I found a purpose....
Growing up in the Philippines, I remember my mom always preaching to us that if we wanted to have a consistent career, we should go into the food industry. Her reasoning is that everyone will always need to eat, and by all rights, she made a lot of sense. I guess I truly kept that to heart even though it didn't really surface until I was much older.
I was really ecstatic to have realized the dream of going to culinary school, and really started to move forward my passion. In school, I was energized and I started realizing that this was IT! This is how people become alive when they are faced with their destined dreams realized. Cooking and learning about proper food handling, production and presentation kept me even more motivated to do more. The more I did, the more I learned about the industry and the business of food. Consequently, the more I learned about the food industry, the more I realized that there's a problem with a lot of the processed foods that I used to eat. I started searching on the Internet for more information, read books about nutrition, spoke with friends and acquaintances who were registered nutritionists and dietitians, and watched segments on the Green Channel for anything regarding agriculture, cooking, food production, and waste management. I also made a point to watch the movie documentaries "Food Inc.", "We Feed The World", and "The Cove"; and I was disgusted by what I saw and heard.
In my recollection growing up, most of the Grandpas and Grandmas died of old age, and never heard of Diabetes, Celiac Disease, nor Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. They all ate natural foods now considered to be unhealthy - full of saturated fat & carbohydrates. Today, three out of five people I know are diabetic, and I know of at least two or three people suffering from gluten intolerance.
Wednesday of this week, I had the opportunity to attend a presentation at the Houssel's Forum of the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. It was the Long Beach Healthy Kids Summit presented by Leadership Long Beach, Class of 2010.
I was really ecstatic to have realized the dream of going to culinary school, and really started to move forward my passion. In school, I was energized and I started realizing that this was IT! This is how people become alive when they are faced with their destined dreams realized. Cooking and learning about proper food handling, production and presentation kept me even more motivated to do more. The more I did, the more I learned about the industry and the business of food. Consequently, the more I learned about the food industry, the more I realized that there's a problem with a lot of the processed foods that I used to eat. I started searching on the Internet for more information, read books about nutrition, spoke with friends and acquaintances who were registered nutritionists and dietitians, and watched segments on the Green Channel for anything regarding agriculture, cooking, food production, and waste management. I also made a point to watch the movie documentaries "Food Inc.", "We Feed The World", and "The Cove"; and I was disgusted by what I saw and heard.
In my recollection growing up, most of the Grandpas and Grandmas died of old age, and never heard of Diabetes, Celiac Disease, nor Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. They all ate natural foods now considered to be unhealthy - full of saturated fat & carbohydrates. Today, three out of five people I know are diabetic, and I know of at least two or three people suffering from gluten intolerance.
I've never heard of frozen foods and canned foods until I came here to the United States in 1972. The meals I remember eating were all fresh ingredients cooked from scratch that included fresh vegetables, meats of cows, pigs and chicken from the local farmers markets. Milk was delivered to our door in cold bottles by the Magnolia man dressed in white shirt, pants, and cap; and it tasted like MILK!
Wednesday of this week, I had the opportunity to attend a presentation at the Houssel's Forum of the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. It was the Long Beach Healthy Kids Summit presented by Leadership Long Beach, Class of 2010.The purpose of the summit was to inform and educate leaders and policymakers in the community and schools about the current state of our children’s health and options for improving their health through better nutrition. The event was sponsored by Leadership Long Beach, RTH Foundation, Memorial Medical Center Foundation, Primal Alchemy Catering, Long Beach Community Action Partnership - LAMP Program, and Renaissance Hotel - Long Beach.
Walking into the room, I was a little bit intimidated especially not recognizing anyone. I spotted Chef Paul Buchanan sitting at the front table so I headed his way. Halfway there, I saw Chef Michael Poompan of the Renaissance Hotel, and we shook hands and made our way to where Paul was sitting. After a brief chat with Paul, I saw Kelli Johnson, Long Beach Sunday Market organizer for California Heights. As I was about to sit down, I was surprised and pleased to see one of my Kitchen Academy classmates, Devin Welch. Devin is a registered dietitian who has done a lot of work with the Long Beach Unified District and introduced me to Cecilia Slater. I was in good company.
Chef Paul Buchanan of Primal Alchemy was the first presenter and he shared personal stories of his experiences teaching 4th and 5th grade kids the differences between good food and bad food, providing them with the understanding of where food comes from and reading food labels through his involvement with the Days of Taste Program created by the American Institute of Wine and Food. He presented a video that showed family members, both kids and parents learning to change their food purchasing and eating habits, as well as engaging in more family oriented activities. It was a great testimony that change can happen, and that families would benefit greatly from the change.
Other presenters included Helene Calvert, M.D. - Health Officer for the City of Long Beach who talked about the obesity epidemic in Long Beach; Elisa Nicholas, M.D., MSPH of the Children's Clinic for the Long Beach Alliance for Food and Fitness who addressed the epidemic in further detail; Cecilia Slater - Nutritional Services Director for the Long Beach Unified District who spoke on nutrition services, opportunities and challenges in the school district; Stefan Harvey - Assistant Director at the California Center for Public Health Advocacy who addressed local and state policies; and Chef Ann Cooper "Renegade Lunch Lady" who brought perspective to the nutritional past, present, and future of school lunches.
After hearing all of the presenters, I thought to myself, "This is where I belong and this is what I was meant to do..." As a chef, I have an obligation not only to feed the hungry but also to be responsible for the health conditions that I effect for those who eat what I prepare, and the preservation for availability of our resources.
There is a definite shift in the way that people are looking at what they eat and how they eat; and yet there's still a good majority of people who are uninformed and mislead.
I feel blessed to be associated with people who are making a difference for a better and healthier future and even more excited for the opportunity in being a part of this movement.
Walking into the room, I was a little bit intimidated especially not recognizing anyone. I spotted Chef Paul Buchanan sitting at the front table so I headed his way. Halfway there, I saw Chef Michael Poompan of the Renaissance Hotel, and we shook hands and made our way to where Paul was sitting. After a brief chat with Paul, I saw Kelli Johnson, Long Beach Sunday Market organizer for California Heights. As I was about to sit down, I was surprised and pleased to see one of my Kitchen Academy classmates, Devin Welch. Devin is a registered dietitian who has done a lot of work with the Long Beach Unified District and introduced me to Cecilia Slater. I was in good company.
Chef Paul Buchanan of Primal Alchemy was the first presenter and he shared personal stories of his experiences teaching 4th and 5th grade kids the differences between good food and bad food, providing them with the understanding of where food comes from and reading food labels through his involvement with the Days of Taste Program created by the American Institute of Wine and Food. He presented a video that showed family members, both kids and parents learning to change their food purchasing and eating habits, as well as engaging in more family oriented activities. It was a great testimony that change can happen, and that families would benefit greatly from the change.
Other presenters included Helene Calvert, M.D. - Health Officer for the City of Long Beach who talked about the obesity epidemic in Long Beach; Elisa Nicholas, M.D., MSPH of the Children's Clinic for the Long Beach Alliance for Food and Fitness who addressed the epidemic in further detail; Cecilia Slater - Nutritional Services Director for the Long Beach Unified District who spoke on nutrition services, opportunities and challenges in the school district; Stefan Harvey - Assistant Director at the California Center for Public Health Advocacy who addressed local and state policies; and Chef Ann Cooper "Renegade Lunch Lady" who brought perspective to the nutritional past, present, and future of school lunches.
After hearing all of the presenters, I thought to myself, "This is where I belong and this is what I was meant to do..." As a chef, I have an obligation not only to feed the hungry but also to be responsible for the health conditions that I effect for those who eat what I prepare, and the preservation for availability of our resources.
There is a definite shift in the way that people are looking at what they eat and how they eat; and yet there's still a good majority of people who are uninformed and mislead.
I feel blessed to be associated with people who are making a difference for a better and healthier future and even more excited for the opportunity in being a part of this movement.
Temecula
Nestled beneath the rolling verdant foothills of old town Temecula, Old Town Spice Merchants is equal distance from Los Angeles, San Diego, Palm Springs and Orange County.
They offer a robust selection of over 300 spices & blends and 65 loose-leaf teas which were recently spot-lighted on national TV.
Locally renowned chefs find their spices to be the perfect culinary accompaniment to Temecula's award winning wines.
An aromatic bouquet and knowledgeable and hospitable staff will greet you at the door and keep you coming back to Old Town Spice Merchants of Temecula for all your spice needs.
