Do you love cooking but get nervous when you invite guests for dinner? Cooking at home is an opportunity to eat healthily and a source of joy.
It also has a therapeutic side: while concentrating on cutting, measuring, tasting, peeling and stirring, daily worries and troubles fade away and peace is regained.
Many clients are fascinated when I cook in front of them. They tell me of their love for cooking, but confess that they would be terrified to make dinner for 20 people. Even hosting four friends at home is stressful.
I'm not a trained chef. My postgraduate degree is in business administration. My first step to build confidence was to cook, cook and cook, as often as I could. It was beautiful to open a bottle of wine with my wife, put on some good music and cook together.
But the real breakthrough in my confidence and skills was when I started to cook with professionals. I wrote to chefs in cities I was travelling to and asked them to host me in their kitchens for a day or two. Remarkably, most said yes.
And I still do it now: I get lots of new ideas and practise skills. Most of all, it generates meaningful travel experiences. This year I cooked in restaurants in Tel Aviv, Ramallah, Tokyo, Koh Samui, Buenos Aires and Milan.
