Why Chuck Hughes' new book is less fine dining and more family fun — like hotdog bun French toast

The Current23:45Chef Chuck Hughes on cooking for — and with — his kids

When celebrity chef Chuck Hughes became a father 10 years ago, it changed his life in an unexpected way. 

Instead of working late into the night, cooking plates under pressure and to perfection at his Montreal restaurant Garde Manger, he began to slow down and spend more time in the kitchen at home.

Now, his eight and 10-year old sous chefs join him in preparing meals and even crafting recipes such as hotdog bun French toast. Hughes has turned their family recipes into a new cookbook, called Home Cooking: Family Favourite Recipes From My Kitchen To Yours.

"I'm lucky they love to get involved. They love to cook. They love to eat," Hughes told The Current guest host Rebecca Zandbergen.

Hughes previously wrote the bestselling cookbooks Garde Manger, named after his restaurant, and Chuck's Day Off. He is the host of Chuck's Day Off, Chuck's Eat the Street and several more shows. He also competed on Iron Chef America and became the youngest Canadian chef to defeat Bobby Flay in the battle of Canadian lobster. 

For him, it's about teaching his kids the joy of cooking and creating a better lifestyle in the future — with fresh ingredients, rather than frozen or pre-made meals.

"It's that realization of, you know, almost playing with food. But really in the end, you have something so good and delicious and … I feel like it opens your mind to different possibilities."

The hotdog French toast began as leftover buns from a summer barbecue, before it, too, became one of those possibilities.

When dipped in batter, the buns turn into "perfect little sponges" that become moist on the inside and, once toasted, just a bit crispy on the edges. It's a classic in the Hughes household.

Another Hughes family favourite is making fresh pasta on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

While it is a staple item in most restaurants, Hughes never made it at home before having his kids. They have a lot of fun doing it together, and he says they'll usually add some butter, cracked pepper, salt or just pesto to complete the dish.

Struggling with addiction, focusing on home and family life

Hughes says that he's following in his mother's footsteps, trying to instill a passion for cooking in his boys just as she did in him. But he says this version of himself — slowing down and cooking with his kids — is far from the younger version that was just starting out in the food industry.

"That Chuck probably thought that this Chuck was already dead by now," the 47-year-old said. "Back then, it was a very tough industry with a lot of different traps … and at that time, I was struggling with addiction." 

"I was working probably way too much and way too hard and not focusing on myself and kind of just really living a lifestyle. That was what I thought was exactly what I should be doing with this kind of 'live fast, die young' punk rock mentality." 

When Hughes quit alcohol, he says he was able to focus and be more present in his daily life. He loved cooking and he went on to make a career of it, owning his Montreal restaurant for 18 years, publishing cookbooks and hosting several cooking shows on television.

The chef's "professional kitchen attitude" is a key ingredient in his home kitchen. Hughes stays organized, using mise en place, to prepare his ingredients, measure everything out so that it can be a smoother process when cooking with the kids.

"They like to cook and make a mess and have fun — and to me, that's important."