Spotlight Volunteer....City Harvest Chose Me!!!

A few weeks ago I was interviewed for Operation Frontline's Newsletter as a Spotlight Volunteer!!!  Please read my City Harvest interview below:

From The Frontline
Operation Frontline New York City – A Program of Share Our Strength and City Harvest

W I N T E R 2 0 1 0 IN THIS EDITION
VOLUNTEER S P O T L I G H T
OFL Chef Raquel Rivera

How did you hear about City Harvest?
I first heard of City Harvest during my externship at Le Bernardin. Chef Ripert has certificates hung up downstairs and he even offered a City Harvest menu.  This made me look into the organization further and I was pleasantly surprised and eager to become a part of it!

There are a lot of other non-profit organizations in New York City, why did you choose City Harvest?
I love the fact that City Harvest offers instant results. When you donate your time, money, or food you know it is going to immediately help a person in need.

What classes have you instructed?
I have done In the Mix and Eating Right and am eager to facilitate or serve as a chef in the Side By Side
series next!

What was your best class experience?
All the classes leave me with a sense of accomplishment. However when I taught In the Mix at the Food and Finance High School I loved the fact that I was teaching teens who were aspiring to be chefs. Being able to be a part of their culinary journey made me feel wonderful. It also made me realize how much I enjoyed teaching others to cook, soon after I began to do teach professionally.

What advice would you give future OFL volunteers?
My advice is to not let the distance or neighborhood discourage you from volunteering. It is true that some of the locations are out of reach but trust in the fact that your travels would be well worth your efforts and may even open you up to a whole new world and perception.

Raquel, your passion for what you do is evident.

Thank You!

City Harvest 575 Eighth Avenue 4th Fl. New York, NY 10018 917.351.8700 www.cityharvest.org

Act Now! Vote Against Childhood Obesity!

Passionate about nutrition, eating well, keeping your family members healthy?  Concerned about our future?  How about Child Obesity? 

If so, act now and Tell Albany: Pass the Tax on Sugary Sodas &Drinks!

It takes less than 5 minutes.  Together we can make a difference!

Vote with our mouths!

We all have a teacher that has changed our lives forever. For me my kindergarten and 4th Grade teacher would always be one of my alltime favorites. As a chef instructor I could only hope that of the many students I teach, that I serve as someone's favorite.

Recently I completed a City Harvest Upper Room series. An extraorinary team was organized. Melissa a fellow chef, served as the co-facilitator/chef, Dawn was our nutrionist, Dave the Class Manager, Aliyah our support team and I served as the chef and co-facilitator. Together we provided people at the Church in Brooklyn with healthy recipes, nutritional exercies and a fresh view on eating right.

Original I signed up for the class as an opportunity to team up with my friend and co-worker Melissa. At the end I wouldn't have it another way. Every Wednesday we worked together to stress the importance of reading labels, chosing low-sodium products and using new ingredients to create delcious and healthy meals.

While I have a great appreciation for food, every week I looked forward to Dawn's nutritional segment. I wanted to understand labels better, wanted to understand the why's behind the do's and don'ts on what to eat. For instance, I knew it was healthy to eat whole wheat bread, but I didnt understand how important it was until I saw the wheat bread v. white bread demonstration. I knew about saturated fat, but it became vivid after seeing the Blubber Burger exercise. I knew I should incorporate more vegetables, but would never think about making a vegetarian lasagna. It began to make sense and fall into place. I took part of the discussions, not just as an educator, but as soemone who too had questions. I gave feedback and shared with everyone how they inspired me to eat better. And while I am always trying to lose a couple of pounds, I saw this as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. Slowly I began incorporating some of the many things I learned into my life. I noticed that I automatically began looking even closer at food labels, purchased more 100% wheat products, and began eating better and incorporating some of the same ingredients we were introducing to our students like barley, whole wheat lasagna and no salt tomato sauces. I have become more conscious of the amount of salt I use when cooking, and have begun adding more herbs and acids to boast up flavors. I even began carrying a baggie filled with raw almonds, pumpkin seeds and raisins after Dawn thought my salty version needed a change.

All these things are just a few of the things I took away from the series. Moreoverly, I took with me a bunch of new friends, and the memory of students who too seemed affected by our class. We all discussed the little alterations we were making along the weeks, and hopefully these new practices will stick. Together we made a difference and perhaps will be viewed by some of our participants as a favorite or instrumental leader in their learning experience with food.

"CHEF" First Letter Stands For "Culture" "Compassion" and "Company"

This evening I had the privilege to be among some extraordinary people--nutritionist, coordinators, fellow chefs, volunteers, Niyyirrah El who provided a demonstration of African drumming and dance, and Meghan Johnson, national coordinator for the Share Our Strength Operation Frontline nutrition education program. People who manage to find time in one way or another to give back to the community via City Harvest. Tonight we were gathering to celebrate Black History Month, but moreover to celebrate our improvements, our strengths, our goals and aspirations as a people, moreover as a people concerned with nutrition, health and food in America and beyond.

I arrived a bit after the start time and they were only a few warm and familiar faces present. I began to question the turn out, but soon those thoughts vanished. Within minutes we all found ourselves snacking on fruits, wheat thins and hummus and socializing. Then the festivities kicked off!  Maggie and Aliyah each presented a slide show. The first were photos and facts about a Mali, Africa.  The slideshow focused on the people, the food, and their way of life.  The photos were raw and proved that a picture speaks a thousand words. The other slideshow focused on facts concerning food, nutrition, African Americans and how the migration to America has influenced many of the flavorful cuisines we have today. "Soul food" being one that immediately comes to mind, but that serves as just one of the many examples.

