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Valentine's Day: "Two" Many Chefs Turning Up the Heat

© Marianne and Trevor Beauchamp, Chefs

Valentine's Day may actually bring couples back into the kitchen!

Professional chefs, Marianne and Trevor Beauchamp, founders of FoodThyme.com are convinced that cooking couples can successfully turn in their boxing gloves for oven mitts - especially when it comes to preparing that special Valentine's Day meal.

The Beauchamps believe that a good meal not only feeds the body, but the spirit as well. The shared experience of cooking together nourishes that special relationship at every level. When the oven light is on -- beware -- it might not be all romance and roses.

"Typical kitchen scenarios cause conflict when one, or both, cooks treat cooking like a competition," says Marianne Beauchamp. "Maintain the romance not only by lighting candles and playing your favorite music, but by agreeing on individual tasks before entering the kitchen."

Marianne and Trevor's Valentine Day cooking tips:

1. Communicate – "Sweet" talk before you sauté, boil or chop. Communicate before cooking and fewer issues will arise while cooking. Discuss the menu - decide if your gastronomic journey will take you to Tuscany or the south of France.
2. Organize – Arrange the kitchen so you both know where things are, pour a glass of wine, layout your favorite cheese and fruit and set the tone for a romantic culinary journey. Create two workstations -- a cooking area and preparation area. Make equipment accessible and keep ‘like' ingredients together – spices, knives, baking ingredients – and NO secrets about where things are kept.
3. Shop Together – Shop in advance -- menus change when ingredients are unavailable or the fish that day looks bad! Lingering over the oysters or a tempting new tampenade evoke new flavors in each other. It also keeps you on the same page when menu changes occur!
4. Team Spirit – Cooking together is a partnership. Create a rhythm where no one person has all the right answers. Share decision-making -- try new things – taste along the way. Good chefs never make mistakes, only new creations.
5. Relax – Buy ingredients you feel comfortable with. If making pasta from scratch is not for you, use store-bought pasta and continue with the remainder of the recipe. "Clean as you go" – don't leave a big mess for afterward when you'd really prefer lingering over a romantic fire or bottle of wine.

"At-home chefs get caught up in gourmet kitchens that are all tricked-out with the latest gadgets," says Trevor Beauchamp. "Kitchen romance isn't about high-tech. The only tools you need are communication, a good attitude and a love for great food – and each other!"

Trevor and Marianne Beauchamp were trained at the Baltimore International Culinary College and the Culinary Institute of America in New York respectively with 30 years collective experience as executive chefs.



About the Author
Trevor and Marianne Beauchamp were trained at the Baltimore International Culinary College and the Culinary Institute of America in New York respectively with 30 years collective experience as executive chefs.

Visit their website: FoodThyme.com