Cooking with One Chef One Critic
A
career television, radio, and print journalist, Karl Wells is widely known for
his 31-year career with the CBC. An accredited personal chef and lifelong
foodie, he has produced many food segments for local and national television
programs. Recently we spoke with Wells about his recent collaboration with
Steve Watson, Cooking with One
Chef One Critic (Flanker Press, 2013).
What
motivated and/or inspired you to write this book?
KW: Cooking with One Chef One Critic
came from a desire to provide the loyal viewers of the TV show, One Chef One Critic, with a tangible
memento of the series. It is a collection of my memories from the show, as well
as recipes and behind-the-scenes photographs taken over the course of 110
episodes of One Chef One Critic.
Did
the work come together quickly or did you really need to work at it?
KW: Yes, but the work
in doing a proper cookbook is in getting the recipes right. We had to make sure
nobody would be disappointed with a single recipe. This was key. Apart from
that, the challenge was in making the most effective choices from an abundance
of wonderful recipes, anecdotes and photographs.
What
was the most challenging aspect of the process?
KW: Formulating the
recipes so that they all matched in terms of layout, description, amounts, ease
of execution, et cetera.
What
was the most rewarding part of the experience?
KW: Seeing a record
of a six year body of work come together in tangible form.
What
did you learn during process?
KW: I learned that patience and a love of editing and re-writing are
essential for the production of a good book.
What
has the response to the work been like so far?
KW: The response from
everyone who has seen the book has been very positive and rewarding. The media
have embraced the book, as well as fans of the show. Everybody is thrilled with
the overall quality of the artwork, photographs, recipes and the general
polished construction of the book.
In
your estimation, what makes a good book?
KW: A good book is
one with which the author is thoroughly satisfied and one that is read or used
very quickly.
What
are your thoughts on the current state of literature in Atlantic Canada?
KW: I believe book
publishing in Atlantic Canada, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador, is
doing very well. Our fiction writers are being recognized as some of the best
in the country. Atlantic Canada has a great tradition of storytelling, mostly
an oral one. Now we see that tradition continuing in the written word.
What
can we do better?
KW: There’s no point
in writing a book if nobody knows about it. We need to get better at marketing
our books in Atlantic Canada and across the country.
Do
you have any advice for aspiring writers?
KW: Only the same
advice that’s been given ad nauseam; write what you know about, and if it’s not
enjoyable, find something else to do.
What's
next on your creative agenda?
KW: My next project
will be a personal memoir.
