Interview with Author Ilse Dumont & Yannick Tirbois

Yannick is French and llse is Belgian, and it’s because of their fascination for exotic places, that their paths crossed on a tiny tropical island in the Gulf of Thailand. That’s where their adventure together started in the spring of 1999 on Koh Samui, a stunning coconut island that was just gaining popularity and where facilities were still very authentic.

A common love of travelling, a passion for good food and an appetite for high standards have proven to be a good foundation.

After twelve amazing years on Koh Samui, their spirit of adventure got the better of them and they decided to move on. They ended up in China via Singapore, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, spending a few years in each to soak up the varied cultures and making more friends. Meanwhile, they catered to a wide range of people, from friends and family to sheiks and celebrities, adding up to another eventful nine years.

They now live in Shanghai where Yannick is a culinary instructor at Le Cordon Bleu.

Tell me more about your latest book

In homage to our twenty years together and in response to all our friends and customers who have nagged us to do this, we decided to commit and produce a cookery book. We want to make cooking accessible to all, whatever your experience, without the complicated culinary techniques.  We’ve chosen dishes that are fun and functional, food that’s a little unusual but straightforward to make. There is something for everyone, whether they’re vegetarians, pescatarians, carnivores or just picky eaters.

What was the most challenging aspect of writing this book?

Choosing which dishes to include was definitely challenging. We can fill plenty more books with delicious recipes, but in this book, we mention with each recipe why we have chosen it. Each recipe comes with a story, a memory of specific locations, adventures or people we met along the way.

What is your normal procedure to get your books published?

It is our very first book. We printed some hard covers and published it last October. It was mainly friends who have bought them. Because we don’t have a business, we can’t sell it on the obvious online platforms and have only a link on our blog.

We only published the eBook this week and are searching how to make it successful.

Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?

Not really, we enjoy sharing our knowledge. We also talked about writing a book since we met…making dreams come true.

How many books have you written so far?

Only this one. It will soon be available in Dutch also. We are planning to write more books.

What’s the best way to market your books?

Not sure

How hard or easy is it to establish and maintain a career in writing?

Our main activity is cooking…writing cook books is a fun side activity. A way to share our passion.

Visit Author Ilse Dumont book links:-

https://books2read.com/Cooking-A-Culinary-Adventure

https://www.facebook.com/CulinaryAmbition

https://www.instagram.com/_culinaryambition_/

https://www.pinterest.com/CulinaryAmbition

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