Melanie Moller Alumni Spotlight

MELANIE MOLLER Mulgrave School Alumni Interviewed by Michelle Noble | April 2016

Nothing brings people together like good food.

Mulgrave School

Alumni Association

M

elanie Moller graduated from Mulgrave in 2010 with aspirations of becoming a journalist. After going

to school and gaining experience by interviewing local restaurant owners and chefs, she quickly learned that her passion fell on the other side of the interview process - with the creative process and flavours of cooking. She decided to pursue that hunger, go back to school, and secure a position with a four-diamond restaurant upon graduation. In this week’s alumni spotlight, Melanie turns up the heat and shares her story of becoming a chef.

What inspired you to pursue a career as a chef?

I have always enjoyed food and cooking, and baking in particular. I loved eating abroad when travelling with my family, and I find the role of food in culture and

odd hours or not eating for 12 hours at a time - it takes a toll! I’m excited to be finishing culinary school as I’ll have more time to devote to my nutrition (thankfully), because it’s so important for living a happy, healthy life.

family life fascinating. I used to love bringing cupcakes

What are three ingredients that can always be found in

and other goodies to Mulgrave to share with my

your kitchen?

classmates and teachers, and if you’ve ever seen me eat a really good dessert, the bliss is palpable (just ask my parents). When I began studying Journalism at Carleton after leaving Mulgrave, I found that I most enjoyed working on stories involving the food industry. I would be interviewing chefs, food critics, restaurateurs etc. thinking, ‘I’d rather be doing this!’ I finished my degree (all the while working in a local chocolate shop) and immediately switched career paths.

Since we’re on the subject of healthy, I always have a ‘healthy’ supply of cheese in my drawer for snacking…

But really, three ingredients I couldn’t live without when I cook at home: 1. Soy sauce (or tamari) - Such incredible depth of flavour and way more interesting than adding salt.

Have you ever added soy sauce to mushrooms? It makes them taste more like mushrooms!

2. Chocolate – I’m making quite a lot of mousse cakes

What a great segue into the world of cooking! How has

and truffles right now. Plus, I’m a chocoholic so I have

journalism enriched your knowledge and understanding

probably 15lbs of different kinds of chocolate in my

of food?

cupboard for experimenting.

I asked lots of fanboy/career advice questions when interviewing local chefs and restaurateurs while in journalism, so getting a head start in understanding the industry before entering it was huge. I also spent some time reviewing restaurants and was lucky enough to meet one of Ottawa’s leading food critics. Getting perspective on the way the media and, in turn, the public evaluate food and restaurants has helped me focus on the details in my cooking and maintenance of my workplace. Keeping on top of food trends is also useful, and the habit of checking the news (or, in this case, food magazines/blogs/stories etc.) to stay in the loop has been great for building my culinary knowledge base.

As a strong athlete, (a provincial and national volleyball champion!) how have you found that food and diet can affect your athletic ability?

It’s funny because the more I’ve gotten into cooking, the worse I have fed myself (one of the hazards of working long hours without breaks). I’ve continued to play volleyball after high school, but just in the last year or so since starting at my most recent job, I’ve felt less able to reach my potential in terms of speed, concentration, and stamina on the court. Unhealthy staff meals, meals at

3. Eggs - I can’t live without eggs, the most magical ingredient of all. It has so many functions and purposes in the kitchen, from adding volume to emulsifying sauces to binding, breading, browning…

And a straight-up runny egg on toast with lots of butter and salt? Heaven.

Have you found that travelling has enhanced your

when there are no more bowls to use in the kitchen, or

knowledge and love for food?

when the ovens are all set too high for your cake. Being

Definitely! For one, discovering new ingredients and dishes is very exciting. I’ll never forget trying the yummy ‘squeaky’ queso in the mountains just outside of San José

able to go with the flow and be resourceful, just like when travelling, is crucial, or you just won’t get your work done.

in Costa Rica, or labneh, a delicious type of yoghurt in

In your opinion, which country has the best food in the

Israel, and warthog in South Africa. Food is so very cool

world?

in that it plays to all your senses and there’s nothing better than bringing friends and family together over a conversation dish. Also, when you’ve seen certain ingredients used in context with a particular culture or lifestyle, it helps you to connect with them on a deeper, more empathetic level.

Take achiote, for instance: I learned about it for the first time during a volunteering trip in Ecuador, where it has traditionally been used for medicine or for dying fabrics.

It also happens to be delicious infused into oils or sauces to create a gorgeous red colour, but whenever I use it, I

As far as a national cuisine, I’m torn between Italian, French, Japanese, Israeli. Well… and British. My family is English, so a good cheese and onion pie or a Yorkshire pudding will never go amiss on my plate. As far as where in the world you can get the best food, you can’t beat England! London is home to the best restaurants of every kind of cuisine.

