The Star E-dition

When you find your recipe for life, cook on

“WRITE a salad book,” my husband said. A salad book! Was he kidding? What the heck did I know about master salad making or being a chef or let alone creating recipes? Nothing.

Turns out, that’s the best place to start.

I was a clothing designer for many years. It’s all I knew, really. And I loved it. The pressure, the creativity, the awards, the travel – all of it. I worked downtown in End Street, Johannesburg. Had somebody told me then, that 20 years later I’d be a cook and an author (a what?!) of the popular South African recipe series, All Sorts, I probably would have snapped my spindle in shock.

And that’s the thing about the thing, I’ve learnt. It’s not always evident in plain sight, and it doesn’t always unveil its need in us until someone calls it, or things go seriously wrong. And when it does, it gnaws at us until we eventually decide to turn a page, get away from our same same and be brave enough to try something new.

At 51, I can attest to many midway turns in my life - and it feels great. So here’s a few of my personal “kitchen” tricks to apply to the process of finding that thing, that’s all gorgeous and all yours:

Start with nothing

No knowledge. No background. No qualification. We don’t need to have it all figured out before we find what we’re looking for. That’s half the thrill of finding it. Knowing nothing about your “thing” upfront leaves room for more possibility, and less expectation.

Don’t be afraid to experiment

Finding your thing is a trial and error process; you must try a little to benefit a lot — and never be afraid to fail. The flop is, in fact, the fortune – there are great lessons in getting something wrong at the first go — it’s all part of the growing process.

Do a salt test

When you’re deciding if your new hobby, skills course or business is going to fulfil you, add some salt, and adjust for taste. We are all unique, and some taste buds need more flavour than others. So do it your way — keep tasting throughout your process, until it sits just right for you.

Add chilli flakes

Challenge yourself, get a little daring. Choose to step outside of the “mild” version of yourself. Often, the results will surprise you.

Don’t add pressure to your life

I’ll never ask you to make your own basil pesto – when there’s such a wide variety of good ones available at our local stores. All Sorts of cooking is about experimenting with all sorts of ingredients and ready-made mixes too. Make your life easy.

Own it, love it, share it

When you find something you love, you need to own it as your own. This is everything! Owning, loving and sharing your knowledge is the best part of any new project or practice.

As women, we are never too young, too old, too busy, too bored or too unqualified to reinvent our own life’s recipe that’ll make us feel good again. We all need a thing – it’s what keeps us sane.

* For more “recipes” from South Africa’s most loved BFF in the kitchen, Chantal Lascaris, purchase your copy of All Sorts of Salads and All Sorts of

METRO

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2021-07-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thestar.pressreader.com/article/281616718404017

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