CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — CiLiving guest chef Paul Young joins the show to share his passion for cooking. He taught me how to make miso ramen.
Upcoming Cooking with Paul events:
Pop-up Dinner: Pan-Asian Singapore Hawker Tour (19 May 2024)
Urbana Park District Summer Cooking Class Series
Jamaican Cuisine (June 13, 2024)
Greek Classics (July 11, 2024)
Taste of Japan (August 1, 2024)
FAQ
What were you doing before you retired?
I was a tenured professor at Parkland College. I've been teaching graphic design for 20 years. And once you are bitten by the education bug, you are hooked for life. For me, teaching is simply sharing my knowledge, so after retiring I decided to share one of my other passions: cooking.
Are there any similarities between teaching graphic design and teaching cooking?
absolutely. Graphic design is visual communication, and in order to make something look beautiful, you need to learn basic design principles. When cooking, if you want something to taste good, you must learn basic taste principles, such as how to balance sweet and sour, sweet and salty, sweet and salty, etc.
You travel a lot. What is the relationship between food and travel?
surely. I love the culture shock when I go to a foreign country. Everything feels so different, strange and new, especially the food. All your senses are heightened and you can't help but get excited about trying new things. For me, one of the most exciting things in life is trying new dishes that I've never tried before.
The Urbana Park District cooking series is called “Flavour Principles of Ethnic Cuisine.” Is ethnic cuisine your specialty?
Yes, ethnic cuisine is my passion. There is no cuisine in the world that you would not want to try at least once. Then, if I like the dish, I try to recreate it in my kitchen. These days, Google makes it super easy. If you know the name of the dish, there are hundreds of recipes you can start using. Sure it takes a few tries, but you can usually get pretty close. Once you master the recipe, you can share what you learned in the cooking class.
Most chefs wear white clothes. Why wear black?
I once worked in a restaurant kitchen and always had a dirty look at the end of my shift. White didn't make any sense to me since it gets dirty quickly. So, I decided to wear black when teaching because I'm not a good cook and black makes it hard to see the stains from cooking.
Are you planning anything new?
Yes, we are planning to host a series of cooking classes and pop-up dinners at Harvest Market in the near future. Details are currently being worked out and will be posted on the website soon.
background
Bio: https://www.cooking-with-paul.com/about.html
Professional resume: https://www.electric-pictures.com/paul/
Cooking classes: https://www.cooking-with-paul.com/classes.html
Pop-up dinner: https://www.cooking-with-paul.com/popups.html
Recipes: https://www.cooking-with-paul.com/recipes.html
Blog: https://cooking-with-paul.blogspot.com/
Cooking portfolio: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2KvFpYiM16x5CKVZ9
Social media: Instagram, Facebook, Linkedin
