Why culinary travel should be part of everyone's life adventures

John Denboer has often said how he has been extremely fortunate that the two greatest adventures of life, which is food and travel, have gone hand-in-hand. And he firmly believes everyone should experience a culinary journey.

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The truth of the matter is that over 30% of the expenses of tourists go to what they eat. Over the past two decades, there has been a rise in the number of American tourists traveling to try out new food. This trend in culinary travel doesn't seem to be going anywhere but up, and that's how it should be.

Trying out new food is a huge part of anything on a trip. It contributes to a person's memory of a place. From the once-in-a-lifetime experience of eating live octopi to the combination of aromas in exotic curries to the preparation of fine dining courses in some of the most sophisticated establishments in the world, food shapes journeys as it has shaped cultures.

In many instances, John Denboer adds, food can be a challenge. There is an endless menu of exotic dishes everywhere in the world with legends and lore all to their own. This makes things all the more exciting and culinary travel, all the more worth spending time, money, and effort for.

Three essential cooking skills worth mastering

John Denboer is a chef, foodie, and avid traveler who holds private cooking classes for groups. He believes that cooking is a life skill that will empower an adult to become more independent. Here are three important kitchen skills one should master.

Basic knife techniques

Learning how to dice, slice, chop, and mince like a pro will make a person feel more confident in the kitchen. Of course, before learning all these skills, Chef John Denboer shares that one should learn proper knife handling to stay safe and to prepare the ingredients properly. Properly cutting meat, fish, vegetables, and other ingredients is crucial to perfecting a recipe.








Cooking pasta and rice

Preparing an al dente pasta dish may seem easy, but a lot of beginners end up with soggy noodles. Learning how to cook different types of pasta properly will open up a person to various recipes that they can prepare easily. When it comes to rice, one can prepare it perfectly without a rice cooker. According to John Denboer, one must be familiar with rice variants and the amount of water needed for the perfect texture and taste.

Eggs prepared different ways

Eggs are a widely-used ingredient in the kitchen. These can be boiled, poached, scrambled, fried, and more. Learning how to prepare various egg dishes will boost a person's confidence in the kitchen. For those who want to get into baking, later on, mastering cooking with eggs is good preparation. Or for those who wish to host brunch, knowing how to prepare simple egg dishes is a good start.

The gourmet kitchen: An introduction

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John Denboer is a gourmet chef who has traveled the world and now teaches group classes to share his knowledge. Often, he focuses on food preparation and cooking. However, there are times when he goes beyond recipes and touches on more things about being a gourmet chef.

For this blog, John Denboer briefly introduces the gourmet kitchen, or at least what he deems worthy as a kitchen for gourmet chefs everywhere.

First off, John Denboer mentions that there are staple pieces of equipment that a gourmet kitchen cannot do without. These include a large refrigerator and freezer, dual ovens, a six-burner stovetop, a dependable and powerful ventilation system, a wine cooler that is separate from the fridge, and a prep sink that goes of course, on a gourmet kitchen island.

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John Denboer explains that the basic idea of a gourmet kitchen design should take into consideration space to have the chef move comfortably around, accommodate everything a gourmet chef needs, and house a cooking station. The design should also allow the chef to easily reach for everything they need – spices, ingredients, and tools – while they are cooking.


Finally, John Denboer notes the significance of having the chef design the kitchen himself or at least have a big hand in the concept. Depending on what kind of chef they are, if they are more or a baker, or if they are vegetarian, or specializes in cooking fish over meat, that’s how the kitchen should be designed. Different chefs require different designs, Denboer adds.

Three reasons office teams should enroll in cooking classes

Whenever John Denboer has a conversation with people who express their desire to learn cooking, he always emphasizes the importance of taking cooking classes. However, cooking classes aren't just good for teaching students the basics of cooking; they also have some surprising benefits for groups of people, especially those who work with each other.

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Below are three important reasons for companies to send their employees to cooking classes in place of team building sessions.

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Improvement in problem-solving skills: For the uninitiated, the kitchen can be a stressful place. Anything can happen, from a person overcooking the food to burning the place down. John Denboer believes that because of the pressure in kitchens, cooking classes for office teams can be the ideal setting wherein they can learn to remain calm and solve problems under pressure.

Increased team cohesion and efficiency: A lot of cooking classes have scenarios where students have to work together to come up with a single dish. This is why John Denboer recommends this in place of team building workshops or seminars. The goal is the same – to bring employees together. On top of that, they all learn new things to do in the kitchen.


Enhanced creativity: Perhaps one of the biggest benefits cooking classes can have for anyone is it requires people to be creative. John Denboer explains that this can be incredibly advantageous for employees as they get to experience situations wherein they need to think out of the box. They may bring this newfound creativity along with them even after the classes are over, and into the workplace.