“Eco Tourism” and “Green Vacations” represent some of the fastest growing trends in the Hospitality Industry.  Guests are looking for travel opportunities, lodging, entertainment and food that has a more earth-conscious base to it.

For me, nothing says ‘green’ more than eating locally produced food at the peak of its season.  Summertime is so marvelous with the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables available to us.  Make sure when you are shopping that you look for foods that have been produced closer to home when possible.  A head of lettuce that has been shipped from California has rung up quite a large tab with its cross-country trip!

Buy from local roadside stands and farmer’s markets when you can and support the growers directly.  Learn to love the vegetables that come out of the ground in abundance at this time of year, regardless of what they are.  I joined a CSA a few years ago (Consumer Supported Agriculture – a subscription service that provides fresh local vegetables weekly) and was determined to eat everything that came my way.  My first real challenge was the red radishes, which have always had too much bite for me.  I found that cleaning them and putting them in a shallow dish with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and then roasting them at 325 degrees for 20 minutes or so took the harsh bite out of them and left them with a wonderful mellow radish flavor!  YUM!

Our bodies have evolved to need the starchy vegetables such as winter squash and potatoes during the winter time, and cooling foods such as watermelon in the summertime.   While it is possible to get foods from South America or father away that provide you with grapes in the winter or apples in the spring, try paying attention to what is available from local sources in their seasonal times of abundance.  It will be healthier, less expensive, and make a really positive contribution to a ‘green’ lifestyle!

Bon Appetit!

Before the days of pleated paper chef’s hats that come in boxes of 100, a traditional Chef’s Toque was made of pleated and starched fabric.  Legend has it that the number of pleats in the hat indicated the number of methods that the chef knew to cook eggs.  Often a job interview for a cook’s position is nothing more than to cook a simple omelet.  Sounds easy enough, but the technique is everything.  Eggs are the standard by which other protein sources are judged.  They act as a binder, a browning agent, a leavener, an ingredient, a main course, appetizer, main dish, soup, salad, and dessert, even beverages!  Understanding the many complexities of the uses of eggs is just one of the many things an avid cook, hobbyist or professional, must master.    How many pleats would you put in your toque?

Chef Christy