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.

The post Michelle Marshall: Chef listening to People’s Stories appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

Janak Bhawnani, Vice President of Operations at Easton Group of Hotels talks about the hotel business and what to look for when you eat in a restaurant.

Janak, whenever I ask you about the hotel business, you tell me you are in the business of hotels not in the hotel business please explain?

At hotel school, it was all about being the maître d’maison, giving service, treating guests with care. It was never driven by the bottom line, but about guest satisfaction first and money second.   In the past, hotels were owned by the brands or by families that were proud to own the assets and they passed on the know-how and reputation from one generation to another.

Today, we have schools teaching students the “business” of hotels earning them the BBA & MBA designations.  It is all driven by the institutionalization of our trade. More and more REITs and pension funds are buying up the assets and are keeping them for a shorter period of time only to extract value and then sell to the next highest bidder.  The Joie the Vivre, maitre d’maison concept is less existent as it is all driven by the bottom line.

At your hotel you run a big food and beverage department, how important is food to your business?

Food is a very important component of our business at my current hotel. We are a big box; convention hotel and the food is about 30% of our overall revenues.  With people becoming world travelers, it is important that we cater to varying palates, hence our offering has to be geared seasonally to inspire our guests to dine with us consistently and use our catering facilities regularly.

As you enter your fourth decade in hospitality how has food changed?

Food is no longer just for eating and surviving.  It is now an experience! Chefs today are getting younger and more experimental.  We have a huge number of restaurants that serve “inspired”, “fusion” or “trendy” cuisine from around the globe. With human movement around the world increasing, so has the dynamism in the culinary world.  Gen X and the millenniums are so well-traveled and well versed with food and are internet savvy that they can make or break a restaurant’s reputation.

When you design a menu and source food do you keep local purveyors in mind?

Absolutely! We think global but also use most local purveyors. This is to keep the local economy strong. It also helps with consistency & freshness.  Examples: – tomatoes from Leamington, meat from Bruce County, foods and fruits from Foodland Ontario.

Fads come and go in food, what is something that will always be consistent?

I strongly believe that good quality fresh comfort food will always be in demand. In this part of the world, steak, salad, Chinese food, pizzas, and pasta will always remain in demand.

As a GM what do you eat daily to stay healthy and have the energy to work the long hours?

I eat a small breakfast of coffee and whole-wheat toast, a cup of soup and salad or a sandwich for lunch and an early dinner freshly prepared by my wife keeps me going for a 12-14-hour day.

You have bought and sold a few restaurants, what are the advantage of a franchise rather than starting on your own?

A franchise has a higher success rate as it is a proven system. They train you about the product, marketing, how to deal with staff, other aspects of their daily activities and give ongoing support to the business for success.

Franchises bring brand awareness with their names from day one. The customer knows what they are getting which will help increase sales. By buying a franchise, you are actually buying a turnkey business that is ready and waiting for you to start. Negatives are:  Fees for buying the franchise and ongoing fees that you need to pay to a franchiser. The entrance fees are usually very high and there are fixed costs every month/year for using the brand name. Also, you have no freedom to change the product line, the decoration of the store or anything else in a franchise system. It is very restrictive and you need to follow certain rules in order to protect your franchise license.

To start one’s own, you need innovation and creativity. Do it if you are a highly creative person full of different ideas and you want to make these ideas a reality. This will allow you professional freedom and growth. When you have your own business, you can work anytime you want. Also, depending on your business, you can work anywhere you want. You don’t need to report to other people.

Be careful of a higher failure rate, unfortunately, startups have a higher failure rate compared to franchise businesses. One in four fails within their first year, half of the remaining fail within five years and approximately 30 percent of the remaining in the last ten years. Therefore, it is very risky to launch a startup.

How you find balance with your job and your family?

Over the years I have learned that both have to be in harmony to be successful. I as a rule do not talk about work with family and family at work. This helps me focus and make sure that I give 100% to each. Also, I use my outlook calendar to its fullest as I schedule my days and try not to change so that I do not miss any milestones in both.

One of my readers wants to know what to look for in a restaurant when they go out to eat?

When trying new restaurants look for harmony; in the décor, ambiance, service, food quality, presentation and of course imagination of the chef. Did it deliver what it promised!

Photo Credits: Kristian Angelo Nick Fewings Elle Hughes bantersnaps Monika Grabkowska Eugene Stephanie McCabe Alessandro Cavestro

The post What to Look for in a Restaurant When You Go Out to Eat appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

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

The post 10 Strategies to a Killer Restaurant Experience appeared first on Four Columns of a Balanced Life.

