house. I am sold. I tell my wife that I am amazed at how low the prices are.

We decide to order the dinner for 4 @$ 54.99. You get two bowls of chicken corn soup, 4 spring rolls, chicken pakora, fish with mixed vegetables, chili chicken, chicken fried rice, and chicken chow mein.

The chicken corn soup is delicious and I like that they add peas and scallions to it. The taste and consistency are amazing. The handmade spring rolls are delicious. The chicken pakoras are served with sweet onion and lime. A perfect combination. I try the fried rice with the chili chicken. The flavor of the wok is transferred to this classic dish. The chicken chow mein is tasty, spiced well, and just the right amount of all the ingredients.  The fish was delicate, with the right amount of breading and a perfect combination of vegetables. I also liked that they gave you four packages of homemade chili sauce and green chilies with vinegar.

I have eaten at more than 20 Hakka restaurants in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area over the last three decades. This restaurant is the best in every dish, with great value for the price, huge portions, and great service. Please go and support them.

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Gordon Ramsay the British chef, television personality, and restaurateur has been awarded 16 Michelin stars. Ramsay is the most influential chef in the UK. His reality television is sprinkled with his temper, sauteed with profanity, garnished with an eccentric demeanor, and finished with his sense of humor. The personality behind Hell’s Kitchen, Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, The F Word, and 24 Hours to Hell and Back has a vast presence in Vegas.

Gordon Ramsay brings his magic, pizzazz, and fiery personality to Las Vegas with Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill, Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips, Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen, Gordon Ramsay Burger, and Gordon Ramsay Steak.

I want to try the ultimate restaurant in Ramsay’s chain The Gordon Ramsay Steak, Las Vegas located at the Paris hotel. The restaurant has a dining environment that is set in the Paris casino which is modern and high-powered. The fine dining experience of London is transported to Las Vegas’s Paris Hotel mixed with Ramsay’s signature dishes.

As you enter Gordon Ramsay’s  Steak Restaurant, located at the Paris hotel, you are guided through an architectural depiction of the Chunnel station in London, symbolic of crossing over from France to England. The Union Jack flag and the red neon sculpture portray the dim of Ramsay’s hand movements when making his trademark Beef Wellington.

The roofing of the trendy steakhouse is smothered with the Union Jack Flag.  The bar is seductive and magnetic. The lounge is enticing and captivating. The two-story dining area is beguiling but allows you to sit back and relax. The high rollers can book a private dining room or book a chef’s table and see the chefs practicing their art.

The waiters and busboys leave you alone. They give you space. They are decked. However, I like the ambiance. It is not snooty. The busboy pours you water and brings an amazing assortment of bread.

The waiter takes our drink orders. I tell him to choose a red, rose, and a virgin cocktail of his choice. I get a glass of the 2015 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Debbie gets the rose and Jean gets the virgin cocktail.

The red with the bread tastes like Manna.

For starters Debbie tries the oysters, I order the Ceasar Salad and Jean orders the vegetable soup.

Finally what the carnivores like Debbie and Jean have been waiting for. The meat trolley arrives. Every cut imaginable is available. Debbie points to the tomahawk. They want it medium with vegetables and macaroni and cheese. The steak is perfect.

I am full after the meal. The waiter insists I try the sticky toffee pudding cake. I am like OK.

The dessert was worth flying all the way to Las Vegas. It was extraordinary.

I was impressed with the ambiance. The service blew me away. The drinks were out of this world. The food was delicious. I pay for experiences. Gordon Ramsay’s Steak Restaurant in Las Vegas delivered.

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Julia is the Pastry Chef at Eden at the Rimrock Resort in Banff Alberta Canada, 5 Diamond BCAA rating, one of three 5 diamond restaurants in Canada. She grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, and started cooking at 19 years old. She did a 4-year apprenticeship while completing her Culinary Certification at the Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria’s downtown core.  She has lived in 3 different provinces and worked in luxury hotels across Canada, as well as training under a Michelin star pastry chef in Ontario.  When not in the kitchen, you can find her at the CrossFit gym, or at home working on whatever project that she is momentarily obsessed with. At the moment she is taking some online courses in food journalism and Adobe Photoshop to build her skills and improve a baking blog she started last year.  To honor all the employees who have lost their jobs in the hospitality sector due to COVID, I want to highlight some of these talented people.

Julia welcome, what made you decide to become a pastry chef?

I started my career as a cook. I spent 5 years working my way up through the ranks of the restaurant – prep cook, garde mangier, entremetier, and saucier. I finished my culinary red seal and did a few competitions – Chaine de Rotisseurs and Hawksworth Young Chefs scholarship. I decided to leave the line and switch to pastry because I liked the creativity it offered. Generally, a pastry chef gets to create their own menus, whereas line cooks and sous chefs do not. It is also a totally different skill set in regards to technique and that was something I wanted to learn. 

