from chef to shaman
Early Years
Thirty three years working as a chef in some of Europe's top restaurants and hotels, and 20 years of keeping HIV at bay without conventional drugs, has convinced me that a positive attitude and an approach to living that says seize the day, are the most important ingredients to life!
By nineteen I had began to realize my good fortune in life, finding at this young age my true vocation. Going from shy young man with a bad stutter, to confident chef in just a few years.
School had been a nightmare for me until meeting my cookery teacher Mrs Steel. The school's policy was simple: boys did metalwork and girls did cookery. Somehow three of us boys escaped the eventual wrap over the knuckles with the ruler from the metalwork teacher and went into a whole new world!
With Mrs Steel on the other hand we tasted our first avocado, together with other delights considered exotic in those days. There were outings to hotels in Eastbourne where we lived, with guided tours, afternoon teas and even dinner in a five star hotel - an unusual experience for 30 fifteen year olds.
The only thing she threatened to do to us was "cut our legs off at the knees" in her lovely Irish tones, if we did not pay attention quick enough. Not that we nor the twenty seven girls in the class ever wanted to upset her, as she always had something new to show us.
Terrible exam results in other subjects prompted my teacher and father to suggest that catering collage was a good bet. My world changed, moving literally from bottom in most subjects during school to top in practical cookery.
Two fantastic years at college confirmed cookery should be my vocation. After collage a one-year student visa through the British Hotels Association, found me as a "Practical Kitchen Assistant" (even below the grade of Commis) at the Atlantis hotel in Zurich, Switzerland.
An amazing five star hotel just built in those days, with a kitchen brigade (as they are termed) of 25, Herr Hug the head chef didn't really speak to me for the first three months spent in the Cold Larder section.
Then, one day shortly after moving to the vegetable section, realizing there was no pasta cooked for lunch took the initiative to cook some. So filled and fired up the huge steam kettle to prepare the odd twenty kilos or so.
Chef walked past and asked what was I doing. "Cooking pasta, chef"
came my rather nervous reply, questioning for a moment whether I had in
fact done the right thing!
"Why?" he demanded.
"Because there isn't any in the fridge," I suggested. Oh he said, as he
walked off with a grin on his face.
It was one of those small even silly but defining moments in my young career; Practical Kitchen Assistants didn't usually show such initiative.
So he took me under his wing, though this was not always an easy ride, he would have us almost in tears on occasions when everything was not just so.
Expanding
I learnt that particularly in kitchens "there is a place for everything and everything in its place", he passed on his passion and respect for food, its flavour, taste and presentation. Learning that by taking initiative and responsibility amazing things started to happen and life got even more exciting!
At the end of my visa he offered to phone one of his chef colleges for me. "Where would you like to go to, my boy? Frankfurt or Berlin?" "Berlin sounds good, Chef" was my reply and three months later arrived at the Hotel Berlin in Berlin as Commis to the head chef of the Grill Restaurant.
The grill restaurant was separate to the main kitchen and the "hobby" of the then hotel director, achieving Michelin guide ratings. Herr Phorr the chef was only about 30 at the time already his skill had given him a very good reputation, working with him for the next year my confidence and skills as a chef grew, as with a good command of German.
The next few years were spent travelling between the two countries, each new position adding a different dimension to my culinary skills and a new challenge to embrace.
By 1980 and 24 my position was that of 2nd Chef in the Hotel Olden in Gstaad, assuming responsibility of running the kitchen for the three restaurants in Chef's absence, preparing meals for the rich and famous, as well as the local farmers and tourists.
Some of my dinners were eaten by Princess Grace, Richard Burton, Peter Sellers, David Niven, Liz Taylor, Roger Moore, and Julie Andrews.
Herr Zander, the then head chef at the Hotel Olden was the 3rd great chef it had been my pleasure to work for and with. It was their amazing skill and dedication to food, kitchens and the high standards they set that has allowed my own life as a chef to be so fulfilled and exciting.