Spice Merchants is open Monday - Friday 10am-5pm, Saturday 9am-5pm, and Sunday 11am-4pm. You can call them ahead of time to find out about their holiday hours at (951)587-2223.
While in Temecula, we also visited one of our favorite cheese shops called Temecula Valley Cheese Company. It's just a quaint shop tucked behind several buildings off of Front Street on Fifth Street. Here we purchased quarter pounds of Saint Andre triple cream cheese, a sage Gouda (or was it cheddar?), and mild Stilton with lemon (which I used for today's lunch of steak salad with semi-home made dressing made with the Greek Feta spice blend from Spice Merchants).
Owned and operated by Jeff and Shawna Smoot, this cheese shop sells about 500 pounds of cheese per week. In addition to the outright sale of cheeses, the Temecula Valley Cheese Company offer picnic basket rentals for those heading to the Wine County or for any type of outing who wish to have a selection of cheese, breads and spreads.The Temecula Valley Cheese Company also offers specialty platters as well as professional cheese services for weddings, parties and special events. Those who wish to learn more about the art of cheese can take part in educational classes at the shop and learn how to pair cheese with wine and beer.
The shop is open each day. Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sunday from 10 a.m to 5 p.m.
For information on the Temecula Valley Cheese Company, at 42072 Fifth St. in the Penfold Plaza, call (951) 693-9500.
If you're ever around the Temecula area, I would recommend a visit to Old Towne for an eclectic array of food experiences. There are a number of shops that offer delectible items, and various restaurants, like Palumbo's Ristorante Italian restaurant that serve outstanding meals. Most especially, I recommend stopping in at the Spice Merchants shop for an expolosion of aromatic spices, sea salts, teas, and grains.
Regardless of which shops you visit, you won't be disappointed by the variety of flavors to choose from just in this small section of Old Towne Front Street.
Mom's Pie House
What a weekend! Didi and I spent Saturday driving up to Julian and realized that apple season doesn't really start until September so we made the day work by visiting Mom's Pie House. This is the place to go for great fruit pies. We sampled a cherry and apple pie, and ended up ordering a slice of it, as well as three large apple dumplings to take home. This place gets crowded and the line for ordering and pick up sometimes gets quite long, although the wait isn't too bad, especially for these pies.Mom's Pie House is a full service one of-a-kind pie shop. Mom's is famous for making apple pie that would make Grandma proud. All of their pies are made fresh daily, by skilled bakers using only the finest fruit and purest ingredients available.
Mom's History
Mom's Pie House was created, from scratch, in December 1984 by Anita Nichols, "Mom" to Laurie, Teak, Erica and Jesse. She had a vision - to make a delicious, homemade pie from the already famous Julian apples. When she first opened, in the old Julian Cafe building, the bakery measured a whopping 10 by 22 feet, and had very cozy seating for two! Mom used one small electric oven for all of her baking, and peeled her own apples using a counter-mounted peeler.
Mom's flaky crusts and not-too-sweet fillings were a hit with locals and tourists alike, and a line snaking outside the door of the tiny bakery became commonplace. In the fall of 1987, Mom began to expand the bakery to include a larger kitchen and more seating. She also started baking cookies, cinnamon rolls, and other sweet homemade treats.
Twenty years of hard work later, Mom is still rolling out those flaky piecrusts in the front window, smiling at the eager, hungry faces peering in at her, and is still creating a high quality, mouth-watering, homemade pie!
A gnew look at gniocchi
Gniocchi, in simple terms, means "lump" and are made with varying main ingredients. The most common ingredients consist of semolina, potatoes, ordinary wheat flour, bread crumbs, or other similar ingredients. In Italy, it is typically served as main dishes and are often served as alternatives to soup or pasta.
Perhaps I'll work on a short video that shows how to make these little delights and add it to my next post.
Stay tuned...
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About Me
- Chef Sam Paano
- I am the co-owner and founder of Gourmet Conspiracy, a personal chef and catering service based in Lakewood, California. My objective here is to provide open communication about various types of food and their benefits towards our health. As far as my training, I graduated from Kitchen Academy in July 2007 with high honors. I have a great deal of passion about learning the cooking styles and techniques from various cultures and incorporating them in fusion dishes.
