Journey of a Chef

A journey can mean many things to many people

My journey, since my last visit to TMPN, has been one of life change and still loads of fabulous cooking. The Cheshire Cookery school  goes from strength to strength, with a leaning to Corporate Courses and Celebrity Chef visits.

I, personally, will be taking a busman’s holiday in the USA, cooking with Colleen Duffley, Studio B., Alys Beach, Florida. Colleen is a world renowned photographer with a passion for the arts in all their mediums.

I will be sending recipes and photographs of “An English Chef’s Journey Through Studio B” over the next three weeks.

Hils, my friend, assures me that all my spelling mistakes will be corrected, thank goodness!!

To date the Itinerary involves meeting Paula Lambert, a renowned food writer and authority on Mozzarella cheese (she set up her own Mozzarella Cheese Factory)!  Paula is classed as being one of the top 10 most influential ladies of USA food, with ‘best selling’ books published as well as Classes operating in Italy and other parts of the world.

I will be having a “cook off” with a USA seafood chef in Pensacola , then out on a boat for a spot of Gulf fishing.

Trips to Alabama for a BIG HELLO to the Food Bloggers Meeting. This, I am assured, is going to be THE BOMB as Colleen says …

I really want to see the big steak bars and the big ‘characters’ that frequent these crazy palaces of butchery!

 

But first there’s the getting there! ………………..

 

27th January 2012

A Tale of Three Cities …..

Panama Cities to be exact!

Never did Jason dream that what appeared as a simple online booking would lead to an amazing adventure and that’s before he hit USA!

The problem is this: when you are looking for flights and input  Panama City, Florida , Google ignores the Florida bit and just catalogues flights for Panama City ….. all of them …. without discriminating!

It actually wasn’t until Jason arrived at the payment page – at which point he was so happy to have got there – that the 3 small grey letters after the name of the city eluded both Jason and myself and he’d purchased his flight without further ado.

This was back in November.

But here’s lesson number 1 … always check, whilst you have a get out clause, the documentation sent to you by your travel agent and again when they repeat this email in clear black and white three weeks ahead of your flight – check it again – and read the small print!

Day before flying Jason asked me to print off his e-tickets and Visa. Done and dusted I handed them back to him. Never gave it a seconds thought!

Now here’s the weird thing! On J day, at 6.45am, I suddenly woke up and felt an immediate need to view Jason’s travel documents. Why? I just don’t know. I clicked on his “Check my trip” link and unlike the day before, up popped a MAP of his journey. By this time Jason was at Schipol airport and had checked in his onward flight.

You cannot imagine what went through my mind when I saw a map with a clear line tracing his journey from Amsterdam to CENTRAL AMERICA – Panama City is also the name of the international airport in Panama.

No, I didn’t panic! But I envisaged Jason arriving in Panama City, Central America and thinking he was in the US of A! Then I panicked! I somehow HAD to tell him that where he was flying to and reassure him that it would be sorted out! Neither KLM or the staff at Schipol airport could have cared less. Unlike the UK they wouldn’t put out a simple tannoy message, They wouldn’t even tell him at either of the check-in desks he encountered before he boarded.

Thankfully, even though Jason had his phone turned off, instinctively he checked it moments before take off, and we broke the news …..

The Manager at the Sheraton Hotel in Panama found the situation funny  – but NOT UNUSUAL – “It happens!” he mused philosophically. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard this tale!

A day later, Jason arrived in Panama City number 2 ….. but not before he had met some truly amazing people.  Opportunities pop up at the most unpredictable times, something to do with synchronicity?

The third airport, Panama City, Florida isn’t far from number 2 but they are distinctly different airports.

Just to place all naiivity into perspective:

• The two travel agents who worked incredibly hard to help Jason did NOT know there were three Panama City airports
• Neither did the person I spoke to at KLM
• Neither did a member of cabin crew who regularly flies to Florida.

IT APPEARS THAT IF JASON HAD BEEN FLYING TO ANY OTHER NAMED CITY IN THE WHOLE WORLD, THIS COULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.

So should you want to visit Panama City make sure you know whether it’s

• Panama City  (ECP)
• Panama City  (PTY)
• Or Panama City (PFN)

The significant THREE LITTLE LETTERS are the critical AIRPORT CODES!!

And REMEMBER TO CHECK YOUR DOCUMENTS AND READ THE SMALL PRINT!

But we’re all still smiling and Jason has an extra stamp in his passport!