When his mother started catering from her home kitchen in 1981, a young Geir Simensen hurried home from school to help her make the open-face sandwiches that people in Halifax, NS, were beginning to love. At 14 years of age, he was making "a little pocket money" helping at Scanway, the food business his mother, Unni, had developed.

But he was hardly ready to take on the responsibility when he was told a few years later that he would begin training the next week as the new pastry chef.

It was an awesome task for an 18-year-old who had had no culinary instruction beyond his mother's tutelage.

"She worked with me for a week, then said 'You're on your own,'" the pastry chef extraordinaire now chuckles.

Geir (pronounced Guy) recalls the terror that went with this new responsibility. But the job fit him like a glove. Scanway's reputation grew, along with that of the young apprentice who continued to turn out his mother's popular desserts, including Kong Olav's Rich Chocolate Truffle Torte and her famous Karamel Cake.

Geir also had ideas of his own, At the age of 21, he joined Team Nova Scotia, the talented group that won gold at four of the seven culinary competitions in which he participated.

But the fledgling knew he had to leave the nest in order to broaden his scope. His thirst for knowledge pulled him to centres such as Toronto's famous upscale restaurant Movenpick, the Culinary Institute of America in New York, Vancouver's Four Seasons Hotel, and the Grand Cayman Hyatt Regency Hotel.

"I think it was at Movenpick that I decided this is definitely what I want to do," Geir says. "With a kitchen staff of 60, and a 350-seat dining room, the place really rocked. It was busy. And, though the chef was a tyrant, I learned how to work quick while maintaining the quality."

While Movenpick might be credited with determining his destiny, it was at The Four Seasons that he learned to appreciate the many factors that go into a successful culinary career.

"There was a Chinese pastry chef on the line who taught me that family is as important as the work. He gave up what he wanted to do, sacrificing his own restaurant in China, in order to bring his family to Canada. I learned a lot about pastry and a lot about life from Ken Lee, in the two years I worked with him," Geir says.

Returning home to Scanway in 1997, Geir now oversees a staff of as many as 100 full- or part-time employees, depending on the time of year. That's not surprising since the Scanway enterprise now also encompasses Sweet Basil, a popular downtown Halifax restaurant, Cheapside, another eaterie located in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the original Scanway catering business, and the summertime meal provisions at Halifax's Waegwoltic club.

"Catering is the hub of the company, and we've done as many as five weddings in one day. That's when we have to call on friends in the profession to come and help," he says.

Geir, who loves working with chocolate, admits to experiencing periodic cravings for the confection.

"You have to develop a feel for chocolate. There are a lot of factors that determine how it will end up," he says, adding that different chocolates serve different purposes and the types should not be interchanged. He particularly likes working with dark bittersweet chocolate, which has a 70 per cent cocoa to solids content-but it depends on where it's going. That particular chocolate would be too bitter for most people to eat on its own, but is excellent in a rich chocolate torte or the terrine recipe given below.

Geir's prowess with chocolate may have had something to do with his being invited, in February 2002, to join Team Canada in preparation for his first International competition, in Luxembourg last November.

"Team Manager Judson Simpson (executive chef at Parliament House, Ottawa), came to see me work in person, and thought I was pretty OK, and I've been with the team since then," he says. Geir entered the four-day competition in Luxembourg as a support member to pastry chef Steve Wyness of Toronto, and as such gained a great deal of experience.

Although he enjoys the competitions, it's the catering business he loves with a passion. But one wonders why.

There are problems. A catering truck delayed in traffic, perhaps, with perishable food aboard. Or a driver who forces the delivery person to hit the brakes, trying to be ever mindful of the food in back that could go flying off the shelves. Or it could simply be a door opening and knocking a completed dessert out of your hands.

"Being a caterer taught me to think on my feet. For instance, if one of the components of a function has been damaged, we have to act quickly to replace it with something of equal quality," he says.

Geir is at work by 6 a.m., and often still there 12 to 16 hours later. "It's really rewarding when everything all comes together and you know you've made people happy. You kind of forget about the 60 hours you've worked in three days."

But the social life suffers and relationships are difficult to maintain.

"It's hard to lead a normal life," he says. "I haven't been to a Christmas party in 10 years. But I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I blow off steam by riding my ATV and spending time at home with my two dogs, Tortuga and Mytzel."

A little chocolate helps, too.

Geir Simensen's Pistachio and Rum Chocolate Terrine

• 5     egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar 
• 1     pint (500 mL) whipping cream 
• 1     pound (500 g) dark bittersweet chocolate 
• 2     tablespoons (30 mL) butter 
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) dark rum (see note) 
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) pistachios, shelled, peeled and left whole
  

Line a terrine mould or 9x5-inch (23x13 cm) loaf pan with plastic wrap. Set aside.

In a bowl set over hot water, stir together egg yolks and sugar; heat to 113°F (45°C), until sugar is dissolved.

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat cream until tiny bubbles form around inside edge of pan (hot, but not boiling). Alternatively, cream can be heated in the microwave.

In top of a double boiler (or another bowl set over hot, not boiling, water) melt chocolate and butter together. (Or, this can be done in the microwave.) Stir until blended.

Place egg yolk and sugar mixture in a mixer bowl and whip on medium-high speed until doubled in volume, about 7 to 8 minutes. Add to chocolate mixture. (This will seize up into a hard mix at first, but be patient, Geir says, it will come together). Adding the rum to the mixture at this point will make it more fluid. Allow to cool slightly.

Whip cream to soft peaks; with a spatula, gently fold into chocolate mixture, along with the pistachios. Pour into plastic-lined pan, spreading evenly. Allow to set for at least eight hours, preferably overnight. 

Turn terrine out onto a board or platter. Use a hot knife to cut into 1?2 inch (1 cm) slices. Place one slice on dessert plate, and another slice slightly overlapping at an angle. This is particularly nice when served with a mixture of fruit and Crème Anglaise (the classic French vanilla custard sauce).

Makes 8 or 9 servings. 

Note: Geir says good quality rum is essential to this recipe. He prefers Gosling's Black Seal. For the chocolate, he prefers the French Valrhona, but any dark chocolate with 60 to 70 per cent cocoa solids will do nicely. If unable to find good chocolate, it's available, either in bars or pistoles, (round button shapes) at Scanway Catering, on Quinpool Road in Halifax.