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a really good idea. I’ve done a lot of (vegan menu) research, and now I don’t have to research as much because I know, frompast studies, what works and what doesn’t.» Home is where the heart is and Erika LeBlanc knows her heart belongs in the kit- chen. She cannot imagine doing anything else than cooking family favourites and inventing new culinary creations. «When I am cooking, I feel relaxed and happy,» she said. «It’s kind of like my zone, and I’m really very happy. I can be in the kitchen the whole day, if my mom didn’t call up and ask me for dinner.» Her cooking skills cover the full gamut of the table d’hôte, but she confesses that she most enjoys working on a main course. Erika LeBlanc: Future Masterchef
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Loan last September offering her the op- portunity to be head chef for one night at the Zen Kitchen, she thought he was kidding. «I was super shocked,» she said. «I didn’t ever think he would pick me. I was only 17 and I thought he would pick the experienced chefs. But he picked me.» Once she realized Loan was serious, LeBlanc threw herself into preparing her menu plan and then familiarizing herself with the Zen Kitchen setup. One thing about working in a professional kitchen that was a joy for her was having a very large and very well-stocked pantry. At home, she sometimes found herself having to make a fast dash to the grocery for one or two items. She well remembers the moment she stepped into the Zen Kitchen, looked around at the prep tables, stoves, and all the pots, pans, and cutlery in place ready for use, and knew in her heart that this kit- chen belonged to her. «I felt really happy. I felt like I was at home. The kitchen is the most comforting place.» With the Zen Kitchen staff of three chefs, LeBlanc prepared and executed two different appetizers: deep-fried pickles with a chili mayo, and raw pesto pasta with one of two side salads, either tomato or beet.Themain was smoked mac & cheese, using smoked cheddar and smoked onions, served with roasted vegetables on the side. Dessert was pumpkin crème brulée. George Larocque, former Montréal Cana- dien and now the operator of his own vegan restaurant inMontréal, hadmade a point of coming to the Zen Kitchen that night. «I did get ameeting with himand he said how really impressed he was, and how he’d love to have me at his restaurant.» With that kind of praise, LeBlanc is now determined to pursue her dreams of having her own restaurant some day. She’s already got the practical business experience from running her own catering business, Erika’s Vegan Catering, serving a wide-ranging clientele throughout the Greater Ottawa area and beyond.
If home is where the heart is, then Erika LeBlanc cannot imagine her heart being happy anywhere but at home in the kit- chen. For the Rockland District High School senior, there was never any doubt in her mind that being in a kitchen, creating won- derful and delicious meals is what makes her heart sing. Her whole family will testify to that since she does all themeal-preparation at their home near the village of Curran in Alfred-Plantagenet Township, and she has been doing it for several years now. «I found my love of cooking early,» Le- Blanc said, «and I thought I could do it for my family as well, since I’m the best chef in the house.» She chuckles but it’s not an idle boast. Her mother, Kelli, and sister, Shannon, aremore than happy to leave the kitchen in her hands and enjoy her vegan-style offerings. Her father, Steven, also likes what his talented daughter cooks up but he also claims some kitchen space and time at home. «Dad’s ameat-eater,» LeBlanc said, smi- ling. «So he cooks for himself.» LeBlanc’s decision to specialize in vegan cuisine is both a lifestyle choice and also a very practical business move. More restau- rants offer vegetarianmenus for diners and there are also restaurants gaining in popu- larity for their total-vegan cuisine. «The vegan world is getting more open,» LeBlanc said. «More and more people are turning vegetarian or vegan, so I’m getting into the field at a good time, and I think it’s
«I do a lot of sweets,» she said, «but my favourite is doing the savoury, and that in- cludes a dinner and other savoury dishes.» LeBlanc enjoyed a rare opportunity for a high school student already set on her career goal pathway. Last autumn, she had the opportunity to step into the culinary spotlight as «guest chef for an evening» at the Zen Kitchen, one of Ottawa’s trendier restaurants. Owned and operated by Dave Loan, the Zen Kitchen caters to the vegan palate, and Loan decided to help encourage the next generation of vegan chefs by turning his restaurant over to a young up-and-comer through his own special «emerging chef» mentoring program. When Erika LeBlanc received a call from
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