When I think about where my journey in hospitality truly began, it wasn’t just with a job — it was with a feeling. The sense of wonder that comes from walking across a polished marble floor, hearing the soft hum of a busy lobby, and catching the aroma of freshly brewed coffee in the air. My first job at the Ritz Hotel lit that spark in me. I was barely eighteen, yet I knew I had found my calling.

That passion soon took me far from home, into the heart of the Swiss Alps — to Les Roches, one of the world’s most prestigious hotel schools. What began as a young man’s dream to chase the glamour of the hotel world turned into a life-changing education in culture, friendship, leadership, and humility.

My first job was at the Ritz Hotel. I was barely 18 years old. The marble floor in the lobby, the Italian restaurant, and the coffee shop were all enticing. I was hooked on the glamour of the hotel business. It was something I wanted to pursue further. I was looking at different schools like Cornell, Hawaii, and Nevada. A friend of mine was heading to Les Roches. I got some information from him and slept on it. I looked at all the permutations and combinations and realized I would come out ahead going to Les Roches. One of the better decisions of my life.

A few weeks before I was heading to Les Roches, I was informed that the school had caught on fire. We would be living in Hotel Central in Crans-Montana.

As I headed to Sierre, from Geneva, the train passes between Lac Leman on one side and the beautiful wineries on the other side. Beauty hits you. It uplifts your soul. I was excited.

From Sierre, I took the world’s longest funicular at 4192 meters. This was my first time on a funicular. Slowly, slowly the funicular fights and climbs the mountain. C’est Bluche, the conductor announced. I had arrived at the stop.

I check with the admissions office. Miss Clivaz and  Miss Roduit welcome me. After processing my ID and the payment, I am all set to go. The bus would take me to Hotel Central.

I barely check in to my room. An hour later, Donny Wowor comes into my room. Donny had just done a course in English and is my roommate. He tells me, he is living off-campus. I have a room all to my self.

I am in Service 1. I am still in touch with my classmates Lily, Kang Nee, Michelle, Gigi, Clive, Ton-Joost, David and Max. Janak and I get together quarterly for lunch. In service, I made lifelong friends with Ton-Joost, Alan, Yalon, Honny, and Didi.

I will always remember Mr. Schnyder’s wine classes and Miss Poggio’s French classes. Ortiz, Rankl and Fournier headed service. Fournier always reminded us in his French accent that he went to Rochester Institute of Technology. The language teachers were Mr. Sherry and Mr. Berry. Finally the guardian angels of Petit Paradis, Gilberte et Armand Mounir. One of the favorite rites of passage was to attend La Pacha nightclub. The whole of Les Roches was jam-packed listening to the tunes.

The classes were held mostly in Mirabeau. The Malaysians, Indonesians, and Singaporeans were always told not to bring hot sauce to the table. We had to taste European food with all its flair.

The trip to Gruyere and the Beard cutlery factory were the highlights. Everyone looked forward to the cultural night. You got a chance to eat and taste different foods from all over the world. However, the trip to the abattoir in Cher-mignon will be etched in our memories.

Derek always knocked on my door every Sunday morning to go to church. I never went. John Leo would organize Bible lessons on campus, I never attended a single one.

During our first break, Alan and I headed to Paris. It was the first time, I was in a TGV heading at 200km/hr from Lausanne to Paris. Oh yeah. Talk about two foodies and fashion geeks heading to the food and fashion capital of the earth.

The first year, I was at school, Les Roches wins the Grand Prize Triumph of European Excellence founded by Rene Cassin, Noble Peace Prize recipient. We all get a chance to serve at Dinner. It was my first experience serving at a state banquet. It is something that will always be embedded in my mind.

The summer batch was fun with the good weather and it was time to look for a stage. I headed off to Hotel De La Paix in Geneva.

During my first week at Hotel De La Paix, Geneva, Mauro Berta the Maître D’hôtel wins the best Maître’ D award in Europe. De La Paix was this 200-year-old hotel with many residents of royal blood. Lalin joins me from Les Roches and Udo Hamm joins from Lausanne. It was the start of an amazing life long friendship. Udo with all his connections would take us to the UN in Geneva. Udo is still the only Swiss friend that I made and he lives in Zurich. Udo was the F&B stagiaire and had access to the cellar.

I cannot share some of the crazy things, I did with Udo, but let’s just say, I got to taste some of the best Lafite, Margaux, La-Tour, and Haut-Brion. It was amazing to see some of the bottles lying there for like forty or fifty years. The highlight was tasting a 1920’s Chateau d’Yquem. That flavor drinking it in a 200-year-old cellar where there was no F & B electronic control will be with me till I die.

At Dinner, every night was like ok Natasha Kinski and her family are sitting on that table, the German ambassador is on that table, the Czar’s family is on that table, the Egyptian gun runner is on that table. The wife of the arms dealer wanted her ashtray changed after every flick of her cigarette. The prize for doing that. You got 10 Swiss Francs every time.

