Mama chef

Maria Rossin on quitting her job to go to culinary school
Maria Rossin on quitting her job to go to culinary school

mama chefA year ago, while the world was quibbling over whether the recession was, indeed, over, Maria Rossin did something shocking: she quit her job as research counsel for Mount Sinai Hospital to go to culinary school.

“It was a bold move,” she says. But studying wasn’t the only reason she left: Rossin also wanted to spend time with her young sons. In April, Rossin completed a certificate in culinary studies from George Brown College and did a stint as a commis de cuisine at Lucien in Toronto.

“Working there with Scot Woods was the best way to learn. It’s like the chef equivalent of clerking for the Supreme Court; you don’t pass up an opportunity like that!”

She’s still figuring out her next career move. “Ideally, I’d like to work in-house,” she says, thinking she’d also love to cook on the side. Fortunately, all of this talent isn’t wasted on her kids. “They have pretty sophisticated palates,” she says. They dig right in when she cooks her favourite dishes: duck confit and risotto.

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Photography by Daniel Ehrenworth