Reflecting on Session One

Wow, the past four weeks have gone by fairly quickly for me and I have learned a lot, about raw food cooking and about myself.  As the session closed, I had to say good-bye to two wonderful students I have had the pleasure of getting to know, Lisa and Jennifer and that I definitely hope I see again!  I look forward to the next four weeks anxious to learn all I can before returning home to my family.  I cannot wait to get home and start experimenting more on my own.  That is one of the hard parts being here in a hotel room, I cannot come home and "recreate" and play.  I also have a new appreciation for skills I already had and what I came here with, especially how to work efficiently and professionally in a kitchen.  So while I am still new to the raw food "science" of it all, my past training and experience is now serving me well, making this feel more comfortable than I realized, and ultimately, enriching my learning experience.

The spread above is the culmination of the week's efforts coming up with a three course meal of our own choice.  This was really, really fun, especially because I got to do something that is meaningful to me and my life.  As you learned from the previous blog post, Breakfast in Bed, was the theme and I imagined serving a raw food guest in my imagined "inn".  It turned out pretty well, although there are subtle changes I would make if I were to do it again.  First and foremost, the third course plating needs to change.  Looking at that picture drives me crazy!  I should have used one of the oblong plates and only had the quiche, the sweet potato spirals and the heirlooms.  Also should have softened the goat cheese and had it be more freeform on the quiche.  Again, those of you who know me well, appreciate what I am saying here.  It was just one of those things where I let the anxious and chaotic vibe in the kitchen interfere with my focus and I compromised.  Never again!  Mistake one, learned (check).

 I loved getting ready for the plating, though.  It was definitely the best day of the week for me.  This is where it all comes together, and hopefully, beautifully!

Want to know what the hardest part of session one was?  We had to do a self-evaluation!  Yikes!  Seriously, could any of you do that if asked?  

Quick update as it relates to my original commitment to only eat raw and no tv for eight weeks.  So far so good on both accounts!!  Actually, I do not miss cooked food or tv at all.  I just miss my family and friends.