Colourful cooking helps to improve the mood of chef and diners alike

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Published: 12:00am, 28 Aug 2012Updated: 6:11pm, 28 Aug 2012

"Cooking brings joy to life," says Benedetta Rossi, who works at Hotel Approdo in Salento, the fourth stop on my culinary tour of southern Italy. "The colours and the perfumes of our land make me happy and draw me to the stoves."

Rossi graduated from law school, but left city life behind to work in the family's hotel and restaurant. At Hotel Approdo hotelapprodo.com she is in charge of pastries: "I'm very happy here. Cooking fills my life with joy," she says.

Food can be therapeutic. When I lived in London, my wife Sandy and I would get home late after working at demanding jobs in the management consulting industry. We were tired, we were worn-out, and worried about the next deadline, what our boss felt about our work, and our relationships with colleagues and clients.

Cooking together helped us heal. We made a point of cooking together every night, no matter whether we were preparing a simple dinner or a sophisticated one. When you cook, your mind empties the day's thoughts and worries. So you go to sleep lighthearted, rest better and start the next day stronger.

The HCD group, a consultancy which offers learning and coaching solutions to executives across Asia thehcdgroup.com uses cooking as one of the tools to develop human capital.

"Cooking allows you to become aware of the interpersonal dynamics between you and your life partner and your colleagues," says Rob Schilling, the group's CEO.

"Paying attention to how dynamics can change, and how you feel about that, can help to bring an awareness of your behaviour into the relationship."