Eva Jensen (with daughter Dorte)
Eva Jensen, a Chaine member since 1976 is a remarkable person.
Anything you want to know aboutcooking, French classical cuisine in particular, then come to Eva's comfortable North Vancouver home where, for 15 years she taught almost 1,000 eager students how to do it in her own kitchen.
"I still have people coming up to me and asking `is that you Eva?' says the diminutive former cooking school owner They always remember a certain recipe from class".
Elsa's School of' Gourmet Cookery started in 1970 almost by chance. Impressed by how 14-Year-old daughter Trudi prepared dinner for her husband Jorgen's business associates, Eva was urged to start her school.
"I didn't have a clue, but I soon had 10 ladies crowded into my kitchen, and we did some wonderful things," Eva recalls. Now she has over 400 cook books and countless magazines, many in French.
"I only accepted ladies at first, but soon the husbands wanted to satisfy• their curiosity, so they came too," says Eva "Sometimes we had 14 in the kitchen".
Eva is a strict follower of classical French cooking "it you substitute just one of the many ingredients in a recipe, you cannot call it by its French name," Eva sags, and you don't want to argue the point with her.
One of her secrets: "if you cook basic French you can cook anything in the world. Go by the book, I am very orthodox about this".
Eva also wonders why so many chefs use so many herbs, instead of two or three. . "An herb should be like a memory, an accent, not drowning the flavour. It is almost frightening what they are doing - they should be gentle and inviting to the palate".
When her husband retired in 1985 Eva closed her cookery school and they started a new and satisfying chapter in their lives - traveling to dog shows where they won many awards for their dachshunds. Her den is decorated with numerous ribbons and trophies.
Eva and Jorgen raised three daughters- Dorte, Trudi and Rikki - all who have been successful in their own endeavors. Her husband Jorgen died in 1992.
Eva was born In Jutland, in northern Denmark and came to Vancouver in 1956,a place she remembers as a fine dining wasteland.
"Vancouver is just fabulous now, although I dislike how many chefs try to outdo each other with decoration rather than classical food," observes Eva. "And, they should use good beef or chicken stock instead of pouring in a bottle of wine, which should only be an accent".
As you can perhaps tell Eva is pretty serious about her cooking and about what is now happening on the dining scene. But I also enjoy the lighter side of things. and one of the most memorable classes I taught, and the most popular, was Cooking with Awful Things, like brains, kidney. liver and sweetbreads .
How about a comeback? Not likely: "I cook now only for my family". Which is too bad for those of us, who did not have the benefit of her I 5-year run as an extraordinary teacher of classical cooking.
October 19 2004
Eva's last cooking class for old time sake