INTRODUCTION

Hello I'm Gourmet Chef Orlando. My wife and I would like to welcome you to our blog, Culinery Arts with Gourmet Chef Orlando and Master Chef Sharon. My wife,  Master Chef Sharon and I created this blog for anyone who appreciates and enjoys gourmet cooking and great cuisine.

To help you we post Recipes on a regular basis that you may copy, as well as having pages on Hints and Tips,  F.Y.I. (for your information), as well as a Cookbook offer and we have just added a Questions and Answers page. Please feel free to browse as long as you wish.

Here is a little background about me:

I was born in Denmark the son of a Danish mother and a father who was a Canadian career soldier stationed in Denmark after WW II. But alas my father was given a promotion and had to return to his unit back in Canada, so away we all went to Alberta Canada.

My mother who was a graduate of Cordon Bleu in France decided she wanted to work so she started her own restaurant and bakery and being quite successful started several more. Unfortunately in those days there was no daycare centers, and I was not keen on babysitters, so at the tender age of 8 when school let out for the day I apprenticed under my mother's watchful eyes until the age of 14 when I discovered girls. Being a chef however, was not my chosen career path and it would not be until I was 40 years old before the opportunity presented itself.

Here is a little background about my beautiful wife Sharon:

Sharon was born in Granby Quebec, Canada. Father is French Acadian/Cajun, Mother is Irish. What a combination, believe me! Sharon has been a Master Chef for the famous Maria's in Quebec City and then came to me to help with my catering business, (boy meets girl) and the rest is history.

Many people over the years have asked me how I became a Gourmet Chef, and the answer has always been the same.

I started about 30 years ago cooking and creating new recipes for my family and friends as a hobby and one day I was approach by one of my close friends that was willing to invest in a restaurant for me. I declined but countered with an offer of a catering business. Chef Orlando's Gourmet Catering Service. It was an over night success, within 3 months it became very successful and prosperous., but I decided to sell the business and retire and step back and smell the roses and spend more time with my family. We now devote our time to writing and publishing  gourmet cookbooks. Sharon and I also consult to a vast number of clients in the culinary trade. We are currently working on our 5th gourmet cookbook. I guess you could say we are really only semi-retired.

Since I began cooking I have always believed and maintained that anyone can aspire to be a Gourmet Chef. A person only needs the basic knowledge, skills, desire, and enthusiasm to do so.

In the years I have been a Gourmet Chef I have made one very important observation. All great Gourmet Chefs have a common denominator and that is that they are patient and they are not afraid to experiment with existing recipes or create their own unique recipes. Food for thought.

For those of you who are new to cooking I would highly recommend the book, Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer. It will give you the basic knowledge you will need to eventually decide if you wish to become a Gourmet Chef, the rest is practice, patience, and perspiration.

I will be periodically posting recipes, some easy and some hard ones, with easy to follow instructions, guidance and timely tips from my new Gourmet Cookbook. I trust you will try them and I would appreciate any feedback, good or bad.

These recipes are tried and true and can be used by a novice or expert alike. The instructions are simple to follow.


N.B.
This blog is solely devoted to Gourmet Cooking and Gourmet Dining. This blog was created for 6 reasons:


1. To promote Gourmet Cooking and Gourmet Dining
2. To help people that wish to learn about Gourmet Cooking.
3. To help those that aspire to be gourmet chefs; novices or seasoned chefs alike.
4. To impart my knowledge to these people so they may attain their goals.
5. To encourage people to experiment with their cooking and to try new recipes.
6. For the pure pleasure of pleasing the palate and not the purse/wallet.


What this blog is not.


It is not a heath food cooking, diet food cooking, or religious food cooking or a thrifty food cooking blog.

For any reason you have trouble with a particular recipe, or questions on cooking or beverage selections please feel free to e-mail me for help.



gourmet_chef@bell.net
or
gourmet.chef.orlando@gmail.com

I have always believed that cooking should be for pure pleasure and enjoyment.

I will also be providing menus for all occasions as well as menu tips, and beverage and wine suggestions.