Sunday night, my wife comes home with a movie she says will inspire me. Always up for a little inspiration, I eagerly plonked myself in front of the TV, dimmed the lights and pressed play…


The movie, “Julie & Julia” is a true story of two women set in different eras. In 1949, Julia Child is in Paris, the wife of a diplomat, wondering how to spend her days. She tries hat making, bridge, and then cooking lessons at Cordon Bleu. There she discovers her passion for cooking and eventually writes an iconic recipe book, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking".

In 2002, Julie Powell, about to turn 30, underemployed and with an unpublished novel, decides to cook her way through "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" in a year while blogging about it. We go back and forth between the stories of two women learning to cook and finding success while fascinating parallels in their lives are revealed.


The movie truly worked its magic with me as I too found many parallels in my life with that of Julie Powell. I am thirty five and have been doing my own share of soul-searching about my life and how radically different it is compared to what I expected by this point.I feel underemployed and not passionate about my current career but find great pleasure and inspiration when standing behind a stove. My blog, while probably not read by many, is a source of focus to me personally and has given me new challenges. After watching this movie, I feel confident that even though I am not a chef, somehow cooking will be my release from the mundane weekday hours between eight and five.

My original inspiration for starting this blog was to document all the different recipes that I have discovered or created over the years in my kitchen and hopefully inspire others to discover the joys of cooking. One thing I did not expect was for this blog to kick start me into action as it has done. I have never felt more inspired to get creative and be in the kitchen. So, I have decided to push my boundaries and up my game. I am going to host a dinner party – but not just any dinner party. This is going to be a gastronomical feast! In the coming weeks, I will be experimenting with different gourmet dishes from appetizers, garnishes and deserts, all with one thing in mind – to feel like a Michelin Star Chef, if just for one night.


So, I created this invite which I will be sending off to my friends. Next step is to finalize and create the menu - will keep you posted!

Scottish by birth, Gordon Ramsay was brought up in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, from the age of five. With an injury prematurely putting an end to any hopes of a promising career in football, he went back to college to complete a course in hotel management.

Ramsay’s first years in the kitchen were spent training under culinary luminaries such as Marco Pierre White and Albert Roux in London, after which he moved to France where he worked in the kitchens of Guy Savoy and Joël Robuchon for three years where he was able to enhance his expertise in classic French cooking. In 1993, Gordon became chef of the newly opened Aubergine and within three years the restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars.

Gordon's first book, Passion for Flavour, was published in 1996. Since then a number of hugely successful books by Gordon have been published. His most recent recipe book, Gordon Ramsay’s World Kitchen was published by Quadrille in November 2009.

In 1998 at the age of 31, Gordon set up his first wholly owned restaurant, “Gordon Ramsay”, in Chelsea. On 19th January 2001 it won its third Michelin star. In October 2001 Gordon opened Gordon Ramsay at Claridge's which won a Michelin star in 2003. The same year saw the opening of Gordon Ramsay Holdings first international restaurant, Verre, located in the Dubai Hilton Creek Hotel. A year later he opened in St. James's. Within seven months it had won a Michelin star. The restaurant relocated to The Berkeley Hotel in 2003 and won its second Michelin star in January 2007. Gordon continued to open restaurants around the world including “Maze”, situated in the 5 star “One & Only” hotel in Cape Town.

Seating up to 170 guests, the restaurant is modeled on its British namesake yet the tasting-sized dishes will evoke the bountiful flavours of the traditional recipes of South Africa. The restaurant showcases the best in local seafood and game as well as fresh produce from organic South African farms. Maze is home to the country’s largest and most innovative collection of South African wine - housed in a magnificent tri-level wine loft. Over 6,000 bottles of South African wine from vintages of Cape Pinotage and Shiraz to both acclaimed and undiscovered South African vintages are on offer.


Above: Gordon Ramsay's Maze, Cape Town

Giorgio Locatelli is considered by many to be one of the best Italian chefs in the world. Giorgio serves traditional Italian dishes, emphasizing the quality and freshness of the produce, as well as adding his own personal creative touch. His restaurant, Locanda Locatelli has won a Michelin star which has been retained ever since.

Giorgio was brought up on the banks of Lake Maggiore, Italy, in a village called Corgeno. His uncle ran a restaurant, giving him an appreciation and understanding of food from an early age. After working for a short spell in local restaurants in North Italy and Switzerland, Giorgio moved to England in 1986 to join the kitchens of Anton Edelmann at The Savoy. Four years later, Giorgio moved to Paris and worked at Restaurant Laurent and La Tour D’Argent. On his return to London a couple of years later, Giorgio became head chef at Olivo before opening Zafferano in February 1995.

Giorgio’s cooking at Zafferano quickly became the toast of London. His culinary talents have earned him an enviable international reputation as well as a whole host of accolades including ‘Best Italian Restaurant’ at the London Carlton Restaurant Awards for two consecutive years and his first Michelin star in 1999. The essence of his cooking is to highlight the natural flavors of quality produce, much of which he imports directly from Italy. He opened his second restaurant, Spighetta in July 1997 and its sister restaurant Spiga in March 2009. Both received critical acclaim for offering great Italian food.

In 2002, on the 14th of February, Giorgio and his wife Plaxy, opened his first independent restaurant, Locanda Locatelli. The restaurant has been awarded a Michelin star in 2003, which has been retained in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.



Above: Giorgio Locatelli's Locanda Locatelli, London