People are the key drivers of any business!!!

Jeanette Marcelle Chef, of Marlene Enterprises!

Why eating healthy is important

I do not have time to eat healthy, I am too busy working and taking care of everything and everyone else!” “I have a reason for being unhealthy after all I had three children and besides I will get slim for some special occasion.” This is what most individuals say, when you asked them why you think you are overweight, or why do you think you have diabetes or why do you have hypertension. Individuals view eating healthy as expensive and boring.

According to one individual I work very hard “why cannot I reward myself with some fried chicken and chips and ice cream”? Nothing is wrong with rewarding yourself with some ‘junk’ once in a while. However, drinking water, eating more vegetables, fruits and using less sugar and saturated fat would be more rewarding the fried chicken and chips with ice cream.

“I am a hardworking mother of five and I do not have time to cook. I buy food, occasionally fast food, nearly every day and when I do cook I choose pre-cooked microwave meals. It’s really hard to balance everything in the home while I am working long hours in order to gain a ‘good salary.’  This assumption gives the mind-set that food or the pursuit of ‘happiness’ is killing us slowly.
Some simple changes to improve eating habits

• Make the right changes. Cutting back on unhealthy foods in your diet, is very important. Replacing dangerous Tran’s fats with healthy fats such as switching fried chicken for oven fried or pan fried chicken and eventually grilled chicken will make a positive difference to your health.

• Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories, think of your diet in terms of colour, variety, and freshness. Focus on avoiding packaged and processed foods and opting for more fresh ingredients.

• Read the labels. It’s important to be aware of what’s in your food as manufacturers often hide large amounts of sugar or unhealthy fats in packaged food, even food claiming to be healthy.

• Focus on how you feel after eating.This will help foster healthy new habits and tastes. The more healthy food you eat, the better you will feel after a meal. The more junk food you eat, the more likely you are to feel uncomfortable, nauseous, or drained of energy.

• Drink plenty of water.Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins, yet many people go through life dehydrated, causing tiredness, low energy, and headaches. It’s common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help you make healthier food choices.

 

Chef Jeanette Marcelle

Food for thought

When you think of food what comes to mind? Do you picture a table laid out with delicious holiday foods, or tempting desserts that you just cannot resist. Or do you see food as something that only has to be eaten in order to get on with everything you need to do? Is food a pleasure to be enjoyed or a daily repetitive task to be undertaken?

How we view food, eat food, impact our entire attitude towards food, whether we are approach it with nurture and care, or thoughtlessly and neglectful.  We rush around day after day eating our meals as liquid drinks, energy drinks, on the run, in concentrate form, as pills or consider “coffee” as a meal. When was the last time you ate with passion – paying attention to your meal?

– The flavours

– The textures

– The smell

– The temperature

– How it made you feel

– How it makes your body feel

 

 

                                Chef Jeanette R Marcelle

Djimon Hounsou

Djimon Hounsou (1964- ) is a Hollywood actor and model. He played Cinque in “Amistad” (1997) and later appeared in “Gladiator” (2000), “In America” (2003) and “Blood Diamond…

Source: Djimon Hounsou

THE COOK’S OBSESSION

So correct!!!

Harvest America CUES BLOG

Walking through the back door of the kitchen the cook transitions from a street civilian to a professional cook the moment he or she changes into those crisp, clean chef whites and hounds tooth pants. The smell of maple bacon from the breakfast line and freshly brewed coffee is intoxicating and the cook takes it all in – the smells, the sounds of banging pots and pans, the cadence of orders marking the activity of communication through the pass, and the staccato rhythm of knives working through the prep of the day. He opens the roll bag carried under his arm and removes the prized tools that have become an extension of his hand: French knife, paring knife, flexible boning knife, peeler, and a steel. Reaching under the counter he lifts the tri-stone and begins the religious process of putting a fresh edge on his knifes and touching them with…

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Healthy Ingredient Substitutions

This gallery contains 6 photos.

Originally posted on We Are Chefs:
These days, it seems that everyone has special dietary needs. From gluten and lactose allergies to eating more “cleanly,” diners are demanding that dishes are  more customizable. Healthy subs More people these days define…

Life as an African-American Female Pastry Chef

Here I Am!

We Are Chefs

Editor’s Note: In the restaurant industry, women make up 39% of the workforce according to a 2012 report from the U.S. Department of Labor, filling such positions as line cook, pantry, prep and pastry. Yet, according to Department of Labor data released in 2014, only about 20% of head chef positions in the industry are held by women (which is actually down from 23% in 2006). In 2014, a Bloomberg Business article “Women Everywhere In Food Empires But No Head Chefs” shared their own research that in the leading 15 restaurant groups women occupied just 10 (6.3%) of the 160 head chef positions available.

