Renata's Kitchen Stories: Why the best chef in the world is YOU

Why the best chef in the world is YOU

The big yellow pot that stirs the most delicious memories from my childhood

It surprises people when I tell them I do not watch cooking shows on TV. It’s not a political stance I take or anything, I just never even think to turn them on. This lack of interest in “Top Chef” or any other sort of “Best in Show” program has roots in my early childhood love of the only cooking show I ever needed.

When I was little, my Italian dad used to take a lunch break from working at the family restaurant and pick me up from morning kindergarten. At home, he would fix me a simple little omelet for my lunch. He would then head upstairs and take his afternoon 25 minute nap.

I loved my time alone. I would lick the olive oil off my lips and head into the TV room to turn on my favorite midday program, Julia Child. That was, I think, the last time I watched a cooking show. Is it any wonder? That comforting lunch time ritual wraps up the sum total value system of my kitchen consciousness.

I learned from Julia that there is not much need for anything in your kitchen but your own calm voice and a space you call home. This woman was an anchor who could not be rattled. I loved the lilt of her voice, and what I now realize was a simple ability to be herself and let the rest come naturally. At the end of her meal, she would end up at her peaceful table set for one where she would sometimes pair her lovely plate of food with a glass of wine she felt complemented the food nicely.

When my dad would wake up, he was refreshed; ‘rebooted’ we might say now. There wasn’t another dad in the school who would take a siesta, and I was sure I was the only kid who wasn’t eating PBJ on white bread for lunch (which is also delicious). I craved that normalcy that I thought the rest of the school was having.

But now I know that those afternoon omelets came from the same sort of heart that Julia had; one that changed for no one, was true to the beat of his own inner heart. That is what makes a great chef, and the beauty is, each of us has this unique seed just waiting to take root. The simple fact is that there is only one thing you need to be the best chef on earth—to be yourself.

So those kindergarten afternoons provided me with the nutrients that soaked deep into my cooking roots. From my dad, I learned that no matter what the rest of the neighborhood is eating, whatever comes from your parent’s own two hands is the best tasting thing on earth. And from Julia I learned that all you need is your own two hands and a curious heart.

“Who makes the best food?” is not a question that can be answered. In fact, it’s the wrong question.

Your children will remember you standing at the counter chopping garlic, carrots or potatoes and no one will remember that you learned the ‘right way’ to chop. They will see you as their own anchor. The sounds and smells will soak deep into their subconscious. You are there, Whether or not it ‘turns out’ actually doesn't matter a bit.

Your children will enter the house after experiencing harrowing challenges at school, work, with other kids, within your own family. The smell of what your own two hands made will remind them that the best chef is home, and that the best chef is you.

We may not be able to chop and cook every single night. There may be many days needed to refuel your energy reserves and take a break from the kitchen. But improvement is simply not necessary. No training. No education. No special tools. Come as you are. You are the anchor.

If you are cooking for one, then enjoy the lost art of solitude, and the simple pleasure of taking care of beautiful you.

But never be put off from heading to your quiet kitchen counter for fear that you aren't doing it right, you haven’t got ‘the best, and you might get it wrong. If you burn it, you couldn't afford premium ingredients, or your food tastes bland, the fact is that you created it with your two hands is what matters.

So don’t compare yourself to everyone else who is cooking on TV, to other families, or even to my cooking blog. Every one of us is just trying to get by in the world with our own two hands. We were all individually created, so take advantage of the fact that there will never be a hungry heart like yours in the history of time.

The only question you need to ask yourself when you step into that kitchen is this:

What does your hungry heart want?