It was an incredible time for me, to find myself in that position proved to me that dreams do become reality. By putting full energy into something and enjoying the process, anything is possible!
New Life
By 1984 I was drawn to take a "holiday" in Australia, which turned into much more! Eight years helping to formulate the food for Australia's fast growing tourist industry. Australian cuisine became a wonderful fusion of ethnic influences, combined with the vast array of exotic ingredients available there.
For example a well-done prawn from the barbeque became; delicately grilled, marinated with chilli and ginger and served on a bed of succulent leaves, drizzled with roasted red pepper dressing.
Combining flavours and textures, whilst maintaining nutritional balance with in-depth training became my speciality. By this time food and kitchens had become a passion, getting totally immersed in the project at hand; life was very exciting. As is often the case, as you think everything is perfect something comes along to allow you to view things from another perspective.
Just two years after arriving in Australia came my diagnosis as HIV positive. It was in the very early days of this disease, and was in the first wave of those to be diagnosed with it.
Curiously though my belief was, and still is that it would not be the
reason for my demise. One of my first questions to my doctor was: "is it
possible to continue with my profession" he confirmed in fact how
difficult it is to catch. He explained that if I cut myself the virus
contained in the blood dies almost instantly on contact with the air.
All that is required is awareness of simple first aid, when treating
cuts to avoid the risk of any infections.
He said then and it continues to be so, that the "virus" has never been
found in saliva.
So I continued with my profession in those heady days in Sydney, HIV was not, and is not, an issue in the catering industry. It is raised now to show, by my own experience, that a so-called life threatening disease "is not necessarily so".
A positive outlook, a good diet and enjoyment for life, together with my passion as a chef have always won through. It is indeed a fact that everyone loves a good cook.
Around the same time I had noticed that while giving a massage to a friends aching shoulder, my hand got hot and the pain disappeared. Several instances like this left me feeling a bit strange, who am I to do this, so it went into my "to be dealt with later" basket.
As a happy chef with a full and exciting life I immersed myself in kitchens, friends and turning all negatives into positives. To live each and every day to the fullest, taking the opportunities that present themselves, even if that means biting of a bit more than you can chew!
The project that should have been a licence to print money was exactly the opposite; proving the fact that one should always look after ones own bottom line, not leave it to someone else!
After two years spent trying to pay it back the stress and strain of that period had finally got to me, there seemed no other option but to leave, believing that I would not be any use to anyone in that state.
Alternative Ideas
So in 1990 I returned to England spending ten years drifting from one kitchen to another. Even though my health was good I was considered an anomaly, my immune system worn down to the point where medically speaking I no longer had one.
My Dr suggested several time during that period that it was time to go down the path of conventional drugs, which I was not keen on, having seen several friends that had, with serious side effects.
So my interest turned to alternative therapies. A friend introducing me to energy work, so understanding what was happening all those years ago with my hands getting warm, channelling energy from Source, I had been woken up!
The energy work quickly lead to taking my Seichem Master-ship, with trips to Arizona where Native American Indians taught us about the ways of the Shaman. About past lives, the Aura, Nature Sprits, Plant Divas and how to work with them.
Ancient stories of our ancestors re-kindled a knowing deep within; to take care of the Planet on which we have been fortunate enough to incarnate, treading as lightly as possible, that there is more in this Universe than we are led to believe by many at present.
So at that point, after my then twenty-eight years as a chef having worked and played in most areas of the catering industry, the thought occurred that perhaps I should do something else with the rest of my life?
The Shaman Emerges
It seemed to me also that a change of life was in order, and if my living was to come through teaching energy work with alternative therapies, took the seemingly drastic decision to sell my flat and travel.
Over the next two years my travels took me through Ireland, America and India but mostly England on my journey to discover more about life, the Universe and my role in it, if cooking was not to be the main part!
Some of the people and groups met during that time were to be life changing, particularly the Green Angels in London, meeting for the first time like-minded people, caring and aware of the impact we as humans are making. Many are now firm friends and fellow Shamans on our journey to discover alternative and sustainable ways of living, whilst learning to live "in community" again.
