MS: Food does not come out of boxes and trucks and cans. Food comes from the earth, it comes from the ocean, it comes from people and it's personal. Engage in where your food comes from - don't take it for granted. And try to eat the healthiest stuff you can, but engage with it first.
Too many kids (and adults) take food for granted; it's just not something we think about. We're seduced by all these convenience foods that are out there. We're seduced by a culture that leads us to believe it's more important to have two cars in the driveway than the time to sit down and eat with your family. That is just flawed.
CL.com: What possesses you about cooking, and/or what are you most passionate about? (a method; an ingredient; a political issue; a region; a taste)
MS: I think one of the things that fascinates me the most about food is that through engaging with your food (becoming aware of the people and resources behind your food), it becomes easy to make great sustainable choices for you, your family and your friends.
Certainly for me, one of the most important things that defines my food is the connection to my friends and neighbours, my community and the food artisans of Prince Edward Island; it makes my food personal. It's not just anonymous ingredients anymore; they all have a story. When you understand that story, it helps you be a better cook - you almost feel a responsibility to whatever person produced that ingredient you're about to enjoy and you want to do your best with it. And that has defined me as a cook, as a dad, and as a chef. I think its one of the most fascinating things about food; how you can have that local and personal connection.
CL.com: To whom do you owe your success?
MS: Much of my success as a cook and as a chef is quite simply due to the passionate people of Prince Edward Island that do their best to make these wonderful ingredients for us. And I truly mean. When I first started cooking on PEI, I was a 24-year-old chef and didn't fully understand that local connection. I would go around looking for ingredients from around me because my perception was, "well they're better (and fresher) if they're from around me than if they're from California."
But in addition to better food and fresher ingredients, I also found personal connections with the people of Prince Edward Island that have come to define my food and helped me become the chef and cook that I am. By being accessible, by being hospitable, by sharing their stories and their passions, they've made me a better cook and I truly trace my success back to those connections that I made as a young chef on Prince Edward Island. They have directly contributed to where I am today.
CL.com: Anything else you would like CanadianLiving.com to know?
MS: Prince Edward Island is a giant farm surrounded by beaches. We're blessed with some of the most passionate culinary artisans on the planet. We are a place of oceans, farms, fishermen, and as a result, we're the kind of place where you come and you'll experience the island and you'll leave with a lifetime worth of food memories. I'm proud to be the newly named food ambassador for Prince Edward Island.
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