1. What has been your path?
I studied cooking at the ITHQ (Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec). I’ve notably worked at Leméac, Restaurants les chèvres and at Toqué!, but my ultimate goal was always food publishing. Ricardo was looking for someone at the time, and I took a chance. And now, I’ve been working here for 18 years!
2. What is your cooking specialty?
I studied Italian cuisine and it’s the one that’s closest to my heart. And Mediterranean cuisine in general, given that my in-laws are from Tunisia.
3. Where does your passion for cooking come from?
Practically from the cradle! It goes back to the time I made fondue parmesan at my father’s butcher shop at two years old.
4. What’s the recipe you’re most proud of?
Pouding chômeur (pudding cake). It was the first recipe Ricardo asked me to develop. It worked out well, given that I had been having fun creating different versions of this classic dessert prior to being hired. Thank goodness!
Pudding and tapioca
Traditional Pouding Chômeur
5. Which recipe had been tested the most prior to being published?
Our Crème Brûlée Tartlets. They came out well the first time, but subsequently, nothing seemed to go well. We realized that we had worked in a mistake without noticing, and then just ended up completely changing the recipe.
Comfort Food
Crème Brûlée Tartlets
6. What is your favourite type of cuisine?
Pasta: I can eat it for any meal and with all kinds of sauces. I always feel as if it’s something new and just never tire of it. I recently also developed the recipes in our Yé! Encore des pâtes! (“Yay! Even More Pasta!”) special feature in our upcoming fall issue.
To meet the other members of our Test Kitchen, be sure to read our below article: