Oh yeah, as hard as it is for his high school and university English teachers to believe, Touchwood Editions has released Jeff’s first book titled, ‘Fire Hall Cooking With Jeff the Chef – Sure Fire Recipes to Feed Your Crew.’ If you’re wondering how such a miraculous event transpired, well, look no further than the book’s foreword……..

THE PART NO ONE READS

     Hey what are you doing? I thought you’d skip by the intro and get right into the recipes, and I could just fill this space with meaningless drivel. Great -- now I have to make something up here. Some friend you are putting me on the spot before I even get going.

     (Pssst ……..… Introduce yourself and tell them why you wrote the book.)

     Oh sure, good idea. I’m Jeff Derraugh, also known by my fire hall nickname, Jeff the Chef. How did I get to be the go to food guy in the hall? Like most firehouse chef’s, I simply volunteered to pick up groceries. I had some humble beginnings, believe me, but my crewmates stuck with me and through their reinforcement, both positive and negative, I’ve come to be under the delusion that I’ve actually figured this gig out.

     I should admit that I’m not a trained cook, at least not in the traditional sense. I trained with my comrades in the fire hall, picking up secrets, getting ideas, trying new recipes and experimenting with bold new food combinations. I love food, and you probably won’t find a group of people as into food as firefighters. The first question before the next shift is, “What are we having tomorrow?” The anticipation of sharing a great meal together is one of the reasons we look forward to coming to work.

     In Winnipeg we work two 10 hour day shifts followed by two 14 hour nights, so unlike departments that work 24-hour shifts, we only have to worry about serving 1 meal per shift. On days we’ll serve lunch Monday through Friday, with brunch on weekends, and on each night shift we serve dinner. At some halls firefighters take turns cooking, while in others they rely on 1 or more chefs – rank, seniority or sex mattering not – to come through with a meal, and it better be good because firefighters’ appetites are incredible and demand to be satisfied. As seasoned veteran Doug Miller told me when I contemplated cooking my rookie meal back in 1990, “Jeff, the firefighters’ triangle has three requirements, and each one must be met for a successful fire hall meal. The big three are delicious flavour, ample quantities and reasonable price. If you fail to meet any of these, in any way, well, you’re in for one looooooong night!”

    Cooking in the firehouse has its advantages. It can get you out of daily cleaning duties and cut short your participation in practice drill sessions. Also, firefighters may spare you the wrath of their practical jokes because they know that since you cook their food, you have the ultimate power. As is often said, “don’t mess with the fire hall chef.”

     This book came about when I decided that my recipes were too disorganized. Some were written on scrap paper, some were cut out of magazines while others were in books, defaced by notes that I’d jotted down to remind myself of the modifications I’d made. Then came the big motivator: losing my hand written recipe book at the fire hall. I knew that it was time to get my act together, and assemble those favourite recipes in one accessible place. Enter the personal computer!

     Once I started writing this book I thought, “You know, this would make a nice gift. Friends do favours and rarely want money in return, so I’ll pass along my recipe collection as a thank you.” Plans changed when fellow firefighters found out about the cookbook and wanted copies. Requests grew exponentially as friends, and friends of friends, heard the word. The response has been not only humbling but also valuable, as reader feedback has led to numerous enhancements and revisions. So go ahead and take a shot: I welcome any constructive criticism you may have. Believe me, as a firefighter working in a hall full of critics, pests and practical jokers, I’ve developed thick skin.

     The recipes in this book were inspired by a number of sources, and to give credit where credit is due, I’ve tried to acknowledge them. You’ll notice many contributions from friends and fellow firefighters. They’ve cooked these recipes for me, and I’ve in turn prepared them for family, friends and firefighters alike. Other culinary creations were prompted by restaurant dishes that I loved and felt compelled to clone or by my Pavlov’s-dog-like reaction to recipes that I’ve spotted in books, magazines or on the Internet.

     Call it a human failing if you will, but I just can’t help but tinker with a good thing. So, I’ll personalize the basic recipe idea, modify it, play around with it and even blend elements from two, three or more recipes together in an attempt to make it even better. I hope that you do the same with these recipes.

     Hey, you could even host a firehouse-theme dinner party! Just remember to invite guests who can eat twice what mere mortals can, and hope that the alarm gong doesn’t ring as soon as you sit down to eat.

So let’s get cooking. It’s time for food, folks and firehouse fun!