Snapshot

  • Location: Canada
  • Gender: Female
  • Status: Single
  • Age: 40

Theme Songs

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About Me

  • First job: Nutrition & Kitchen manager at a Daycare Center
  • Where I work: Arbour Restaurant (website has info but still under contruction)
  • Best things about my gig: Full freedom to create
  • Worst things about my gig: Occasional menu interference. Paperwork.
  • Career ambitions: Always looking to learn something new. Reopen my catering & specialty product biz.
  • Date of birth: 05/21/1968
  • Joined BiteClub for: Networking, Friendship, connections
  • Status: Single
  • Website: http://www.arbourrestaurant.com
  • Signature recipe: Phad Thai
  • Home Town: Panama & Canada
  • Education: College
  • My mentors: Roy & Jurgen
  • Heroes: My mom, my son Brett, my grandfather Victor
  • Favorite restaurants: Centro, North 44, Yitz's Deli, Rol San, Basil Thai, Smokeless Joe, Richlee's, ByMark, Kama, 1985, La Mexicana, Susur, etc etc etc
  • For my last meal I'll have: Anything cooked by my mom.
  • Favorite food and bev blogs/ websites: Chowhound, Martini Boys...BiteClub, of course
  • Favorite travel destinations: Africa & anywhere with ancient ruins
  • This is always in my fridge: Garlic, Sambal Oelek
  • Favorite munchies: Dim Sum, Smoked Oysters, grilled cheese
  • Interests and hobbies: Art, reading, live music, theatre, movies
  • You'll never find me at: a club full of posers, chain restaurants or eating foam...really, foam?
  • Recommended reading: Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, Da Vinci's Kitchen, Eat Pray Love
  • Tools of the trade: HTC phone, pen & paper, digital camera, Advil, water bottle, tunes, sense of humour, knife
  • Last vacation: Bordeaux, France
  • Morning ritual:

    Coffee from Panama prepared in a French press, no milk or cream but sometimes a bit of turbinado sugar. Spend time with my teenage son before he leaves for school. Watch the news, check emails, yoga, shower, pick up any specialty items for the restaurant if needed. Go to the restaurant.

  • My tunes:

    Anything by The Police, Mozart, Bach, Queen, Green Day, The Beatles, Bob Marley, Sublime, Cake, BNL, Clapton, SRV, Blues & Big Band, lots of Jazz, Ella, Billy, Etta, Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Django Reinhardt and much more.

  • About me:

    Grew up in Panama City Panama in a very "foodie" and very artistic & creative family. Always thought I would be an architect or a designer. Studied Art, languages & then Interior Design. Came to Canada to visit, loved it and ended up staying. Married, baby, now happily divorced. Got my first job in a somewhat related field to the food industry. Then later on necessity found me working in a roadhouse with no restaurant experience whatsoever and the head chef spotted some talent & gave me a break. Another Chef I met later on suggested culinary school. I did… and I found my niche. Endured all the crazy hrs, late night studying, fulltime job, balancing being a single mom & fulltime student, many head chef yellings, rants & raves, tears, sore feet, sore back, nasty cuts, severe burns, lewd language & teasing in many male dominated kitchens. Made many mistakes, learned a lot, grew a thicker skin, developed my practical joke skills & learned to tit for tat with any kitchen banter. Raised a fantastic son on my own in the process.

    Haven’t looked back…

Industry Insights

  • Recent in the weeds story: Old menu New menu transition nightmare
  • What makes a good chef: genuine love for the trade, one who knows how to listen, when to ask for help & never stops learning.
  • What I eat at home: Asian food, latinamerican food, homemade burgers & anything with cheese
  • Food philosophy: Good food does not have to be complicated. As long as it's fresh, well prepared, visually appealing & great tasting.
  • Wine recommendation: Backsberg Pinotage
  • My biggest responsibilities to the public: To not poison them
  • Years in the trenches: 19
  • Most memorable career experience: Restaurant opening night with great food reviews.
  • Knife of choice: sharp
  • Your cocktail of choice: Vodka tonic with Lime or Homemade Sangria
  • Worst injury: Bubbling maple caramel coated spoon stuck to my forearm
  • Favorite beer: Not a beer drinker but love Strongbow...I know, Cider beer =sissy choice
  • What or who inspires me to cook and why: That moment when people take the first mouthful of something I cooked...the closing of the eyes in blissful acceptance...followed by an "mmmm oh my God!" haha
  • Most memorable meal: Wild game & local delicacies at a village in South Africa
  • Favorite cookbook: My mom & my grandmother's recipe collections
  • Foreign city that has the most influence on my menus: A few countries/regions; Thailand, India, latinamerica
  • In the kitchen, I can't live without my: Knife, lots of water & most important, the rest of the crew.