An Interview with Barbara-Jo McIntosh

It was a cold blustery afternoon in Vancouver, as I made my way through that white stuff that never stays for long on the streets of Vancouver and I entered Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks shop.  The store was quiet and Barbara-Jo was able to give me some very generous time to chat.  We made ourselves comfortable at the front of the shop where she was still able to keep an eye on the comings and goings, and greet regulars braving the winter chill to stop by. Poised, calm and relaxed in her beige trousers and chocolate brown sweater, she answered my questions in a reflective mode.

I started by asking her about any early food memory she might have. She laughed and told me about her childhood when she was served canned peas, and she protested to her mother, “no canapes”. “To this day,” she said, “I can’t stand them. There is just something about the smell” ...

Barbara-Jo told me that James Beard was her first and foremost mentor. She discovered his books and loved how they presented food so well, within reach for everyone. She said that he was one of the first people who said we have great ingredients in America. He defined regional cooking.  He was very entrepreneurial with his one little restaurant, his books and in all his other activities. She recalls having one of those employee-employer chats at the Mandarin Hotel and being asked about what she wanted. She said, “I want to be James Beard”.

Another mentor is chef and author Edna Lewis, born in Freetown, Virginia and now living in Atlanta, Georgia. “I love her hospitality, and big dinners; she’s really what Slow Food is all about.”

When I asked about her current favourite ingredients, she responded, “Given this time of year, rabbit, wild boar, anything that can be braised is being served.  And right now, root vegetables - parsnips in soups, Jerusalem artichoke - I often add them where a recipe is calling for carrots so I’ll do a half and half”. Asked about food that she dislikes, she mentioned uni. When I looked at her slightly puzzled, she explained, “Raw sea urchin. When I ordered a dish at a French-style restaurant in California, they looked at me rather oddly, and again when they put it down in front of me.” She grimaced at that memory.

Barbara-Jo talked about future projects. “Over the next few months we’ll be working on an expansion of the store. There is some space coming that we are going to take over. And there is another book under way but that is still under wraps”.

As a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, I knew that Barbara-Jo is also a member, and I asked her to what other food organizations she belongs. She replied, “The James Beard Foundation, where I sit on the Cookbook selection committee. It’s funny when they phoned and asked me, I was sure that a friend of mine was pulling a joke at me”. Barbara-Jo explained that it took a while for her to call back because she had to go and check the whereabouts of said friend, found out he was away and thus maybe there was some truth in that call. And even when she called the Foundation, she got a rather vague answer, but decided to move forward on the offer. That was over five years ago. She added, “Can you imagine being called and asked? And you get paid and you get to go to New York City four times a year!

Even after five years of being involved with the James Beard committee, she still has a passion for the industry. And she loves cooking. She told me, “When I’m frustrated with life, I find that cooking helps me to relax.”

I asked her which two or three people she’d like to invite to dinner. Barbara-Jo answered quickly, “Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Glen Gould, and Colm Feore”. Okay, well I got the first two names but who the heck is Colm Feore? She enlightened me - Colm Feore, American-born actor now living in Stratford, portrayed Glen Gould, a pianist of prodigious talent, in the movie, 32 Short Films About Glen Gould, and Colm played our famous, controversial and flamboyant Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, in the 2002 mini-series, Trudeau. She went on to say that she had met Trudeau once and he had this uncanny ability to mesmerize people in the way that he communicated. He takes you into his world for the moment that you are there. Much the same way, I thought, that Barbara-Jo must do with customers who stop in looking for a cookbook.

Barbara Jo recommended some great books for Slow Food readers.  I’ve listed them here, and given some idea of the content.


BARBARA JO’S BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

Italian Slow and Savory by Joyce Goldstein
Goldstein invites readers to take their time, and explains slow cooking and how best to enjoy the Italian style of eating. “When it’s mealtime, everything comes to a halt”. To Goldstein, Italy is a culinary and cultural touchstone.  And with 120 recipes for soups, stews, pasta sauces, braises, roasts and casseroles she embraces the development of flavours slowly.

In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed by Carl Honore
Almost everyone complains about the hectic pace of their lives. Carl Honore uncovers a movement that challenges the cult of speed. In this entertaining and hands-on investigation, he takes us on a tour of the emerging Slow movement: from a Tantric sex workshop in London to a meditation room for Tokyo executives, from a SuperSlow exercise studio in New York, to Italy, home of the Slow Food, Slow Cities and Slow Sex movements.

Slow Food: The Case for Taste by Carlo Petrini
The Slow Food Movement is poised to revolutionize the way Americans shop for groceries, prepare and consume their meals, and think about food. This book not only recalls the origins, first steps, and international expansion of the movement from the perspective of its founder; it is also a powerful expression of the organization’s goal of engendering social reform through the transformation of our attitudes about food and eating

Cooking by Hand by Paul Bertolli
Respected chef Paul Bertolli earns praise for the food at California’s renowned Oliveto restaurant. Now he shares his personal thoughts about cooking in his book Cooking by Hand.  From “Twelve Ways of Looking at Tomatoes” to Italian salami in “The Whole Hog”, Bertolli explores his favorite foods with the vividness of a natural writer and the instincts of a superlative chef. Scattered throughout are more than 140 recipes remarkable for their clarity, simplicity, and seductive. The book isn’t full of glossy high colour photos but rather suggests understated simplicity and pure art through its use of muted tones and paper..

FOOD ORGANIZATIONS

International Association of Culinary Professionals
Virtually every culinary profession is represented: teachers, cooking school owners, caterers, food writers, chefs, radio and television personalities, cookbook authors and editors, publishers and restaurateurs. With over 4,000 members encompassing over 35 professions, it’s literally a “Who’s Who” of the world of food.  This non-profit group promotes professionalism in the culinary arts, continuing education and development of its members.

James Beard Foundation
This not-for-profit organization established in 1986 celebrates the life of James Beard, the acknowledged “Father of American Cooking”. The Foundation fosters the appreciation and development of gastronomy by preserving and promulgating our culinary heritage, and by recognizing and promoting excellence in all aspects of the culinary arts.

Les Dames d’Escoffier
A society of professional women of achievement with careers in food, wine and other beverages, and the arts of the table. The purpose of Les Dames is to support and promote these professions in the tradition of Auguste Escoffier, the great French chef. Les Dames currently has thirteen chapters worldwide to which members are invited to join. Awards and scholarships are given to worthy candidates in the culinary field.