Patricia Chuey

Food and Nutrition Expert | Recipe Developer

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So, you want to create a recipe masterpiece…

June 16, 2016 By Patricia Chuey

 

Scribble Collage

…it’s not actually all about food all of the time.

As a recipe developer I’m often asked where I get my inspiration, how I get ideas.

Although there are books and online resources well worth checking out if you’re an aspiring recipe developer or food writer, much of being creative in the kitchen isn’t learned from a book. It comes not only from the many food experiences you’ve had and conversations about meal challenges for consumers but also simply from within you. The more you allow yourself the freedom to be creative, the more readily the ideas will rise to the surface.  We all have ideas. Some flow freely, some get stuck behind fear or intimidation. Some days we’re a wealth of creativity. Other days we struggle to come up with a single original thought. Artists and musicians often say their best work came after surviving their darkest or most challenging times.

Reading food magazines and blogs is a wonderful way to be inspired with gorgeous food photos and recipes. (If ever taking inspiration from an existing recipe, crediting the source is respectable, professional practice.) Over and above that, the more you take any opportunity to exercise your ‘creative muscles’ the better. Look for situations that allow your brain to wander in new directions. People often say they get their best ideas or make their most important decisions while on vacation, when their brain is relaxed. Not surprising. Unplugging is an important creativity booster. That has been a key for me.

Playing charades or improv games also encourages creativity. Balderdash is a board game in which you have to make up a definition for a real, but unfamiliar word, and then try to convince the other players that your definition is the correct one. I recently gave a group of foodies – dietitians, Home Ec teachers and farmers – the task of defining a few lesser known culinary terms. If they didn’t know the correct term, they were encouraged to make up any definition they like. One of the words was “muddler” – in the culinary world it’s a tool used by a bartender to mash fruits, spices or fresh herbs to release their flavour, such as mint leaves in a mojito. At our session, alternate definitions ranged from “when your non-cook spouse tries to make dinner” to “a beer snatcher”. A “fool”, culinary, is an English dessert in which fruit is made into a custard. Those in the group unfamiliar with the term came up with answers like “a Gr 9 Home Ec student who lies on the floor of the kitchen during class” and “a close-minded person”. Not being a test, participants were encouraged not to care or worry if they didn’t know the correct term but instead to have fun, participate and exercise their creativity in the process of coming up with a definition, real or not.

Another creativity-enhancing exercise they participated in was to draw a masterpiece from a scribble. This is an actual thing. You can google ‘make a drawing from a scribble’ from which you go on to create your own original drawing. We often do this to help pass the time when waiting during travel or appointments. It’s always good for a few laughs. And laughs always seem to release creative energy and ideas. In the exercise, 75 people were given the same scribble as pictured above on the top left. Some immediately started drawing. Some turned the page upside-down and sideways first. Some thought about it for quite a while perhaps wondering what I was up to with this. Each one of them interpreted it differently. Some very simply, some more elaborately as the examples demonstrate. All jumped in with this unfamiliar task and took the opportunity to create and think outside the box. None of the drawings were “right” or “wrong”. With this, the word definition exercise, and a couple other tasks, my goal was to send them off inspired to explore and experiment with their own original ideas in the kitchen.

I’ve had the opportunity to create hundreds of healthy recipes for clients ranging from a supermarket chain and food companies like Kraft to commodity groups like BC Cranberries and BC Tree Fruits – even a few recipes that appear on canned goods and food packaging. My best ideas have come after immersion in creativity-enhancing situations, culinary-related or not.  And, from summer vacation where I’m soon headed.

To continue creating your own culinary masterpieces, I encourage wholeheartedly and fearlessly jumping into any and all creative opportunities you come across.  Laugh a lot and free yourself knowing there is no right or wrong way to do it.

Cheers!

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Patricia Chuey

Working in the kitchen, Patricia turns evidence-based healthy messages into delicious ideas. This respected food and nutrition expert is the real deal.
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Filed Under: Fresh Ideas Tagged With: Balderdash game, creative food ideas, creative inspiration, creativity, exercising your creativity, food blogger, how to create recipes, laughter and creativity, make a drawing from a scribble, recipe developer, recipe development

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Patricia Chuey

It has been my life’s work to create peace of mind around food and health. What an absolute joy to connect with so many who have shared, done the work and now reap the benefits of an energized, healthy life!

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Happy Customers

Karen Stark

Working with Patricia was a wonderful experience, her knowledge, experience and passion for food was very apparent. She worked on several tofu recipes for us and for our tofu cookbook that helped it become a great seller on store shelves

Intrawest Staff

This was the BEST lunch and learn I have ever been to. Informative, not lecturing like this topic can sometimes be. Patricia was a very effective presenter and I found it incredibly beneficial to me. She was fantastic; informative, funny and interesting!

Tori Wesszer

“Patricia was the very first mentor I ever had, and I’ve looked up to her ever since the day I walked into her office.  An extremely accomplished business woman and dietitian, Patricia’s passion for helping people succeed is truly unprecedented.  I’ve had the great fortune of learning from Patricia over the years, and can put… Read more “Tori Wesszer”

Marnie Seifert

You make me look sooo good. The staff are buzzing around talking to each other and saying how great you are. Thank you once again for making our staff appreciation day function so successful.

Ann Collette

I have had the pleasure of working with Patricia Chuey in her capacity as a dietitian, recipe developer, writer and consultant for more than 15 years. Patricia has truly distinguished herself, not only for her comprehensive knowledge of nutrition and contemporary nutrition-related issues but also her empirical knowledge of health in general – attributes that… Read more “Ann Collette”

Jack Hourigan

Patricia brings vast nutritional knowledge, quick wit and professionalism to every show. She is a pleasure to work with, is a talented dietitian and has a calming presence on and off camera…everyone should have a Patricia Chuey in their lives…we’d all be a little happier and healthier!

Deanie Foley Gillespie

Patricia developed 96 original recipes for BC Tree Fruits. In addition to providing recipe development and nutritional analysis, she also determines if recipes are suitable for low fat, heart healthy and diabetic diets. Patricia always met the challenge of creating recipes that target our numerous fruit commodities as she brings vast industry knowledge to the… Read more “Deanie Foley Gillespie”

Emma Lee

Patricia Chuey was a freelance writer for Urbanbaby & Toddler magazine for 9 years. Her articles were not only accurate and timely but also engaging and well written. In readership surveys, her articles received some of the highest marks from our discerning readers.

Karen Meurer

Patricia exudes her own joy de vivre and is always ready to roll. She is graceful and professional while sharing her knowledge and expertise with our viewers. She is someone you can relate to and look forward to seeing. Patricia “invites you in” and you want to stay. She is the perfect expert/co-host.

Jeff Bohnen

Patricia came back to Intrawest for a return engagement as a guest of our Health & Safety Committee, and was just as great the second time around! Not only is she funny and engaging, but she also has an amazing ability to be a teacher, not a preacher. Her easy-to-remember, common sense approach to nutrition… Read more “Jeff Bohnen”

Rhonda Klatik

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Patricia for the past 9 years conducting Health and Wealth seminars. Patricia is one of the most captivating and enjoyable speakers I know. Her subtle humour and extensive knowledge of nutrition and well-being amazes her audiences. I recommend attending her highly sought after seminars. You’ll learn the key… Read more “Rhonda Klatik”

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