User:Cooking with Denay

Who is Cooking with Denay?

My first memories of great food began by watching my mom make Danish pastry. The momentous occasion usually took place around late March, just when the weather was beginning to change. Mom learned to make the pastry from a neighbor next door who moved to Detroit from the Virgin Islands. I was about four years old and from that time forward I began my sensuous love affair with food.

My career journey has included working as a cook, food stylist, and caterer, pastry assistant, cooking instructor and all round food enthusiast for more than twenty five years, all while working traditional jobs to make ends meet.

I have worked in a major hotel, a swank urban restaurant, catered for the rich and not so famous, been the food stylist for a “love chef” and a few others promoting their books and products, and learned to make the best Pecan Pie in the world. The journey has not been easy, and I continue to work tirelessly to perfect my craft and spread the word about the importance of learning how to cook and bake from scratch. It is a noble cause. There really is nothing more fulfilling than preparing a delicious meal for the people you love.

Today I teach both public and private cooking classes, write about food, teach food history classes and stress the importance of creating food memories that will last for generations. My approach to teaching students to cook is simple; anyone can cook if they have a patient teacher willing to walk them through step by step. If you just have a few deliciously sinful recipes under your belt, you will always be able to experience a “divine dine.” This is what we pass on to future generations…all those divine dines.