It was just before going back to India for the second time that I remember the thought of the "Shaman Chef "popping in. Yet it was definitely with my Ayurvedic Dr. friend Joyson that the realization came, "it wasn't about me not cooking, but coming at it from a different angle".
Joyson spoke one day of a place he had seen in his minds eye, "a healing centre with the kitchen at the heart" surrounded by the other "creative arts"; a place for people to come and be reminded of their creative selves.
Also an archive and library to document traditional recipes of that region, preserved for future generations to explore our journey through food.
This was a time of grand visions yet on returning to England reality set in: if the style of food for the "Shamans Kitchen" was to be mostly vegetarian then ok, some good ideas, but! To call myself a Shaman what did that mean?
So the Shamans journey began in fact by me getting ill, chronic chest infection resulting in me feeling unable to breathe several times. My belief was that "I did not get sick" - a bit strange you may think, but it had been my coping mechanism. Once realizing that it is possible even for me to get ill, and understanding to take more care of myself, on all levels, my recovery came very fast.
The Plant
Around the same time I met Steve Hemp, who has become my best friend and hemp mentor. Steve introduced me to the Plant! The information he passed on, allowed me to understand that perhaps most dis-ease in the world today is caused by poor diet and nutrition. That once you introduce hemp into your diet the body comes back to balance and many ailments often disappear. In fact the make up of hemp seed with rich green leaves i.e. chlorophyll was in fact the complete nutritional picture!
The recipes started to come that summer as with my health, on a farm growing a hemp crop, eating fine home-grown foods and abiding by my new principles, large quantities of "hemp and green leaves".
Experiments that summer started to really show me what "this most useful plant" (Chinese translation for) could do. It is indeed a wonder in culinary purposes, apart from its myriad of other uses. The more you tended it the more it gives, it also turned Cornish clay pasture land into a fine loam in its growing cycle, which was up to 4 inches a day at one point.
The first real test for the Shamans Kitchen came through my involvement with Green and Away. With their tented conference centre and beautifully set up field kitchen, this old boy scout was well happy! Over the last 4 years we have served close to 13,000 lunches and dinners in this experiment into vegetarian food, and have experienced some great community living in the process.
The last 5 years have also been a journey of personal discovery, to understand the Shamanistic side of our make up and how that translates into our modern lives. My conclusion is that the kitchen is a very powerful tool, and can be used in our busy lives to bring focus and create a flow or harmony in the way we live.
It seems to me that through my chefs back ground, it has been my good fortune to have discovered ways to help replace rich calorie high creams and dressings, also introduce hemp in its true light, particularly the de-hulled seed.
On The Road
Synchronicity is an amazing thing! While writing about my adventures as a young chef, my thoughts had gone to thinking about my old friend and colleague from 30 years ago at the Atlantis Hotel, old Kurt. What he would make of these ideas!
We had kept in touch for several years, but lost contact. Well that evening, an email from Kurt! He had seen my biography on the Green and Away web site and was asking if it was the same person he had known all those years ago.
We have now spoken several times, on the phone and by email; he confirmed my sense that the time is right for a change of energy in kitchens. He too is feeling the stress and strain of conventionally run kitchens. He is one of the first on my list to visit and see how chefs feel about the idea of:
"Cooking With Love - Healing Through Food"
My intention is to take the "The Shamans Kitchen" on the road, to join with colleges new and old, to see what they make of my hemp and vegetation recipes. To see how many other chefs feel the time is right for a change of energy in kitchens and put hemp in its rightful place, on every menu.
How fantastic would it be to have a get together with colleagues from that time, "Atlantis Revisited", to share our ideas, particularly as "Chef" is still about, pushing 90, testament to good food and living!
Also my chef at the hotel Berlin is still working there, how fantastic would it be to visit all those kitchens and chefs that where so instrumental in my training.
The last few years have been an incredible time, the original idea to create a healing centre in India has evolved to become the concept for a "Centre of excellence for hemp", with the kitchen at its heart.
Onward...
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