Over the past two years, chefs such as Amanda Cohen, Dirty Candy, New York,  and Anita Lo, Annisa, New York, have said in The NY Times opinion section that there are several successful, talented women chefs, but there is gender bias in the media and financial…

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The Workplace: Creating Balance in a Chef’s Life

Once an older Chef I was working with told me I will never be a good Chef because after 12 hours, I wanted to leave work to go home to my family! My reply was “you wait and see”. There must be a balance in your work and life; just as the gas needs changing and the stove that needs servicing so to your body, mind and soul needs recharging.

We Are Chefs

By Paul Sorgule, M.S., AAC

Working 80 hours a week in a restaurant and viewing this as a badge of honor is misleading and not sustainable. I know many old-school chefs, such as me, will scoff at this statement with such a response as, “those who can’t invest the time will never make it in this business.”  What many seem to lose sight of is the distinction between “living life and making a living.”   Passion and commitment are cornerstones for effectiveness in any profession. However, passion sometimes is used as a disguise for an unhealthy lifestyle that physically, emotionally and mentally drains an individual.  I have been there and many of my friends would likely smile and point to my own unhealthy commitment to a career in food. So be it.  With age comes wisdom, and I hope that this is true for me as well as many of…

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A Milennial New Years Resolution

Spoiled Morons is right!!!!

The Pilgrim and The Monk

The party counted down the last ten seconds to the New Year. When they hit zero the room erupted in cheers.

Cassidy was already in an advanced state of celebration. “Happy New Year!” he shouted to his Aunts Steph and Ainsley and Uncle John.

“Hey, Cass. What’s your new years resolution?” asked Uncle Jim.

“My what?”

“Your new year resolution. What are you going to change about yourself this year?” explained Aunt Ainsley.

Cassidy’s face turned sour. “Why should I need to change? I’m awesome. The world’s a disaster. That’s what needs to change.”

Aunt Steph chuckled. “If you improve something about yourself it helps the whole world. If we all commit to it, think what the world would be like.”

The four stared at each other as they let Steph’s words sink in.

“That’s stupid,” spat Cassidy. “That might be true for all you old people, but you screwed…

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A day in the life of a Food and Beverage Intern at Four Seasons Resort Whistler – by Alyssa Byrns

Very good pieces

Royal Roads Tourism

Situated in the upper village at the base of Blackcomb Mountain is the Four Seasons Resort Whistler. The luxury five diamond property boasts 273 guest rooms, meeting and event space, a spa, pool, and two separate restaurants including the recently opened Sidecut Modern Steakhouse which was named one of the top ten restaurants in Canada. Whistler itself is a small resort village of approximately 9,800 people on a permanent basis. The small village is best known as a world renowned ski resort with two mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb. In the summer the area attracts outdoor adventure seekers with some of the best mountain biking in the world. Other popular summer activities include glacier skiing, zip-lining, white water rafting, and bungee jumping.  As someone that has lived in large cities such as London and Vancouver, it takes some time to get used to living in such a small and unique…

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The difference between Toasting and Grilling

TOASTING

Recently, while scroll through Facebook I came upon a conversation that stemmed from a video depicting the girlfriend telling the boyfriend “I want my sandwich toasted not grilled” and his reply was “but there is no difference and she “said yes there is a difference”. In the comment section someone said they never knew there is a difference between the two style of cooking and my reply was YES there is a difference between TOASTING and GRILLING.

To toast a slice of bread means that the bread is browned by exposure to radiant heat. This browning is the result of a Maillard reaction, altering the flavour of the bread, bagel, or English muffins as well as making it firmer so that it is easier to spread your desired toppings. In fact, toasting is a common method of making stale bread fresh again. Then, there is Melba toast, Texas toast, and French toast. In addition, to toasted nuts. Toasting is generally done in an oven call a toaster oven, or an electrical appliance with heating elements.

GRILLING

Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat that is applied to the surface of the food, commonly from above or below. This usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat that is usually used for cooking meats or vegetables quickly. Similar to a frying pan, but with raised ridges to mimic the wires of an open grill, or griddle. Direct heat grilling can expose food to temperatures often in excess of 260 °C (500 °F). The Maillard reaction only occurs when foods reach temperatures in excess of 155 °C (310 °F).  Grilling is often a healthier substitute to frying, however the fat and the juiciness of the meat can be lost by grilling.
NOTE

You can grill meat and set bread on the grill plates thus toasting the bread at the same time.

Jeanette R M Marcelle, MBA BA (Hons)