Rattle Those Pots

Jen found an article about one of our instructors at school. Chef Filliodeau is head of the teaching faculty at the school, as well as executive chef of the school’s Signatures restaurant. He’s a rare blend of excellent knowledge, humility, and genuine passion for his work. This guy can hang with any chef in the world, but he’s still interested in the students as individuals.

In a world of “management by morons,” he’s someone we can’t say enough good things about. Saturday night at the gala Jen described below, he was cool under fire while many of the other high-powered chefs from area restaurants working the event were full of bluster and bravado and generally ineffective leaders. (Ever notice how the people that talk the most usually have the least to say?)

Good leaders earn respect - it’s not something they can force on others - and this article is a good window on who he is and how he thinks.

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On May 28, we joined a pack of Cordon Bleu chefs and students, and several chefs from around town, to help out with the National Gallery’s 125th Anniversary event. (Cordon Bleu presented the appetizer and entrée courses.) From the Ottawa Citizen’s food section: “A Night of Glitz and Glamour: All eyes among the social set in Ottawa will be on the National Gallery this Saturday (assuming they’re not already in the gallery) for its spectacular 125th black-tie anniversary gala that’s expected to attract foreign diplomats, business leaders and foundation heads from across Canada.” We didn’t leave the museum until 3 am, but we had a blast. The Prime Minister attended, so we got a kick out of the packs of secret service folks wandering around all day and night.

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Spent a lovely day (in Ottawa, that means 55 degrees with intermittent rain) tooling about the city on our bikes. Like most successful adventures, this one included a few surprises and a stop for some Guinness. Even managed to document our travels.

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These shots include some pretty scary dishes from our offal seminar, as well as some more…appetizing choices. Très intéressant.

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My fair wife has just presented me with a plate of beef stew, based on the lamb stew recipe we posted. And I am happily splattering my screen with stew juices. Mmmm!!!

Get yourself some ingredients, and fast. (Although my personal recommendation would be to get your head out of your business and find a wonderful partner. Much more satisfying.)

Oh my, she just called out from the kitchen to ask me if I’d like a glass of wine.

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Took a few pictures of the neighborhood when Charlie took me on a recent walk. A quiet little town full of decent, hardworking Canadians. And a few miscreants.

Random thought: Wonder if Canadian politicians close their speeches with, “God bless Canada?”

(There’s a typo in one of the captions, but there’s also laziness in the editor - me (Thom) - so don’t bug me about it.)

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Bubba the peaceful lobster got wacked, rolling our own for a change, and interesting stuff about taters. All that and more in the latest update.

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