A Coffee Break With Christine Cushing
Many of you may remember ‘Chef Christine Cushing Live’, a popular daily cooking show that aired for four seasons on The Food Network . Christine is back with an all-new show, ‘Fearless in the Kitchen ’ on Oprah’s OWN channel, a line of her own products and a series of cookbooks. We chatted with Christine and asked her about her coffee habits.
You are a busy chef with a full schedule. How does coffee fit into your lifestyle?
Coffee is my lifestyle. Both my husband and I are coffee freaks. We have an espresso machine at home and we start each day off with a beautiful cappuccino that my husband makes for me. We simply will not drink bad coffee.
What is your typical day like?
Typical is tough to put into words, as I work on so many different things, but the day always starts with a cappuccino. If I’m shooting for the Marilyn Denis show (I’m one of their resident chefs), I have one to go. Then I workout a few times a week or I take a walk. Then a combination of meetings, Skype calls – as I have products that come from Europe, I have detailed conversations in various time zones. Paperwork and development of new products and projects is next. I also organize quite a few events to promote and do tastings of my products. Then there has to be time for social media and tweeting, etc.
If we’re eating at home, I start thinking of my shopping circuit, as I have very rigorous shopping requirements. In other words, I shop at many different specialty shops, fish stores, butcher shops, etc. and need time to organize this.
What do you usually put into your coffee?
If I’m having espresso, I have it as a cappuccino. If I have drip coffee then I go for cream only.
Do you have a sweet or savoury treat that you like to pair with coffee?
I try to limit my treats with coffee only when I go out, not because I don’t love a little small something like a biscotti but because I’m trying to stay in some kind of shape – m ostly pear… Haha!
What made you interested in becoming a chef and working with food?
My parents told me that I started pretending to cook when I was two and asked for an oven. It has always been more than a passion… probably an obsession. My dad had that same love for food so we often cooked together.
What's next for you?
My latest addition to my product line is a spicy version of fire roasted red pepper spread called ‘Fired up’. It’s really good for the BBQ season. I started with the sweet one and people asked for spicy, and it just arrived.
I’m working on my next product, which I’m very excited about, launching this fall and I can only tell you it will be a complete departure from the others.
I’m also working on my next show…
What is your Coffee Profile?
To learn more about Christine, visit her online at www.christinecushing.com