As a pastry chef, where do you get your inspiration from when making desserts?

I get a lot of my ideas from memories – things I would make with my family as a kid, a dessert a person I know loves, or a place I have been and I try to recreate that memory with flavors. I made one dessert entirely out of corn when I was in Ontario to reflect the farmland that was near the restaurant. Another example is a chestnut mont blanc with gingerbread ice cream because we always play “the Christmas song” while making gingerbread cookies as children. I also get ideas for recipes and presentations from the previous chefs I have worked with and books like “The Elements of Dessert” and “So good magazine”. And there is always Instagram. Instagram is a stellar tool to get some ideas going. 

Name me some of your favorite ingredients you like to work with as a pastry chef?

At the moment my favorite ingredient to work with is Ruby Chocolate – It is quite unique as it is a newly discovered chocolate that is naturally pink with a light, fruity flavor profile. It is relatively new to the Canadian market and I am quite excited about this new type of chocolate to play with. 

Walk me through a day in the pastry kitchen?

The first thing I do is get bread going. I pull any dough made the previous day and let it rise for service. I feed the sourdough culture and make the starter for our sough dough and multigrain bread that needs a 24 hr fermentation period. Then I make raisin bread that will rise for at least 8 hours before continuing the fermentation in the fridge overnight. After that, the sourdough and whole wheat doughs are kneaded from the previous days’ starter for the next day’s service. 

Next, I check our take-home gifts – a hand-made Twix bar made with shortbread & salted caramel and enrobed in chocolate. I usually make 60 – 120 bars at a time depending on business levels. 

After that, I start topping up our desserts and make any components that will be needed before assembly. This includes a hazelnut cake, praline caramel and hazelnut mousse for the hazelnut entremets, lemon fluid gel and honey parfait, sweet pastry, cheesecake, mirror glaze all need to be made before assembly. I make ice cream and sorbet a day in advance as it needs to freeze solid before being put through the paco jet. 

Next is petite fours – we serve each guest 3 petite fours at the end of their meal and I like to have a rotating, seasonal menu for this that changes often. Sometimes I make hand-painted bonbons, a variety of pat de fruit, fudge in rotating flavors, toffee, and other confections. We also serve a selection of coffee service items that I rotate as well. Gingerbread and mincemeat tarts for Christmas, ruby chocolate dipped shortbread, Financier, and other treats. 

Lastly, I top up the garnishes for each dessert as these take the least amount of time. Poached fruit, fluid gels, tempered chocolate work, creams, and crumbs. 

On days that I have a bit of extra time, I sort out and test ideas for upcoming menus. 

In short, pastry takes a lot of planning. Start with the jobs that take the most time, like bread, then anything with a multi-step process. Next are items that need time to set overnight before being processed or cut, and lastly, jobs that are quick. 

Help me understand how the mentality is changing toward women in the kitchen?

Honestly, it really depends on who you’re working with and how you decide to present yourself. I believe it is both parties’ responsibility to influence change. I find with the younger generation of chefs, there is equal opportunity for men and women, hard work is rewarded and promotions are given to those putting in effort regardless of gender. But in saying that I have also worked with some older chefs that refuse to put a woman on the hotline, touch meat or move out of a commis position. There was one chef that called me “sweetheart” instead of learning my name, but even then, I still had every opportunity to advance if I worked hard. I think some of the certain behavior is used to test people, see what they are made of. The boys get yelled at, and the girls are underestimated. Kitchens are high-stress environments and if you can’t take being treated poorly sometimes it probably isn’t for you, and that goes for both men and women.  At the end of the day, the kitchen needs hands, and nobody cares what gender those hands are attached to. 

Talk to me about what women empowerment means to you?

Empowerment is allowing yourself and others to pursue what is meaningful for personal success.

To empower another person is to encourage them to try new things, make mistakes, learn something and celebrate their success. It is a process of trying, failing, refining, and trying again. 

What are your future goals?

This is a tough one, there are a lot of things I would like to do. For now, I want to continue building my skills as a pastry chef, as well as working on my food writing and photography skills through Instagram and blogging. I would love to work abroad, and maybe write a book down the road.  

How do you cope with the long hours in the kitchen?

There was one job I worked at last year, it was a brand new hotel opening with a full-service restaurant. That was probably the hardest job I have had when it came to long hours. In my first few weeks, I worked from 9 am to 11 or 12 pm for 13 days straight. When things settled down we all continued to work 12 hour days 5 days a week. I learned a lot about myself and others, and we really bonded as a team. A good team definitely makes the long days easier. Right now I am at a new restaurant and the hours are much better, still long days here and there but not every day. I think the most important thing for me when it comes to dealing with long stretches is making time for myself. I do my best to stick to a weekly schedule of going to CrossFit a few days a week before work as well as having a project or two on the side so I feel like I still have a life, and that I am working towards my personal goals as well. Over time, a person gets used to the long days in some respect. There is a flow to the season; work hard in the summer and chill in the winter. 

