I love people. Their story, what they love and what they hate and why they do what the they do. I am truly interested in how they came down their path and ended up where they are today. I call it their journey.
Every day, we meet so many people and we don’t really know what inspires them or drives their passion. I am on a mission to find out about their passion and what drives the people I interact with on a daily bases. Somehow I find it easier to ask those questions when I meet a stranger or a new friend.
A perfect example is when I was at this conference. I was the keynote speaker at the Ontario Home Ec conference and got to meet a lot of new friends. My presentation was on passion and people and making those connections.
One of the women that I met was Joan Ttooulias. She is an amazing person who can style food and develop recipes. She has TV experience and has worked with National companies. She is a soft spoken person that is hard working. She can organize a crew; implement ideas and is the kind of person who works behind the scenes.
She is a food stylist. Joan takes everyday food and recipes and makes them beautiful. Some recipes are easier than others. She creates the vision and look for what we see on TV and in print. It takes knowledge, a sense of flair and style to make it all happen. Not only is Joan an in-demand food stylist, she is a recipe developer. Another challenging task as it’s not as easy as it seems.
A little bit about Joan:
What are you passionate about?
I’m passionate about food, learning, eating, experiencing and travelling to various places to try new foods.I’m also passionate that everyone should know how to cook well, enjoy food and pass that love and passion onto their own children.
What inspires you to cook and bake?
I love baking and cooking because I enjoy creating recipes, trying new foods, seeing how they work together in recipes and best of all making something that’s yummy, delicious and healthy.Tell us a little about yourself?
I grew up on board a ship until I was six, travelling to the Hebrides, up the Seine, the Rhine, the Baltic and the North Sea, so at a very young age experienced lots of unusual, different foods. I graduated from a 4-year Home Economic degree programme in England and came to Canada many years ago. I firmly believe that Home Ec should be taught in schools. Not just how to make basic meals and baked goodies but the whole gamut of life skills required for family life. I currently live and work in Toronto, Ontario as a food stylist and a recipe developer. My youngest is just graduating from G.Brown Culinary Management programme.This recipe has been developed for the novice baker, one who wants to bake a successful loaf of bread but is put off by having to use yeast, the time involved and either doesn’t know and or fully understand how to knead dough properly. This recipe eliminates those issues by using quick rise instant yeast and the food processor.
Joan Ttooulias developed this recipe using healthy ingredients to produce a hearty slightly nutty loaf that is delicious as is or when toasted. It is even better when used in a Panini grill to make a yummy veggie and goats cheese sandwich.
