Parents: let your children into the kitchen.
This is the rather sensible advice Melbourne-based French chef Gabriel Gaté has for not only food lovers, but people in general.
Born in the Loire Valley in France in 1955, Gaté himself was a child when he started out in the kitchen, and credits his grandmother, Pascaline Gourdon, for his love of cooking.
"We lived in a small town, and grew our own produce; we had vineyard and made our own wine. We had rabbits and chickens and fruit," he reminisces.
"We ate well. My grandmother was the family cook, and encouraged us to learn."
Gourdon, who lived to be 100, was handicapped in her legs, and the children helped her carry things around.
"She was a warm person, very positive and encouraging," Gaté recalls. "She just wanted us to be happy."
The chef has come a long way since helping his grandmother in the kitchen - he now lives in Australia with his Melbourne-born wife, has numerous cookbooks, has been a television and radio presenter, and has become himself a teacher in the kitchen.
Gaté isn't the only one who's come a long way; the cooking scene all over the world has changed in the 38 years since the chef started his apprenticeship with the best chef in the Loire Valley region, Albert Augereau as a 16 year old, and in the last few years particularly the foodie movement has seen many more people experiment with food in their own kitchens.
"The number of ingredients available to us (has changed immensely)," Gaté says.
"Every culture had it's own thing, now everyone has hundreds of ingredients to choose from. People are experimenting.
"When I first came to Australia (in 1977), you couldn't buy coriander here, it was hard to get ginger, there was a short mango season, etc.
"But butchers, bakers, producers have become creative with their packaging. Meat is cut up, fish is boned. You can buy anything"
Australia is a country of culinary contrasts, he says.
"There is a lot of information, but people want things done quickly - a lot of people have not learned to cook.
"Parents take their kids swimming, dancing, etc but they don't teach them to cook. Parents think they'll teach them when they're older, but they don't like the mess.
"We never had that problem - we just cleaned things.
"Now, there are lots of things on the table. Years ago, it was much simpler.
"You absolutely need to make sure that cleanliness is not put first. It is important," he adds, "but not first."
Gaté has raised his own two sons, now 24 and 30, in the same vein.
"We had them help in the kitchen, explained what we were doing, and asked for help.
"They learned little bits, and put them together like a puzzle. Both my sons can cook."
All Eaten Up caught up with Gaté at the launch of Gourmet Pearl Couscous, which comes from Israel, at Simon Johnson's Cooking School in Sydney's Pyrmont.
Gaté is the ambassador for the product, which he has been familiar with for most of his life, due to the North African population in France. Pearl Couscous is larger than the commonly used one.
"I've been to North Africa, as well, and learned the process of cooking it," he said. "Its exciting to have foods you can play with.
"Pearl couscous is really easy to cook with, and the result is flexible. The beauty is in the texture - it is gentle to the tongue, and carries flavour. It mixes well with other flavours."
Traveling is also wonderful for cooking, Gaté says, for learning different ways of preparing and eating food.
Just traveling between Sydney and Melbourne sees many differences.
"People share the same information, but Melbourne is more temperate," he says. "It has more markets.
"But Sydney has the sea. There is more seafood - you can tell just from visiting the fish markets that people in Sydney like their seafood.
"In Melbourne, people have more dinner parties; in Sydney, they go out more."
The best meals, however, depend on the mood, Gaté says.
"When you are young, you have more favourite dishes," says. "When you are older, it depends on your mood, and who you're with - those that bring a smile to your face."
A true lover of food, Gaté stands in contrast to a certain celebrity chef known for his temper; he is a patient teacher who explains the cooking process to his students.
"If you can help people learn new dishes, and they practice these dishes, there will be a lot of progress," he says.
