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	<title><![CDATA[My Sweetest Things]]></title>
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		<title><![CDATA[Childrens Party Menu 1]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[  Mini Cupcakes  
  Chocolate brownies  
  Pizza  
  Rocky road  
  Fresh pasta making  
  Bread making  
  Vegetarian sushi rolls  
  Cake decorating  
  Hello Dolly cookies  
  Salad combination  
  Asian style crab cakes  
  Salmon and potato cakes  
  &nbsp;  
  &nbsp;  
  &nbsp;  
  &nbsp;  ]]></description>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Oct 2008 19:08:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.mysweetestthings.co.uk/menus/childrens-party-menu-1/</link>
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		<title><![CDATA[Eve Magazine - How Cooking Saved Me]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[  Gordon Ramsay&rsquo;s better known for his ferocity than his abilities as a therapist, but for budding chef Joudie Kalla, 30, a stint in one of his kitchens turned her life around  
      
    Hold the double espresso. Working in a professional kitchen alongside the likes of Gordon Ramsay may not be a calming, Zen-like experience, but it sure gets the day off to a buzzing start.  
  Surrounded by steam, the clatter of stainless steel, multicoloured fresh veg and an even fresher supply of F-words, the adrenalin rush of a professional kitchen became a life-saver for Londoner Joudie Kalla.  
  &lsquo;I desperately needed that wake-up call,&rsquo; she says. &lsquo;I&rsquo;ve been a rebel since I was little; I was expelled from school for persistent rule-breaking. After university, I moved back in with my parents and drifted through mind-numbing data-entry and retail jobs. I soon sank into depression, triggered by my aimlessness.&rsquo; Joudie found herself cooking to cure her blues and insomnia. &lsquo;My dad would find me making hearty soups and soothing curries at 3am. It was a welcome distraction; I went into a happy trance at the stove.&rsquo; After taking a one-year professional cooking course, Joudie landed a job at   Pengelley&rsquo;s  , part of the Ramsay empire. &lsquo;It was just the shock treatment I needed.  
  My rebellious streak bowed to the discipline of the kitchen.The strict hierarchical structure, donning chef&rsquo;s whites and shouting &ldquo;Yes Chef!&rdquo; when an order came through was almost military- it blasted away my depression&rsquo;. Three years on, Joudie is a glowing success in her own right, catering for clients including Christian Louboutin, as well as running fun-filled children&rsquo;s cookery parties/  
  So cooking started out as a kind of therapy?  
  &lsquo;Yes, after my midnight vigils at the stove, I signed up for a cheffing course when I was 24. Learning to make the perfect chocolate mousse was better than any prescription drug I was on &ndash; my doctor had given me anti depressants, but they only made me feel worse. I then went on to train at Carluccios until hitting the jackpot with a trial shift at Pengelley&rsquo;s.  
  How did you the impress the chefs?  
  &lsquo;They put me to work making spring rolls, but within an hour I had sliced off the top of my finger and ended up in A&amp;E. Not one to give up, I came back from hospital and carried on working until midnight. Ian Pengelley liked my determination.&rsquo;  
  How true are the rumours about professional kitchens being gruelling?  
  &lsquo;Completely &ndash; tempers are as hot as the food. At Pengelley&rsquo;s we cooked Thai-Chinese style fusion food, and I learnt so much about beautiful presentation and subtle flavours. But my job was exhausting and I lost loads of weight; you don&rsquo;t feel like eating much when you have been removing ducks&rsquo; heads all morning.&rsquo;  
  Where did you go after leaving Pengelley&rsquo;s?  
  In 2005 I went to work at Papillon, a lovely southern French Bistro in Chelsea. We were a small tight knit team. My head Chef David Duverger was a great inspiration, and is still my mentor, helping me with recipes and getting hold of hard to find ingredients.&rsquo;  
  What is the toughest lesson you learnt?  
  &lsquo;Never to put up with bad treatment. At a different restaurant, I once worked with a chef who was horribly misogynistic, He didn&rsquo;t think women should be in the professional kitchens and would make his disgust clear by screaming orders in my face. One day the bad feeling between us bubbled over. He threw a hot duck at me dripping in boiling fat, it burnt my hand and I started sobbing from the pain. He was sacked. But I still couldn&rsquo;t be persuaded to stay.&rsquo;  
  How did you come to set up on your own?  
  &lsquo;A friend asked me to cater for her 40th birthday party and I leapt at the chance. The party had a black and white 1940&rsquo;s theme, so I did a menu with black cod and miso on jasmine rice, cauliflower risotto, sushi and spring rolls. Everything was served on black and white dishes. It was a great success, and gave me the contacts I needed to kick start a series of cookery classes. I decided to hold the classes at my home at first to keep costs down.&rsquo;  
  How did you get customers?  
