Homegrown Happy Valley

April serves up delicious swiss chard rolls with a smile at Webster's

1) How did you get interested in cooking?

Since I was little, I’ve always been interested in mixing things and playing around in the kitchen. I have memories of my mom always making food. I don’t ever remember eating frozen dinners or anything like that. I became interested in working with the food that I prepare now when I became a vegetarian 18 years ago.

2) What inspires you?

Certainly the fresh produce of the summer. Also other recipes that I tweak and make my own. Two books I recommend include: Dining in the Raw by Rita Romano and Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life by Juliano Brotman. (She says “raw” pertains to food that’s uncooked and in its natural state or food that has not been heated above 116 degrees–”although there is some debate about temperature.”) Right now, with all of the local food available, it’s an exciting time. Our refrigerators are bursting!

3) What’s your specialty and who do you cater for?

I own Enchanted Kitchen, which specializes in raw, whole foods and vegetarian cuisine, and I also manage the kitchen at the downtown Webster’s Bookstore Cafe. The food at Webster’s is a collaborative effort between myself and two others. I am grateful to be working at Webster’s because we are so commited to local. In fact, Elaine, the owner, has been dedicated to the local effort since the beginning. We utilize baked goods from Eden View Organics, Sweet Indulgence, and Gemelli Bakery. Our produce comes from Eden View Organics, Greenmoore Gardens, and GroundWork Farms. We use Spring Bank Acres for yogurt and Meyer Dairy for milk. And those are just some of our local producers. As for catering, Enchanted Kitchen recently catered an intensive yoga weekend with local yoga instructor Theresa Shay. They requested a large amount of raw items.  One of my fave things to do is to prepare food for those that really understand the benefits of eating raw: energy and purity.

4) What are the hottest  non-caffeinated local food items at Webster’s?

Today's special: swiss chard filled with sunflower seed pate, lemon cucumbers, sun gold tomatoes, sprouts, and maple balsamic

• The “Yemaya Melt.” Start with Gemelli bread, spread on some Green Goodness–a famous sauce of kale and yogurt that was created by Gretchen, another Webster’s chef–add some cheese and cranberries or red peppers and pop it on the panini grill.
• Locavore’s Delight: freshly baked Gemelli’s Foccacia, topped with farm share inspired garlic scape/basil/walnut/roasted red pepper pesto, served with a side salad of local, organic mixed greens, sugar snap peas and sprouts with maple balsamic viniagarette (made with local syrup).
• Sunflower Seed Pate: people get upset when we are out of it!
• our soups.

5) I hear you will be launching a pilot program to cater lunch for Our Children’s Center (OCC) Montessori preschool and kindergarten this summer. Can you give us a taste?

Sure, I’ll be featuring local organic food and focusing on minimal waste. Here’s a sample menu:

• Burrito Day: Black bean and cheese with spinach or local, organic beef with cheese and spinach, served with sour cream and salsa on the side. Side dishes include Mexican-style rice (with local peppers and corn) and yogurt and berries.
• Pasta Day: farm fresh veggies and pesto or local,organic chicken and pesto. Sides include  cucumber salad and mini granola bars with dried fruit.
• Sandwich Day: a choice of hummus, roasted red pepper spread or chicken salad on Gemelli bread, with cheese and veggies. Sides include organic corn chips and fruit salad.
• Other regularly featured items will include carrot sticks, cucumber spears, and other seasonal veggies with dip, Carrot Pennies (glazed carrots), and sunflower seed butter and jelly wrap or sandwich.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 6th, 2009 at 11:33 am and is filed under 5 questions, Food. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.