How is the local, sustainable food movement evolving in Canada?

remember its original purpose and find I have a better

One positive thing I’ve noticed is that, on a small scale,

respect for it as an ingredient.

professional and home cooks are starting to care more

Besides introducing exotic flavours into your dishes, what have you learned from your travels that you can apply in the kitchen?

I’ve learned to be open-minded and to welcome surprises. You never know when a vegan or someone with an allergy to citrus will walk through the door, or

about where their food comes from and are sourcing locally for a range of environmental, economical, and culinary reasons. I get the sense that this country’s professional cooks make sourcing locally a priority, even though from a restaurant’s standpoint it’s hard to fill a menu with seasonal, local ingredients in the dead of winter. A good balance during those times is important,

ABOVE: Melanie with Lynn Crawford, Canadian chef and Food Network personality, before doing a demo at school.

and consideration of that as a diner when choosing

have since crossed back into the realm of moderate

menu items will help hold professionals accountable

omnivorism), but just a reduction in meat consumption

in this regard. (You shouldn’t be ordering asparagus

is enough to at least help. If you do eat meat, be

in November or zucchini flowers in February!) I love

smart about where your protein comes from - go to

the Vancouver Aquarium’s Ocean Wise programme,

your butcher and ask for Canadian beef, or look for

which eases this process of sustainable eating for

sustainable, Canadian seafood.

diners (Ocean Wise status is often printed on the menu) and helps businesses make ocean-friendly sourcing decisions. I think we still rely too heavily on imported foods, and there are still steps to be taken in consideration of soil erosion, water wastage, and land conservation when we look at the farming systems from which we get our food.

What can people do to be more sustainable in their homes when cooking?

What’s the most interesting class you’ve taken in school?

Every day at culinary school was awesome. It was an intensive programme, so we covered so many techniques every day in demo and practical. I’ve really enjoyed the classes where we work with chocolate – chocolate showpiece, tempered chocolate garnishes, chocolate truffles and bonbons. In preparation for my final pastry exam, I had to design and then realise a mousse cake, and having that succeed structurally and

It’s really important to consider where you get your food

be delicious was very rewarding. Another one of the

from and how that food is grown and harvested. If we

coolest classes was in Intermediate Cuisine, where a

create less of a demand for out-of-season ingredients

partner and I butchered an entire lamb. It took a couple

that have to be transported from far away, then we

of hours because we wanted to respect the animal and

contribute less to carbon emissions and unsustainable

do the butchery justice, but it made eventually cooking

farming practices. Also, consuming less meat helps

the different cuts very satisfying.

reduce our ecological footprint. I’m not saying you need to be a vegetarian (I did that for six years, and I

What would your dream job be when you’re finished schooling at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa?

Well, I’m very lucky to have already been hired into

pumpkin soup, parsnip soup with white chocolate and

my dream job here in Ottawa. I took some time off

chili, but I’m also a huge fan of good-quality thin crust

from school to do a few trips, but while I was in town,

pizza - always will be.

I applied for a stage (internship) opportunity at a fourdiamond restaurant, Beckta. After a couple of weeks, they offered me a position as a Pastry and Garde Manger (cold appetizers) Chef de Partie, which I accepted. I’m thoroughly enjoying working in a fine dining restaurant and am learning so much. The next step, however, is to travel and learn about world cuisine. I think my next dream job would be in Copenhagen at a restaurant called Geist, which is a modern Nordic restaurant, or a Michelin Star restaurant in Tokyo – the way the Japanese look at food and the attention to detail and freshness of ingredients is admirable and fascinating to me.

Favourite dish?

Do you feel Mulgrave helped to prepare you for this career path?

I’ll never forget ‘Renaissance Wednesday’ cooking class with Mme. Lebrun in Middle School. Cooking in French – how poignant that a decade later I’d be doing just that! More significantly though, Mulgrave taught me to love learning. Thirsting for knowledge is a central crux of the restaurant industry; there is always something new, different, and maybe better to learn about food preparation, ingredient selection, and good practice. I also feel like I learned how to work hard at Mulgrave.

The IB programme is a beast - a useful one, but no one can argue that it’s not a substantial amount of work.

Every day at my job is a slog, and I’m glad I’m used to

That’s like asking a parent to choose between children! I

persevering through busy and tough times. As we like to

like everything! This winter I’ve loved soups of all kinds:

say in the kitchen at work, “Push on!”

shiyo ramen, seafood laksa, Nana’s chicken soup, roasted

ABOVE: Melanie at her graduation from Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa, Culinary Arts Institute.

Melanie Moller, 2010