  &lsquo;Through word of mouth recommendations. I&rsquo;m always busy with functions, from intimate dinners to cocktail parties. I think it helps that I don&rsquo;t turn people down who are on smaller budgets; we just tailor menus to fit.&rsquo;  
  What are the highs?  
  &lsquo;I love doing children&rsquo;s parties and I&rsquo;m never happier then when in a church hall handing out cookie cutters, aprons and hats to a gaggle of excited children. We cook crab cakes and chicken noodles together, or go for a pure sugar hit with muffins and cupcakes. Their enthusiasm is infectious &ndash; we end up dancing while we work!   I also recently did a party for Christian Louboutin in London, where I made biscuits and iced muffins with little shoes on them, complete with the trademark red soles, of course. That was great girly fun!  
  And the lows?  
  &lsquo;Conquering people&rsquo;s perceptions that men are better cooks. When I do parties, many guests are surprised that it&rsquo;s me in the kitchen rather than a man.  
  How&rsquo;s your work/ family balance?  
  &lsquo;Perfectly aligned! When I worked in restaurants I didn&rsquo;t really have a life, but now I can choose my own hours. It&rsquo;s mostly evening and weekend work, but because I&rsquo;m in charge I don&rsquo;t take on the crippling shifts you have to do in the restaurants. Many people are surprised that I still cook for pleasure inviting friends over for late night curries. I&rsquo;m also obsessed with cookery programmes.&rsquo;  
  What are your cooking secrets?  
  &lsquo;Presentation is very important for party food. Primp and preen your dishes to really knock peoples socks off &ndash; you eat with your eyes first and then your taste buds. Also you don&rsquo;t have to be a Michelin star chef to be a great cook. Mum in a hurry can cook fresh chicken breasts, rice and salad just as quickly as waffles and beans. Ditch readymade sauces; mix garlic, oil fresh tomatoes with a little sugar and chilli for an amazing effect. And use thyme &ndash; I think it&rsquo;s better than basil.&rsquo;  
  Any surprising ingredients you use?  
  &lsquo;Substitute cream in dishes with yoghurt- great for the waistline and just as tasty. Put hummus in a salad dressing. Experiment with fruit; lobster with grapefruit and orange is sensational, as is duck with roasted fresh figs.&rsquo;  
  What&rsquo;s your perfect comfort food?  
  &lsquo;A bowl of rice. I use pudding rice, cover it with water, a tea towel and cook for 15 minutes with the lid firmly closed. I then serve it with some slivers of grilled chicken or a veggie curry.&rsquo;  
  And your plans for the future?  
  &lsquo;To keep dreaming up new party food ideas and help the next generation understand that healthy food is tastier. I got a letter form a little girl whose party I organised. She said, &ldquo;I loved it so much I wanted to rewind the whole day&rdquo;. That gave me an unbeatable glow. I think we should be getting kids into the kitchen, rather than just banning turkey twizzlers from their plates. If they&rsquo;ve had a ball cooking food, they are more likely to eat it, even if it&rsquo;s green.&rsquo;  
  &nbsp;  ]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:39:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.mysweetestthings.co.uk/press/eve-magazine-how-cooking-saved-me/</link>
		<guid>http://www.mysweetestthings.co.uk/press/eve-magazine-how-cooking-saved-me/</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[Daliy Candy - Captain Cook]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[  Hey good-looking, what you got cooking?  
  In Joudie Kalla&rsquo;s case, rather a lot.  
  One of London&rsquo;s most personable chefs (and possibly one of the prettiest), Kalla offers bespoke cookery parties for adults, teens and children, either in her Kensington kitchen or your own kitchen/party venue. Having worked under   Gordon Ramsay   at Pengelley&rsquo;s, then Daphne&rsquo;s and   Papillon  , she is highly qualified and wonderfully patient.  
      
    Whether you&rsquo;re celebrating a birthday, hen night or family gathering, Kalla will direct the event. You cook what you like. You can rustle up mini cheese souffles followed by roast beef and warm chocolate pudding; kids will enjoy making cupcakes and brownies or organic pasta and cheesy toast. Children receive chef hats, aprons and certificates in sweetie-filled goodie bags on departure, and everyone gets boxes of whatever they&rsquo;ve made during the three-hour session.  
  You&rsquo;ll do plenty of cooking.  
