About Chef Corinna Murray
Simple, wholesome food feeds the soul...
I grew up on a small farm in Alberta, with pigs, cattle and a large garden. Ah, the wonderful garden. In the fall we canned, pickled, jammed and jellied our earthly delights and stored any remaining vegetables in the root cellar for winter. The cycle of planting, nurturing and feasting repeated itself year after year, a constant reminder of the basics of life. Meal time was always a way of appreciating what we had, and the fruits of our labour. To this day I still take great pride in turning the freshest ingredients into a simple yet elegant meal everyone enjoys.
My roots in cooking and my passion for helping others led me to pursue a career as a personal chef. I thought if I were to take this seriously, I'd best seek the advice of an experienced professional in the industry. I sought out former Teatro Executive Chef, Michael Allemeier.
Chef Allemeier described the industry as tough, with insanely hot kitchens and stressed-out, knife-throwing chefs demanding excellence and speed. (Well, some of it was exaggerated, but some of it very true! Hell's Kitchen, here I come!) He emphasized the importance of training and real world experience to make it in the food industry, so I applied to the SAIT Professional Cooking program; this is where my formal training began.
I enrolled in cooking school in January of 2002, learning from some of the best chefs in the world. It was an intense, hands on training program focusing on cooking methods and knife skills.
During my second semester at SAIT I began working at Rouge. Here I learned how to apply the skills I learned at SAIT, while working under Executive Chef Paul Rogalski. What a rush! The cuisine at Rouge is of the highest quality in Calgary, with an ever-changing menu and many ingredients coming directly from the restaurant's own garden.
Upon graduating with a 4.0 GPA I received 3 awards: the City Palate scholarship, the Louise B. McKinney award and the Sysco award. I continued my work at Rouge until I took maternity leave in the spring of 2004.
I have since returned from my maternity leave and continue to grow my business, Personal Thyme, which I began in 2002. I enjoy being able to cook for people, knowing that I'm helping families eat healthier and simplifying their lives. The personalized service I'm able to provide gives me the greatest satisfaction.
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