A new venture for For Life! Personal Chef Services

Community Feast!

The more deeply I have pursued my own personal growth and my career as a personal chef, I have discovered such a need for community. There have been studies which show that having community is one of the elements of having a long healthy life. I have been part of a spiritual community for many years which has become my family and my deepest friends. I belong to a couple of online personal chef communities which gives me information and support, recipes and helpful tips. There have been gatherings in “real” life and those connections have also become deep and important to me.  There is a community of people who support the same ideas I have about nutrition, the political side of food, and cooking, both on line and in everyday life. I work alone, I live alone, and I am always looking for places where I feel comfortable gathering with my peers.

Some of my friends and colleagues and I have decided to do more to create that food community, that gathering of peers to celebrate our good fortune and blessings here in Santa Cruz County, the bounty of good food here, and people who are passionate about what we eat and where it comes from. Together with my friend Noelle Noli, Craig Lane from Health Alchemy Nutritional Services, and the good folks from Santa Cruz Local Foods, I am organizing a dinner.

This event will take place June 17, 2011 at the Masonic Temple in Santa Cruz, starting at 5:30 PM. We will have a socializing time, then dinner will be served family style ( a chance to sit with new friends), followed by some brief speaking, dessert, and some networking time.

We believe in eating seasonally, organically, using local and ethically produced products.

I am excited about the chance to work with these people and to create an absolutely delicious beautiful meal and an opportunity for people to get together and explore our connections. I hope you are too!

our menu:

Flax breads and flavored ghees
Wildcrafted herb and flower salad with several kinds of salad dressing
Sauteed Greens
Beef Ribs or Tempeh with Cherry Chipotle Glaze
Chia pudding Trifle with fresh berries and Lavender whipped cream
probiotic sodas, water

Cost: $40 per adult, $20 for children
Tickets available through PayPal ( account # charitydas)

more information , charitydas@me.com

Farmers’ Market Flowers

Another foggy day in Santa Cruz County, California!

Oy! I have a good case of California Coastal summer seasonal affective disorder. Need sunshine soon! ( I am heading up to Mt. Shasta in August, where it will be very hot and sunny so I am to be cured.)

Here are some photos of the flowers in the market today to cheer you up if you need some sun and guaranteed to make you happy even if you don’t need more sunshine and warmth.

A walk on the Wilder Side

Wilder Ranch State Park, Santa Cruz County

Oh, I was tired this morning. Too much tossing and turning last night, worrying about friends, thinking about work, and dealing with some achey muscles made me a cranky woman. Fortunately, after taking care of some bill paying and laundry, I had time to venture out to my favorite State Park and let the wind blow the brain fog and the stress away. Wilder Ranch State Park is a few miles north of Santa Cruz, California. It is divided by the highway. One side goes up into the hills, the other down to the ocean. Today, my destination was the cliffs above the ocean, through beautiful wild flowers, bunnies scampering everywhere to get away from the people ( and the mountain lions and hawks, neither of which I saw today). There were runners ( young men with no shirts), birdwatchers, several groups of school children, people on bicycles. It was a glorious morning. I came home ready to tackle the list of projects to do on my day off from personal cheffing. It wasn’t a day entirely away from food however. In doing some research on the park, I learned that 12% of California’s brussels sprouts are grown here, in the park. If you come in the fall, after the harvest, there is definitely a pungency to the air. Come with me and let your stress fade away. Listen to the birds sing, the children laugh, and the waves crash. Feel the sun and the breeze. Take a deep breath.