Can you also talk about something challenging you have been through and how you dealt with it?

I think my biggest challenge was dealing with my own lack of self-confidence and the depression that went with it. It controlled my life for quite a few years and stopped me from doing what I wanted and experiencing life in a happy way. At that time my life was just working (5 am shifts) coming home in the afternoon and sleeping, I basically did nothing with my life outside of work for like, 3 or 4 years. Its probably going to sound silly, but I started watching youtube videos with themes around living your best life, and Jordan Petersons 12 rules for life and started applying those principles to mine, one at a time. Eventually, I started setting goals and actually accomplishing them and over time it has completely changed my views. 

If you had a choice to get rid of a few ingredients in the pastry kitchen what would those be and why?

As a pastry chef, I make everything from scratch, so each ingredient serves a purpose in a recipe and to simply omit one would yield a different product. The trend these days leans to vegan and gluten-free baking, and if thoughtful swaps are made to replace eggs, butter, and flour, a product can be made, but it will never be the same as the original. Baking is a series of formulas and each ingredient is there for a reason because someone has tested it and found that this recipe was the best way to make it. 

If I had to get rid of something, it would probably be convenience products like fake flavored syrups. It is easy enough to make your own infusions. 

Any special music you listen to you while working?

I don’t usually listen to music when I am working – sometimes I’ll listen to chill step, electronic music and sometimes I listen to podcasts. 

Some Rapid Fire Questions:

Favorite food – Any type of fresh seafood – oysters, scallops, salmon, and sushi. Sushi is the best. 

Favorite drink – A latte from discovery coffee.

Favorite dessert – Cheesecake, but I think most people love cheesecake. 

Tequila in dessert – I’m not really a tequila person, If I use alcohol in desserts I usually go for rum or Grand Marnier.  

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Introduction

After the COVID restrictions are lifted, we will all be dining out more often. I have outlined a few rules that will help you have an amazing restaurant experience.

Customer service is the main ingredient of an amazing restaurant experience. As customers, we expect the service to be friendly, personalized, be given suggestions based on our preferences, amazing food, out of this world presentation, dynamic ambiance, and great decor. However, as a customer, if you follow these strategies you will have a killer restaurant experience no matter what happens.

Make a reservation

A restaurant plans staffing, food preparation and everything else based on reservations. If you show up on a busy night without a reservation, chances are you will not get a seat. If you make a reservation and do not want to go, please cancel the reservation. Through reservations, the workflow is managed more efficiently and you get better service.

Check the menu online before visiting

It is important to check the menu online. In other words, you know if it has gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian or other options. As a result, you do not spend a whole bunch of time looking at the menu and are not sure what you want.

Be on time

Arrive on time. The manager has scheduled the reservations so that the service and kitchen have enough time to give you the best service.

The waiter is not your servant

It is important to know that the waiter is not there to meet your every whim and fancy. The waiter is there to make sure you have a great dining experience. Treat them with respect and you will get great service.

Go with a positive attitude

This is the most important aspect of going to a restaurant. Be positive. Go out there to have fun. Therefore, if you are looking to fill your Yelp or Trip Advisor review, you will not have a great experience. Do not go to the restaurant to take out your frustration on the waiter.

Do not ask to change the food

The menu is designed by the chef for maximum flavor. Do not ask to change the dish completely. Some modifications might be possible.

Spend money

Never go to a restaurant and be a scrooge. You see if a waiter is working from 5 to 9 pm, he is depending on having a guest from 5 to 7 and another from 7 to 9. Waiters work for tips. Waiters make below minimum wages. As a result, if you are just having a drink or a slight snack go to the bar instead.

If there is an issue let the server know

It is possible that many things can go wrong. If the food was not good or something is wrong, let the server know right away. The issue can be resolved. You will probably not be charged for the food, get a discount, get a free dessert or get a gift certificate for your next visit. But please do communicate.

The server and chef are human

The chef and waiter are human. Most chefs work sixty to eighty-hour weeks. The waiter is on his feet for eight hours and has probably not had a meal. Be patient, kind, gentle and considerate.

Tip well

I recommend fifteen percent to start with. The waiter has to give anywhere from five to seven percent of the total bill to the back house to be shared. Remember, waiters have good memories. Tip them well and they will go a mile to make your restaurant experience amazing.

Enjoy your visit to the restaurant, follow these strategies and you will have an amazing restaurant experience.

Photo Credits: Mojo Jojo  Louis Hansel  Persnickety Prints  Brooke Cagle Sasha • Stories Pablo Merchán Montes Adam Jaime Clay Banks Priscilla Du Preez Jonathan Borba Crew

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