– it promotes healthy eating, strengthens relationships, says Chef Edghill

By Gabriella Chapman
THEY say a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, similarly, women fancy men who can cook too. And for various reasons, many people were not able to master the art of cooking, time being the most common reason.

Young Guyanese chef Sarafina Edghill, says that now is the time for persons to fall in love with home-cooked meals, and improve their skill in cooking foods that are appealing to appetites.

Now with ample free time, given the ongoing living conditions of the entire world, both males and females, she said, can master the art of cooking. In fact, with the advancement of technology, recipes for any dish possibly thought of are just a click away.
The young woman said that she has been a chef for the past 10 years, and the love for the art, sprung from her introduction to Food and Nutrition classes during her high school years. She grew to master the art, and is now a chef attached to the Marriott Hotel.
Edghill said in her opinion, prior to COVID-19 causing a lockdown system to be implemented, many persons had a habit of eating out, in fact, even though a lockdown has been instituted, many persons are still eating out, as is evident in the long lines seen at fast food places.

“Getting into the habit of cooking your own foods, helps you to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle. And now, more than ever, people should feel more compelled to be healthy people, given the fact that to withstand the deterioration of the human system from the virus, a person must be strong and healthy. I believe now we have no excuse for eating out, because persons have the time now, it is more affordable, and it is healthier,” the young woman said.

There is also the point of persons not knowing how to cook certain dishes because they never tried it; and there are also persons who do not know how to cook altogether. To this end, Edghill said that there is no better time than now for persons to challenge themselves to widen their skillsets in the kitchen.

“It will bring so much satisfaction to a person to know that he/she is great cook. It brings you personal joy when people speak well of your cooking. Cooking was actually therapeutic for me because whenever I’m feeling down and out I would try a new recipe, and continue bettering my skills. And I love cooking for my families and friends, because it brings joy to me when I see their happy faces while eating delicacies that were products of my hand. In the same way, persons can capitalise on this free time, and prepare amazing meals for their families. Learn new food/dishes and methods of cooking, don’t have your family become tired of eating one thing over and over, because you don’t know how to cook anything else. Learn how to prepare more than one courses and exotic dishes,” she said.
In addition to this being a healthier course of action, the young woman said that it can be a way of strengthening relationships and families.

“Everybody loves a delicious meal. And when you can appeal to a person’s appetite, they’re fonder of you, as the famous saying goes. But on a serious note, nothing brings a family closer than a night or day with a good home- cooked meal, sitting and enjoying it with each other, while enjoying other fun family entertainment. So bring your family closer with a special treat tomorrow, with a proper breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Edghill said.

In her tips to persons reading, she said “I would suggest you start with cakes or pastries since once you learn the basic method, you can create many types of pastries. And you’ll be able to make healthy snacks for yourself, also the kids. And for foods try to cook a little of everything from all of the food groups and at the end of it all, you would get a complete meal, and a healthy one too with all the required nutrients and vitamins that you need for the day. After that step, you can graduate to challenging yourself with the exotic dishes and treat yourself and family.”