Selkirk College Chef Randy Davis Gets Philosophical Between Meals

According to Randy Davis, an instructor in Selkirk College's professional cooking program, bringing people together is what cooking is all about.

"Fine dining clearly isn't about sustenance or satisfying one's appetite. It's about strengthening bonds between people and forming lasting relationships," Davis said. "Whether it's during a date, at the close of a business deal or in celebrating a special occasion with the people we love, the food helps bind us together."

Davis, who knows a great deal about nutrition, kitchen safety, presentation and innumerable recipes also seems to know in a more abstract way what it takes to be a great chef.

"Naturally there must be a passion for food. If you're a foodie, you'll love what we're doing here," he said. "But besides that, being artistic and creative is what really distinguishes the very best chefs that I've come across."

He credits growing up in a home where the kitchen played a significant role with steering him into the profession, and he frequently can see the impression that good home cooking has on his protégés.

He adds, however, that a willingness to learn about foods, their flavours and textures, and the ability to combine them purposefully into dishes that somehow become greater than their parts, is within anyone's reach.

"Cooking is a skill that most of us call on at some level. But the benefits of focusing attention on knowledge and technique can dramatically improve the results," Davis said. "While the program's more able students will go on to become executive chefs in some the world's finest resort hotels, other may decide that being a steady and capable sous-chef or running a restaurant is the way to go."

Davis, who has been teaching in the program for four years, moved to the Kootenays for the laid-back, outdoor lifestyle and to raise his family, but he was surprised to learn how much he's come to enjoy assisting others in their exploration of food preparation and cooking techniques.

"The best part of about teaching is that I get to do everything," he said. "All types of foods, all kinds of styles, different ethnic cuisines, breakfast, lunch, dinner, you name it."

This isn't to say that culinary students simply learn by watching. Selkirk College's cafeteria in Nelson, which includes Scholar's dining room, constitutes a large, professional kitchen environment that caters to special events and books lunches in addition to serving up hot meals to seniors and students.

Cooking students are expected to work in teams in a food preparation setting that can serve up to 1,000 guests daily. The live-kitchen environment ensures that everything is cooked fresh and made from scratch each day under Davis's watchful eye.

Davis seems to tacitly acknowledge that Selkirk College may be one the place where he gets to dream-up his cake, bake it and have it, too, and he encourages those with interest in cooking to consider their passion more deeply.

First published on May 27, 2008