Joe Poon

I returned to Philadelphia last Thursday. Took the day off from work, on a 6:05am train from Penn Station, got to Philadelphia at almost 8:00am and went to an all day 10 course Chinese Banquet cooking demonstration by Chef Joe Poon.

If you have never had the opportunity to be part of one of Joe's classes, lectures or meet him it would take too long to explain what you have missed.

With his energy and enthusiasm it is hard to keep up.

I was one in a group of eight culinary professionals taking part in the class led by Chef Poon offered through The American Culinary Federation.

Me, I have known Chef Poon for several years first meeting him at the Philadelphia Flower Show. He spoke to the audience like they were gathered around the kitchen in his home while he wields a knife and produces a floral arrangement out of some unsuspecting cantaloupe, honey dew and watermelon.

Our day started with tea and traditional Chinese pastries. We spent about 1/2 hour in the kitchen and then did a tour of Philadelphia's China town. I have been there and eaten in so many of the restaurants but I was shown a different side. Traveling the streets with Chef Poon I no longer felt like an outsider.

We stopped at different places to eat things I never have before. I have been changing my diet for personal reasons over the last year and now I know pig offal will not be missed. Since I was there it would have been wrong not to try it and I would have felt as though I was insulting Chef Poon. It was not so bad and now I have a better understanding of a culture that is not mine. I am sure I eat things others would never try.

After our tour we returned to Joe's kitchen at 1010 Cherry street around 11:00am and started preparing our banquet, as Joe instructed us on proper culinary technique he also explained the health benefits of each food. One of the most important things, to me, learned is in the Chinese kitchen there is a specific reason for each action and movement, nothing wasted.

First up Joe's Roast Duck. I have tried for a long time to reproduce the duck you get in a Chinese restaurant with little or no success. In 10 minutes Chef Poon solved the mystery with simple explanation and concise direction.

For the next five hours the Chef had everyone in the group take turns at the wok.

We continued turning out plate after plate each dish being prepared under the instruction of a man who has dedicated his life teaching others what he knows.

I could not say what my favorite things were that day other than the roast duck but the jelly fish soup, abalone and fried rice I have already made in my little NYC apartment. They don't taste quite the same but as with anything, the more times you do it the better it gets.

Since starting to cook at an early age I realized there is more learning from my mistakes than any other time.

I hope to return to the Chef's kitchen before too long. It felt like coming home to a place I have missed.

Chef Poon's website http://www.josephpoon.com/ is a wealth of knowledge and offers so many things to do, the Wokn Walk Tour looks like a lot of fun, the spring/summer lobster feast that you could not find anywhere else at twice the price should not be missed.

As always I look forward to questions and comments. www.chef@matthewbabbage.com