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Written by Ann Shepphird
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Sunday, 13 December 2009 01:57 |
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 Located on 200 acres in North San Diego County, the Cal-a-Vie destination spa combines vigorous exercise with luxurious spa treatments (picture a loving boot camp) – plus fresh healthy cuisine that is low in calories, high in flavor and always plenty filling. Cal-a-Vie Executive Chef Jason Graham has been named one of the top healthy gourmet chefs and is co-author of the book “Cal-a-Vie Living: Gourmet Spa Cuisine,” which is available in Cal-a-Vie’s gift shop.
We recently spoke to Chef Graham about his methods in preparing healthy, low-calorie cuisine using fresh local produce. He was also kind enough to share two recipes ideal for the winter months: roasted natural beef tenderloin with balsamic marinated heirloom tomatoes, roasted potatoes and green beans and a fuju persimmon and cranberry cobbler.
How would you describe the food you serve at Cal-a-Vie?
Clean, upscale spa cuisine. My version of clean spa food is no butter, cream, white or brown sugar and no excess oil. We use classic French techniques and natural ingredients. We estimate our calories to numbers, but really work with portion size and, of course, common sense. Using fresh, seasonal ingredients that are full of flavor, we’re able to create tasty, delicious dishes. (Click "read more" for rest of article and recipes.) |
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Written by Ann Shepphird
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Saturday, 05 December 2009 01:10 |
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 Downtown Dallas is not exactly the place you’d expect to find an organic kitchen garden -- but find it you will at The Fairmont Dallas. The garden was created by Executive Chef jW Foster (pictured, right), who started working for the hotel in the fall of 2007 and by spring of 2009 had built a 3,000-square-foot kitchen garden on the terrace level as part of his reopening of the hotel’s Pyramid Restaurant & Bar.
The garden includes benches and other seating so guests can sit and enjoy the space – or they can go further and take one of the cooking classes taught by Chef Foster or go even further and help plant and harvest the produce and then work with chefs to turn that produce into a signature menu creations, something the hotel is working into a package for next spring.
We recently talked to Chef Foster about putting in the gardens, what he’s learned and how he’s using the produce in his kitchen. He was also kind enough to share a recipe for one of the chutneys they make in-house – this one is tomato-apricot. (Click “read more” to continue.)
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Written by Melanie Waldman
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Friday, 20 November 2009 03:08 |
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 While swanning around the sustainably cool Ka'ana Boutique Resort in the Cayo District of western central Belize last week, I all but stumbled upon my dream kitchen garden. Too bad it's their dream kitchen garden...but at least we can all visit.
In its second year, Ka'ana, the pride of Belizean owner Ian Lizzaraga, is thriving. This cozy-cool resort aims to create a real sense of place, leaving much of its landscape lush and wild and in its rooms, spa and beyond, showcasing Belizean products like mahogany, brown sugar and artisanal chocolate. At its signature restaurant, La Ceiba (named for an enormous Central American tree that was sacred to the Mayans), seasonal menus with creative spins on traditional dishes give the garden's produce an elegant place to shine.
Okra, a Caribbean staple, langorously drapes itself over a rough-hewn arbor, then becomes a steamed and buttery side dish with a spicy jerk chicken and cumin yogurt. The emerald green arugula is the sweetest I've ever tried, with nary a hint of bitterness; it graces salads and chewy wood-fired pizzas, but I wouldn't be shy about nibbling it by itself. Fed by iron-rich red soil, crunchy cauliflower grow as big as infants, bright lettuces fluff up next to spicy habañeros, and golden squashes are swelling right now.
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Written by Ann Shepphird
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Wednesday, 11 November 2009 00:55 |
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 Art is one of the themes at the Montage Laguna Beach, from the Arts & Crafts design of the resort itself to the California Impressionist paintings gracing the walls to the natural beauty of its bluff-top location overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the arts community of Laguna Beach, California. The culinary arts are also on display in a big way. The resort’s Loft restaurant embraces the principles of sustainability – not to mention an amazing cheese gallery, with a fromagier there to help guests put together the perfect plate (and a sommelier to help pair it with the perfect wine).
And then there’s Studio, the signature restaurant, nestled in its own Craftsman bungalow on the aforementioned bluff. There, Chef Craig Strong presents a menu that changes with the seasons (and his whims – which are not to be underestimated – consider, if you will, his mini caviar taco), all under the theme of “modern French cuisine with California influences.” Guests can order a la carte, enjoy a tasting menu or take in a private dinner at the Chef’s Table with the open-air kitchen in full view. My suggestion while there was to put in a web cam as I know that I, personally, could spend hours just watching the amazing dance they do when preparing the meals. (Click "read more" for rest of story and recipes.)
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