I loved the culinary – differentiating between primary & supporting ingredients, and the cooking methods specific to working with each of the former. (& Exposure to culturally-specific applications & variations.)
– Understanding ingredients from a functional standpoint — working with ratios/proportions & observation/senses rather than specific times & measurements. – Structures for improvisation ! Cooking close to center <–> informed/educated complexification. – Taste/Smell, To Fit & SFS — sense-based tools & theories for navigating the culinary creation & correction process. – Considerations for Meal Composition that surpass simple PE/nutrient balancing (Colors, Numbers, Textures ; whether dishes are raw or cooked, whether they contain oil or not; Single Focus vs. Complex / Simple vs. Complete Meals, etc.) – Knife Skills x Visual Rhythm – considerations for the consumer experience (size of cuts, ease of eating – Meal Prep : Orchestration of simultaneously preparing multiple complex dishes — a little planning goes a long way for time management – Learning to speak the language of intuitive cooking !
My personal development: Daring to ‘test & learn’, peacemaking with mistake-making — redefining “mistakes” as experiences not to be avoided for fear of penalization but rather that are necessary and valuable for the learning process. “Good learning”. Not letting the fear of failure (failure being problematically and prohibitively defined as ‘not doing it perfectly the first time’ in my psyche) keep me from trying. Trusting that disorientation is inherent to this same learning process and that even if I’m confused and my first attempt takes a lot of time and raises a lot of questions, learning on a deeper level is taking place all the while. – Trusting in bodily intelligence (& the wisdom of the heart) to inform my actions/decisions. – Cultivating creativity & resourcefulness. Self-empowerment. – Reconciliation/harmonization/integration of left-brain & right-brain learning.
Camille Textier
Chef Diploma 2019
