Food has always been integral to my life- the everyday need and everything else. It was the means to offer an apology or the remedy for ‘all ‘ your illnesses.

It meant that you were accepted and, further, also trusted. It was the first thought item in any planning of celebration or trip.

0h Yes! It’s an insult to refuse someone’s offering of food.

That was the atmosphere I grew up in; it would be a ‘major crime’ to have a visitor with ‘nothing to eat’. It is a form of acceptance – if food is offered.

But also a means of communicating that you are not welcome. If not offered.

I learned from my Mother that food could bring people together. It was one of the ways she showed her love.

Food is meticulously prepared, no hurry- curry. With the presentation of utmost importance. The Food needed to be cooked with the Guest’s liking in mind.

One of the unique dishes was Curry Chicken. It was and still is my favourite food. It was usually prepared and served on special occasions.

The aroma of simmering curry still brings me joy, and my Mother was good at it.

Since then, Curry Chicken has lost its ‘ special occasion’ status and has become an everyday meal. An everyday meal I could eat every day.

Yet still, it is the only meal I could think of on a rainy day. Although Curry Chicken is my first choice, Curry in any form will get my attention.

Although I have always loved Food, I focused more on eating than learning how to prepare my favourites.

It all changed in 1984 after I was named the Best Debater in The Forbes Burnham Debating Competition at Critchlow Labor College. The prize was a cookbook.

The prize was a bit unusual for the competition, and it was the first copy of a cookbook I had ever seen.

It ignited an interest in trying all the recipes in the book. This desire was short-lived, as I soon discovered some ingredients were unavailable in Guyana.

The measurement was in metrics, something I didn’t understand, and I did not know how to convert the measurements.

Further, this was the first time cooking anything where the ingredients were measured.

Until then, everything was just average, based on how it felt and that good old-time way of cooking.

I prepared what I could; my first was Crispy- coated Peanut Chicken. It was my first time adding peanuts to a dish. And the menu was savoury.

This new interest led me to enrol in the Carnegie School of Home Economics in Georgetown, Guyana. It is the only Cooking School in Guyana.

The program taught us the simple cooking method, such as the creaming method for cakes and pastries.

Imagine, I attended the Carnegie School of Home Economics because of a Cookbook I won in a Debating Competition.

In conclusion, ” Am I a professional Chef?” No, but I can hold my own in the kitchen. My love for food has extended to my passion for cooking.

It is exciting trying out a new recipe. There is satisfaction in knowing that I prepared a meal that a loved one enjoys.