Traci Melchor likes making simple meals so she can spend time with her twins.
Traci Melchor is the host of MuchMoreMusic’s Listed and co-host of The Loop. In 1996, she was the entertainment specialist for Citytv. She has guest starred on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Lizzie McGuire. Most recently, she hosted the show Style VIP. In high school, she toured Canada as a Janet Jackson impersonator.
Q: What is your fondest memory from your family kitchen?
A: My mother (born in St. Lucia) always made West Indian food for our family. I wanted no part of it (what was I thinking?). Instead of stew chicken, rice and peas, I wanted Hamburger Helper and Kraft Dinner like the other kids in the neighborhood. Talk about youth being wasted on the young!
Q: What kitchen aromas bring back fond memories?
A: The smell of pineapple upside-down cake. My mother makes the best. She would usually bake this when we had company coming over so it was a big deal in my house. The trick was to make sure that when you flipped the cake the pineapples and maraschino cherries stayed intact.
Q: Who is your favourite cook?
A: My mother, of course. Even if she wasn’t, would I be crazy enough to say anyone else?
Q: What is your favourite food to cook?
A: Do apple martinis count? A few years ago, it was salmon on my George Foreman Grill. Now I’ve recently moved on to a slow cooker and I like making chili and sweet and sour chicken. I have to keep it simple. When I get home I want to have time to play with my two-year-old twins.
Q: What kitchen gadget can’t you live without?
A: My Maytag stainless steel dishwasher. I hate doing dishes.
Q: What rituals from your background involving food do you partake in?
A: My mother always bakes bread on Christmas Eve. She also makes ginger beer and sorrel (lemon tasting herb) around the holidays.
| Petit Piton |
|
This is a traditional dish from St. Lucia
Method:
|
