Better Together

I like saying yes.

So, when my good friend Lisa asked if I would participate in “Shoresh’s Taking Root 2017”, a fundraiser for an incredible cause, there was only one response. YES!

Shoresh is a grassroots Jewish environmental organization who sees ‘environmental ethics as a core element of the Jewish identity’. While I am Jewish, I don’t consider myself a religious person. But I am spiritual and Shoresh’s mission resonates with me. I also get to work with like-minded people, so saying yes was a no brainer.

Growing up in a reform Jewish household, we attended Synagogue only a few times a year; on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah, the ‘high holidays’ and whenever there was a ‘simcha’, which is a celebration like a wedding or bar mitzvah.

I always excelled at eating, drinking and dancing during the holidays and simchas. I disliked the actual prayer component. Praying in a temple wasn’t something I connected with at all.

I liken my experience at Synagogue to my high school and university days. Back then, I didn’t enjoy what I was studying and tuned everyone, professors and rabbis alike out. That is, until I went to culinary school. Once I discovered my love for food and cooking, I chose to attend culinary school in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. School suddenly became a place I wanted to be and it was no longer an environment I avoided.

Since then, the kitchen has become my temple and events like ‘Taking Root’ help to feed my soul. Getting an extraordinary group of people together to create incredible food using organic, plant-based ingredients is inspiring and if that isn’t a religious experience I don’t know what is.

The hashtag associated with the event was #bettertogether and for good reason; the generosity displayed was overwhelming. I was truly blown away by the number of people serving food in kind.

The food was tremendous. The people were better.

The Best in Kind

Although I have been cooking for decades, I am still relatively new to the ‘clean eating’ world. I have only eaten this way for about three years. I have so much to learn about plant based ingredients, techniques and products. Boy did I get an education from the amazing individuals helping at this year’s charity.

Stacey Burgess, owner and leading mind behind ‘Live on Chocolate’ makes the greatest vegan chocolate product I have ever had! Her chocolate covered sponge toffee blew my mind! To boot, her company is local and produces organic, fair trade chocolates and desserts that are absolutely delicious. I may try to recreate Stacey’s chocolate covered sponge toffee for myself someday but until I find the time I’m ordering from Live on Chocolate.

‘The Chufa Co.’ is another Canadian company creating plant based organic milks and ice creams using the tiger nut. Tiger nuts actually aren’t nuts at all, but rather a root vegetable. And it’s quite good. I have even used some of The Chufa Co.’s tiger nut milk when making my own desserts. My favorite Chufa Co. flavour is their Macha. This year they were showing off their newest product – ICE CREAM! Again, in the interest of full disclosure I had zero expectations of liking it. I often make my own ice cream at home and couldn’t imagine a tiger nut creating a frozen dessert I would enjoy.

Yep, I was totally wrong.

The Chufa Co. created an ice cream that rivals any dairy based product on the market. It is seriously that good. I have only tried their “Candy Cane Crunch with Chocolate Flakes” ice cream and I could have eaten the entire tub!

I was also excited to be working so closely with my new friends at ‘Modgarden’. They were showing off their incredible modular growing systems right beside me (thank you Lisa)! Imagine ‘leafy greens, herbs and micro greens including some root vegetables’ at the ready, whenever you want them. I personally love eating micro greens and sprouts every day. I’ll garnish salmon, create a pesto or simply add them to any salad. It is my dream to grow and serve foodstuff right from my kitchen.

What impressed me the most was the small footprint required to produce this type of farm. I can’t wait to learn more about Modgarden and how I can apply its offerings in my every day life and cooking classes!

Amazing food and amazing people. It’s true, we are much #bettertogether.

Although I don’t pray in a Synagogue, I do give back to my community. Cooking for people, especially in a charitable setting, and surrounding myself with like-minded individuals, fills my soul. It is a spiritual and religious experience.

Mazel Tov, Shoresh! A job well done.

Chef jw