Cynthia McCloud Woodman

Why a blog? Why not? It seems to me that a blog is the 21st century equivalent to a journal or diary, which I wrote in religiously throughout high school and college. The only difference is that with a blog(with any luck), people might actually read it!

Writing about food is easy. I went to the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco after college. When you get a degree in English, the step is back to school to get some kind of useful skill.

Graduation day at the California Culinary Academy.

After graduating from the CCA, I immediately left for England with $500 and a one way ticket, my dad, done with financing my “education”, told me I could stay in England until the $500 ran out. I lived and worked in a pub, a French restaurant, a wine bar across from St. Paul’s Cathedral and a catering company in Wimbledon.

This is me at The Orange Brewery in Pimlico, London.

I called my dad for the other half of the plane ticket a year and a half later. In 1988, my husband and I put all our wedding gifts into storage, bought two round the world plane tickets and traveled throughout Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, India, Greece, Egypt and Europe, with no reservations. Because of my extensive travels and desire to feed my family a healthy, home cooked meal every night, that What A Girl Eats’ motto is, “Healthy food with a global spin“!

While the idea of being a “chef” is interesting, the reality is that very few people make it and that graduating from a cooking school only makes you a pretty well trained peon. The hours stink. (Think…holidays…Christmas Eve…Mother’s Day)So back to school for a teaching degree, (Think…180 days of work a year…summers off…2 weeks at Christmas…decent hours) which is what I do for a living.

BUT… my friends know that if I like something or find something I like, they are bound to have to either taste it, try it, buy it, read it or cook it!

Disclaimer: Ok, so by this time you’ve figured out that I am not a girl! In fact, I haven’t been a girl since Dittos and Candies were in style. I’m using poetic license. It’s just that “What A Woman Eats” didn’t have quite the right ring…neither did “Broad”, “Chick”, or “Gal”. In any case, I feel more like girl than a woman most of the time. I still consider myself just a cook, not a chef. It’s a more humble moniker and feels right for the food I prepare for my family and friends.