Cooking with Christine

Born in Athens, Greece to food-loving parents (her dad actually contemplated becoming a professional cook), Chef Christine Cushing of Food Network fame admits her easy-bake oven became her most prized possession while growing up in Toronto. At the age of nine she moved to the real thing and started cooking alongside her father.

Those who have watched Christine cook up a storm since her first show Dish It Out can attest to her energy and fearlessness in the kitchen. She even titled her second cookbook Fearless in the Kitchen. For the initiated, you also know her mom is quite the character, often appearing on the show to offer up some classic mother/daughter humour.

“My mom is hilarious and she tells it like it is,” wrote Cushing in an email interview with S&H.ca. “My parents are both so particular about their food and it was actually my Dad who was the culinary inspiration. He almost became a professional cook and was always a great cook in the family.”

Opting to pursue a career in her other passion, linguistics (she speaks English, Greek and French), soon revealed her true calling, cooking. She dropped linguistics and went on to complete the Food and Beverage Management Program at George Brown College, and finished top of her class at the Paris based École de Cuisine La Varenne.

Her career choice is not for everyone, Cushing admitted: “The culinary career is quite an arduous journey. It seems so glamorous to the outsider but it’s actually very mentally and physically challenging. I always had a tough time with discipline and the old school mentality, so I clashed with the executive German/Swiss chefs at my hotel job.”

Cushing has worked in some pretty impressive kitchens: Toronto’s The Four Seasons Hotel, King Ranch Health Spa and Scaramouche Restaurant. She also went on to start her own catering, recipe development and food styling business.

If you’ve worked in the food industry, in particular catering, Cushing’s next story will come as no surprise: “After you’ve catered I think you can fly to the moon. I drove to Niagara-on-the-Lake with a wedding cake in the back seat of my VW Golf in the middle of a 96-degree humid, summer day and got a speeding ticket while I watched the cake melting in the back seat.”

So why turn to TV? It was her love of teaching that first spun into a cooking school called Cooking Chez Moi, then on to the small screen.

“The connection with the viewer has been great,” she typed. “I get to be more myself and tell silly stories. I actually feel like I’m inspiring people to cook and have fun with it. I hated being cooped up in the back of a kitchen.”

When asked what was most shocking between a kitchen and TV, she said how little the cooking has to do with TV and how difficult it can be. “Yes, you have to be a good cook but the viewer can’t taste the food, so they have to respond to you, as a personality.”

After the successes of Dish It Out and Christine Cushing Live, she is now on show number three, Christine Cushing: Cook with Me, where she weaves three guests into the fabric of show.

“It is the chemistry of the guests with me and how the show develops that makes it interesting. It’s the best moments of a dinner party that is fun, natural and informative. There’s an intimacy that makes the viewer feel very welcomed.”

Her personal website – www.christinecushing.com- and her show page on Food Network impart handy tips to those who want to know what oils to have on hand, what kind of salt is best for what purpose, or what Cushing considers food essentials.

You get to peak inside her fridge, read which herbs are a must, what you must have in the freezer, what pots and pans every good kitchen should have, and a ton more info every foodie needs to know. But there are always a few unanswered questions so we decided to ask three:

1. What is the best way to store fresh herbs in your fridge?
Wrap them in a paper towel, with the roots in tact, spray with a little water and them put them in a sealing plastic bag or plastic container.

2. If a home cook needed to work with only one maybe two different oils and salt, which would you recommend?
Every oil has a different flavour and smoke point so they serve a different purpose. I would recommend first: Extra virgin olive oil and secondly either Grapeseed oil (more expensive but a neutral, high smoke point oil) or Canola. Salts I use mostly Fleur de Sel as a finishing salt for its flavour and texture and either Kosher salt or a bulk sea salt for pasta etc. Again it’s an issue of wanting no additives and loving the flavour.

3. How exactly do you season a cast iron pan?
Put them on the stove over low heat, pour in a little vegetable oil and swirl the pan until it’s starts to smoke. Remove from the heat and pour in some rock salt. Scrub with a paper towel in a circular pattern and keep doing that until the residue seems clean. Pour a little more oil in the pan and rub with a paper towel. Put pan in a 250-degree oven and let oil penetrate. Wipe clean and store. Do not wash with steel wool.

And if a new show wasn’t enough, she recently released Pure by Christine Cushing, an olive oil from the island of Crete in Greece. The lady loves her food.

“I think we have put technology and convenience ahead of quality, but I’m endeavouring to bring that back. We work longer hours and the first thing to get the shortcut is the food. I think it’s starting and people realize that no matter how successful and wealthy you are the quality of food you put in your body is paramount. All this insanity with bird flues, mad cows and fish poisoning is a big flashing red light. That’s why I named my product line Pure by Christine Cushing. Let’s go back to great quality ingredients. Don’t get me started.”

Catch Christine Cushing: Cook with Me weekdays 11 am EST and 5 pm EST on Food Network; Christine is also working on her third book and has released a line of olive oil, check her website – www.christinecushing.com- for more info

Courtesy images