  So stop looking and get booking.  ]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:39:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.mysweetestthings.co.uk/press/daliy-candy-captain-cook/</link>
		<guid>http://www.mysweetestthings.co.uk/press/daliy-candy-captain-cook/</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[ Dia Diwan -The London Link]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[  What if, instead of political party chiefs, we had young and trendy chefs who ruled the Middle East? Enter Joudie Kalla, a 30 year old Palestinian chef based in London and a Catherine Zeta-Jones look-a-like, who we think should cater for the next round of peace negotiations. Trust us, no one will disagree then.  
      
      So Joudie, did you always want to be a chef?    
  Nope! I first wanted to be an art dealer which is why I studied art and design at university and pursued a graduate degree at the Sorbonne. Half way through my masters, as I was living alone and cooking quite a bit, I thought this might be something I could do seriously. Which I did: I left the masters degree, enrolled in a cooking school in London, and a year later, I started to work as a chef.  
    Do you think your Middle Eastern roots predisposed you to liking food more than the average Londoner?    
  Being a Middle Easterner definitely gave me a different perspective on food. When I was training, I realized that I was much more aware than other people in the program, who didn't know what a mango was, or vine leaves, or ginger, or pudding rice... I had such a wide range of food growing up and I assumed everyone was the same. Nowadays though, the average Londoner has a much higher understanding of food because of this boom in chefs and TV programms.  
    You&rsquo;ve recently set up your own company, which is a mix of catering and cooking classes? How did this come into being?    
  The idea for my company came about from working at Papillon restaurant in South Kensignton, where I learnt a great deal more than in any other restaurant. Along with the other chefs, they gave me a lot of confidence and responsibility as well as the chance to be creative. When I left, after spending an average of 17-18 hours a day 6 days a week, I realized people were very interested in making at home restaurant quality food, which is how I started off the company. From there, I began doing children's classes (which is a major part of my company) and also bespoke catering.  
    Cooking classes for kids? How does that work?    
  The classes for kids basically work in groups. When they arrive they all receive chef aprons, hats, rolling pins and cookie cutters. We create anything from savory food, such as potato cakes, chicken skewers, hamburgers, salads, hot dogs, pizzas, all made from scratch, to more fun stuff like brownies, cupcakes and cookies; obviously the decorating part is the most fun. There&rsquo;s also dancing in the class, which incorporates cooking moves &ndash; that always goes down well. When the class is over, the kids take home a goodie bag filled with everything they made plus some extra sweets and a certificate saying they were chefs for the day.  
    You recently catered for Christian Louboutin's press party, what did you make for the hard to please fashionista pack?    
  The Christian Louboutin Press day was crazy. I had just a few days notice, so I just made them goodie bags to give to the London press as they came through to view the next collection. I made cookies in the shape of stiletto shoes with painted red soles (as the new collection is) and boot and shoe shaped cupcakes and brownies. It all went down really well.  
    If asked, would you consider hosting a cooking show on television?    
  It&rsquo;s actually something that I&rsquo;ve considered and would love to do, only if the right opportunity came along and allowed me to be myself and cook the way I like.  
    What are your all time favorite recipes?    
  My all time favorite recipes are secrets!!  
    Would you ever consider opening shop in the Middle East?    
  I would love to do something in the Middle East, but again it would have to be the right situation. I would only like to do that if I had control in what was going on as I am a complete control freak. I would also have to be there to overlook everything and make sure my ideas are the way I envisioned them.  ]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:39:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.mysweetestthings.co.uk/press/dia-diwan-the-london-link/</link>
		<guid>http://www.mysweetestthings.co.uk/press/dia-diwan-the-london-link/</guid>
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		<title><![CDATA[Company Magazine - Pimp My Plate]]></title>
		<description><![CDATA[  Chicken and salad together in the same sentence can sound pretty boring, but who said that it has to be a traditional idea of salad with lettuce tomatoes and olives with a vinaigrette dressing.  
      
  There are so many options and the way I would suggest to pimp my chicken salad is to think outside the box a little.  
  Take 2 organic free range chicken breasts, season and add a little olive oil and griddle them till they are scored. Take one tin of chickpeas and boil them gently for five minutes and drain. Take 2 Tablespoons of Greek yoghurt and some cumin (1teaspoon), paprika (1 teaspoon) for colour and depth and chiffonade some fresh mint and parsley. Add a squeeze of lime and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and mix altogether with the chickpeas.  
  Shred the chicken and serve on top of the chickpea mix.  
  This is a healthy and nutritious way of changing the way we eat, by adding flavours and ingredients that are readily available. Enjoy!  ]]></description>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:36:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<link>http://www.mysweetestthings.co.uk/press/company-magazine-pimp-my-plate/</link>
		<guid>http://www.mysweetestthings.co.uk/press/company-magazine-pimp-my-plate/</guid>
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