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Chef out to help couples sizzle

As you make plans to take your special someone out for a romantic meal on Valentine’s Day tomorrow, there’s one man in town who wants to encourage you to do one better and learn how to make the meal together at home.

As you make plans to take your special someone out for a romantic meal on Valentine’s Day tomorrow, there’s one man in town who wants to encourage you to do one better and learn how to make the meal together at home.

Jason Dabbagh is a passionate professor of the culinary arts and part-time cooking instructor at Servus Credit Union Place. He has a special date night class lined up for next Friday and, apart from enjoying a fantastic three-course meal, he hopes that you will learn about what it takes to create a little heat at home.

Dabbagh says it’s all about making connections, something food does naturally between groups of people no matter what the number.

“What I feel really strongly about food is making a connection between food and community,” he said, lamenting how the hustle and bustle of life has seen this role become a secondary consideration to many.

“Whether it’s for celebration or for worship, food has always had this communal component to it. Food can be used as a strong means of communicating affection or love. The idea of communicating love through what you do in the kitchen really speaks volumes.”

With that in mind, he has prepared a menu for the program that will include some traditional aphrodisiacs, including chocolate and oysters, with a main course of braised short ribs. Even this has strong symbolism, Dabbagh says.

“When you braise meats, something that has been in the oven for four or five hours or all day, the aroma fills the house. You can tell that someone has been thinking about you in preparing this meal.”

He calls his approach to food a “labour of love” and he doesn’t want you to just follow his recipes. Cooking and eating together is an act of celebrating life.

“The fact that we have to slow our lives down and sit down and make an event out of it and the event starts in the kitchen prior to eating. It stands so much in contrast to the fast food culture that we live in. To spend all day preparing a meal, sitting down with the people you love and enjoying it, to me that communicates something with a lot more depth.”

The Cooking for Love program runs from 7 to 9:30 p.m. on Feb. 19. Visit www.servusplace.ca for more information.


Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

About the Author: Scott Hayes, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Ecology and Environment Reporter at the Fitzhugh Newspaper since July 2022 under Local Journalism Initiative funding provided by News Media Canada.
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