My name is Tessa.   I am an evolving cook/chef who loves cooking for my friends and family.  I freely admit, I am not perfect and although I am currently a vegetarian there are lots of times I just stop by some restaurant and pick up something to eat and there are other times when I will spend most of the day in the kitchen.

My journey food-wise has been all over the place.  I was raised by European parents who immigrated to Canada.  This meant that I was raised eating as an omnivore for sure.  Processed meats and cheeses often for breakfast and probably for lunch too, and sometimes even for supper with home-made soup.  Tartar on buttered white buns, pork liver with salt and pepper

Life’s journey has been interesting and

But that was a different time, when food was healthier in general.  Vegetables and meats weren’t processed much.   That being said I was born in 1959 so there TV dinners we a treat and I definitely had my share of spam sandwiches for school lunch.  My mom was really busy and what was made for supper was what you ate.  She was a pretty good cook, but she also worked full time and didn’t have lots of time to cook.  She was and is a great soup maker.

I am the primary cook in our house.  Although everyone can cook well, it is a roll that I seem to have taken on

I have tried to find the best way to keep everyone healthy and happily fed

I went through periods of cooking up to four meal choices at one sitting or to be eaten with a two or more hour window.  Looking back at that… what was I thinking?  Hours of time in the kitchen, which fortunately is a place I like to be.

Yes I am a people please and helper to the max… but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing is it?  It seems to be in my genes to try and make the lives of everyone around me happy and easy.

As a family we have travelled a lot and we have been exposed to many different kinds of cultures and their food.  And we like most of everything we have tried.  Simple meat and potato people we are not, although occasionally that is an option.  Variety is part of our enjoyment

I am a vegetarian, working on vegan, working towards the raw vegan lifestyle.

I am a certified raw chef

Let me be perfectly honest.  While my kids were growing up, I was not perfect.  We definitely ate takeout on the way to sports in the car.   I did not always restrict my kids’ diets… they got candy and pizza and ate hot dogs and McDonald’s but I did try to do the best I could based on the knowledge and energy I had at the time.

I want to use my experiences and information to help other family cooks to have peace and health in their kitchen, while easily catering to all the varieties of their family members taste buds, dietary needs and ethical concerns.

Alchemy 101