Gold At The End Of The Rainbow

GOoD for you,  HeALtHY, LOw fat, LOw sodium, fat FReE  are all major marketing terms pushed on todays health conscious society. With the trend of organic and local making their way into households via Wholefoods and farmers markets people are finally starting to realize there is more to keeping your body healthy besides buying 90 calorie packs to replace those double stuffed oreos. With my cooking background and multiple nutrition classes under my belt I have been trying to stress this point. It is important what you put in your body. For many it is unnecessary to consume vitamins and minerals in the form of a pill if you "eat the rainbow", meaning try and have a serving of every color fruit and vegetable a day.
After nine months of indulging myself in the culture of Napa Valley  I took a drastic approach to eat healthy. For years I have been wanting to try a detox. With a new appreciation for fruits and vegetables I decided there was no better time. I chose the seven day detox by Dr. Alejandro Junger featured on Gwyneth Paltrow's goop.com to kick start my renewed eating habits. This one was great for me. Every day's meal was completely mapped out and it was not 7 days of starving myself. I actually found myself trying to keep up with the multitude of meals and snacks.

A typical day on the goop detox

DAY FOUR

7am (or upon rising): Glass of room temperature lemon water
8am: Herbal tea
10am (breakfast): Mango and Coconut Milk Smoothie
11:30am: Coconut water
1:30pm (lunch): Miso Soup with Watercress
4pm (snack): A handful of blueberries
6pm (dinner): Steamed Salmon and Greens

After finishing the detox I have found that besides losing weight I was more energized through the entire process. By consuming the appropriate amount of nutrients my body functioned the way intended. This is motivation enough for me to continue to "eat the rainbow".

Graduation Day

This post is a bit over due but I am officially an alum of the Culinary Institute of America!!!  After walking in my high school and college graduation ceremonies I expected the same old, when is this going to end thought, sigh of relief...it was a very enjoyable afternoon. Unlike any other graduation before, this ceremony was personal and even did what it was supposed to and offered usable future advice. Two students down since our start in July, 31 fellow classmates and I climbed the stone steps of the Greystone building, toques standing tall and alumni pins glistened as the rest of the student body clapped while we entered our ceremony. One of my favorite chefs, Chef Lars Kronmark, spoke giving great advice on how to suceed in this industry followed by Chef Sheamus Feeley of Farmestead giving equally valid advice. The outcome of all the advice...positive attitude and endurance.

I have taken that advice and am now back in Chicago working as a line cook at a upscale, Asian fusion celebrity hotspot.

2011 ACAP14 Graduating Class

Other students clapping for us as we entered graduation