I guess everyone has to start somewhere. Beginnings are hard, which is why I try and avoid them with a passion, give me the middle or the end any day. I’ll give it a go though…
So, my name is RAJ. It isn’t actually, it’s Rachel but RAJ is a nickname I was given during university and is actually my initials! I will send you a batch of freezer cookie dough if you guess what the A and J stand for. I’ve sort of adopted it as my online persona, not in a weird, creepy way, just in a ‘I want to keep this to myself for a little while’ way.
I want to teach people how to cook, how to feed themselves, how to enjoy food, how to know what food to buy, what food means to different people, and how the food we buy can have a big impact on our world. But why would you listen to little, old me? Well I have a long list of credentials, and if my CV is to be believed, they give me ‘a holistic understanding of food and people’… I’ll let you decide whether that’s true or not, maybe I should list a few of them for you here:
- I have a degree in Zoology – what does this have to do with cooking you say? Not much, except I have a vague understanding of food and the natural environment.
- I have a diploma in food and cooking from Leiths School of Food and Wine. Basically, I spent a year learning how to cook everything. It was awesome. Incredible. Amazing. Hear me wail ‘take me baaaaaack’ in the style of a social media influencer…
- I’ve spent quite a few years working on and off in different kitchens. At Leiths I learnt how to cook, in a kitchen I learnt how to cook. How to be a cowboy, how to work in a team, and how to stand up for a 12 hour shift and not have to pee at all (this isn’t healthy, don’t do this, don’t be like me).
- I have a Masters in Anthropology of Food. Here I learnt about people and how they connect with food. I also learnt that I am tenacious, dogged, and really not good at ‘anthropology speak’.
- I am a cookery school tutor at the wonderful Exeter Cookery School. My favourite courses are the children’s cookery ones which I have developed over the last year. Here I get to act like a big kid AND teach important life skills.
- I am also attempting to complete my PhD in Anthropology at Exeter University. I am discovering that I’m still not good at ‘anthropology speak’, but now I take this as a compliment.
- I work for Taste of the West in marketing and communications. Which is a joke as I’m really bad at communicating, but shhh, don’t tell them that!
There’s a few for you, if you want my whole CV you can get in touch but I think they only things I’ve missed off here are the times I worked for Sainsbury’s, John Lewis and the fact that I’ve visited over 40 different countries, not sure how that’s going to help with my food credentials. Anywho, take a gander around, and we can see whether I can teach you something. Even if it’s just something small.