The Geneva car show is famous all over the world. Rolls Royce since the beginning chose De La Paix to show off its latest model. One got a chance to meet and serve the who’s who of the car world.

After my stage was over, I asked if I could work in reception for two weeks. Mr. Olav Vaage, the GM himself from Lausanne agreed with pay. Bien sur, Gerald.

I was loaded with six months of tips and headed to London for a couple of weeks before Kitchen.

I have to be honest. I was not looking forward to the kitchen. I had never cooked in my life. The thought of getting grease all over me and smelling at the end of the day was not my idea of work.

We were housed in Hotel Bristol in Montana. The girls were still at Hotel Mirabeau.

Chef Bider with his chak chak, Chef Bertini talked more about his diving than cuisine, Chef Rey in a la carte, I never understood a word he said. Oh yes, pastry Chef Harris with his sarcastic English and Chef Luetolf with his put it in the hofer (excuse me, oven).

I learned to cut vegetables, meat, and fish in every form and cook it using various methods. I learned to eat snails, snakes, and even horses (yes, disgusting to a North American).

I hated butchery. Mr. Emery could not speak English and the whole instruction was in French. I will never forget Glen Garcia and me were told to cut this whole leg of a cow. It took the two of us, to carry it from the fridge. After the amazing instructions, we look at each other and say do we know what we are doing. We just dug in our knives and just started cutting. Mon Dieu, le viande cest cher. Cest la merde. Check out the translation.

Then came the trip to Cher-Mignon. The slaughterhouse. The day we attended, it was the huge Valaisanne cows getting slaughtered. Farmers were famous for making the cows drink water before being weighed. Each cow was weighed and discounted for drinking water. They got an electric shock to the brain. Hung up and one knife to the heart. Within 10 seconds, the skin is taken and you saw the whole raw flesh.

I liked the kitchen demonstration. You sat for six hours seeing the chef’s cook and got to taste all the food. It was during this time that a young pastry chef called Dominique Stoeckli joined. From our time, he is the only staff member left.

Honny Khatwani was my roommate and we are friends till today. Just last week we were talking about all the ethnic problems going around in the world. At Les Roches, Yal (Jewish), Kabir (Muslim), Honny (Hindu) and I were buddies.

It was time for stage again. I headed to Hotel de la Rose in Fribourg. Statira and Thitiporn were also doing their management stage at reception.

I got a chance to work with Chef Robert Vielgrader. The guy spoke perfect English. However, he only spoke to me in French. Let’s just say that by the end of stage, my French was pretty decent. After stage, Statira, Thitiporn and me headed to Austria for 10 days. After the trip, I headed back to school.

As I got into the third year, the new building was getting constructed. The Diploma would also be from the Swiss Hotel Association. We would be the first batch to be given that diploma. Mr. Maes would teach accounting. Max would drive him nuts with his jokes. The German classes were boring. I am still not sure how I passed. Economics was fun. Mr. May taught housekeeping and public speaking.

The new building was ready by June. For the opening ceremony, the who’s who of Valais and Switzerland was there. The management students had to coordinate the whole event which was an amazing experience.

The farewell dinner was emotional. Everyone had tears in their eyes. Three years were over. We knew that there is a good chance we would not be seeing each other. 120 joined the first year, it was down to less than 90 the second year and less than 60 graduates. The hotel business is demanding.

In the last month of the school, Ortiz taps me on the shoulder and asked me if I would be interested in working for the school. I was barely 21 and the thought of teaching 120 students was a little frightening. I told him I would think about it. John, Berndt and I ended up doing our stage at school.

It was an amazing time and I built some life long friendships. I learned a lot about leadership, communication and delegating.

As I was taking the funicular for the last time heading to Sierre, my time at boarding school, university residence had come to an end. It was a ten-year stint and I knew the days of my bed is made, the clothes getting washed and getting my meals done were over. I backpacked Europe extensively before heading to Dubai. It was in Berlin I ran into Honny and Joanne.

I get asked a lot if the $ 200,000 tuition is worth it. In Europe, hospitality is a tradition. In North America, you do it while you are doing something else and you get good tips. I learned about food, culture, studying with more than 100 nationalities. That kind of experience is hard to find. The skills I learned at Les Roches prepared me for life.

Out of all the dating couples, only Glen and Leefen ended up at the altar and are still happily married with two beautiful daughters.

I wish I could send the president or prime minister of every country to Les Roches. However, that is not realistic. Here is my call to action to every Les Roches graduate. You are an ambassador of peace. You need to be the game-changer in society. You need to tell people that we are all the same and the same blood runs through us. Make friends with everyone in your class. You will learn so many things from each human being that will prepare you for life.

Les Roches is just not a school. It is a way of life.

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