Soon after we were teased with delicious scents of food, but before we could indulge we had to work for it! The deal? We had to dance first! No one dared to complain.  Chances are if you heard the sounds coming from those drums you too couldn’t help but move. It was vibrate, upbeat and soulful if you will.  I must confess, I started off with intentions to dance, but I have problems moving my feet and hands at the same time.  So while Ms. El, the dance instructor and drum player, made the moves easy to follow, I sort of moved to the side and watched as the energy filled the room. Then it was time to eat!   

Now as a chef I pride myself in eating just about anything, or at least trying everything once. Tonight was my first time eating African food. We were fortunate to have Ms. Eva Forson--a chef specializing in African cuisine and a City Harvest OFL chef for almost 10 years--among us.  Ms. Forson made an absolutely delicious, mouth-watering, fall off the bone (you get my point) Yassa Au Poulet (Senegalese chicken braised in lemon sauce).  Alongside this dish was a healthy spin on Mac & Cheese, Ethiopian Lentil Salad and last but not of course not least, Aliyah's Raw Kale Salad with Pine Nuts and Golden Raisins. Need I say more!!!

The evening was phenomenal. It was simple, but diverse. Everything from the presentations, the dance, the food, and the people made the evening special. And while I may never be able to lure Ms. Forson into giving me the secret ingredient for her chicken dish--regardless to how hard I tried, and believe me I tried!--I know it was the love and desire to please others that made the food remarkable. In fact, it was that same passion and devotion from all the attendees that made this Black History celebration memorable. To me the event went beyond a celebration of Black History Month.  While I certainly learned a lot about African American culture, the evening demonstrated how powerful a few diverse people can be when everyone’s compassion is shared among them. 

Thank you everyone at City Harvest, all the attendees, and those who sprits were among us for but unfortunately could not make it, for making such an evening possible. 

A Valentine Adventure for Two that Doesn't Break the Bank

Valentine’s Day is a day that prices on flowers, chocolates and restaurant items seem to increase dramatically. Year after year we all manage to get sucked into the holiday and pay exuberant prices despite our better judgment. At least our significant other knows our intentions are good and heck it's only once a year. That’s our usual reasoning, right?! Well this year Alex and I took a different swing on things and because of it we experienced 4 different places for the price of one meal at one of NYC prestigious restaurants.

First up Franny's in Brooklyn. Franny is a restaurant serving Italian dishes and pizza. We had the Olive Oil and Sea Salt pizza and even yummier, the Tomato, Buffalo Mozzarella and Sausage pizza! That paired with two glasses of a delicious full bodied red wine made our lunch perfect! (And under $55)

                                                  

Second my favorite tea shop, Alice's Tea Cup. A charming tea shop offering 2 scones and a pot of tea for $10!!! The tea list is very long so it will satisfy every tea drinker and the scones are flakey, moist, fresh and delicious!

Third, Taste Good Malaysian. A small "hole in the wall" offering absolutely delicious Malaysian dishes. We indulged in the home-style tofu with mushrooms, chicken satay with peanut sauce, beef rendang and roti canai. Dinner cost least than 40 bucks! And tea is served.

Lastly, dessert again! This time at Cannelle Patisserie—an excellent pastry shop offering a large variety of French pastries. Think child in a candy store! Definitely worth the trip to Queens. Did I mention it’s owned by the former pastry chef of the Waldorf Astoria?! Price of 3 almond croissants, 2 cheese danishes, 1 chocolate mousse cake, one mini chocolate mousse cake, a small tiramisu, a mini pear tart and 3 cappuccinos? A bit under $52 and of course we had dessert for 2 days after!

Needless to say we had a very wonderful Valentines weekend....feeling a bit fat today, but it was so worth it! And so cost effective too, to think rather than wine and dine at the usual establishments (and nothing wrong with that either!) But this time we made our own culinary adventure.......cost of that................Priceless!

Company Over? No problem!

Sometimes company comes by unexpected: "I'm in the area, mind if I drop by?" Sounds familiar? Instantly your heart and mind starts racing. And thoughts of "What am I possible gonna feed these people?" come to mind. It's true, you are not forced to cook a meal for them--you never expected company--but, as a gracious host it's always nice to have a little something to offer your guest. Thus, I always try to keep dough on hand. Whether it’s one that you can buy in those cylinder tins with the cute little dough boy or something you whipped up and kept in the freezer it’s a great thing to have on hand. For instance, palmiers both savory and or sweet are perfect for such occurrences or late night snacks! Moreover, crepes which you can instantly fill with nutella and bananas for dessert or with a white mushroom sauce for a quick dinner!

In my case my mother-in-law was dropping by and would be here shortly. Fortunately I had thawed a store bought puff pastry sheet earlier in the day. I honestly don't recall what I had originally had in mind for that dough, but on the flash I decided to caramelize some onions which is one ingredient I always have on hand. A little thyme, butter and a little love and 20 minutes later sweet caramelized perfection! I proceeded to taking my puff pastry, lightly rolled it out (don’t want to over work it or the buttery goodness will start to melt), cut the edges about 1/2 inch width to form borders which I glued onto the remaining puff pastry with a little egg wash. Next, I used a fork to poke some holes in the center to prevent it from rising and then added the caramelized onions and thyme. Hmmmm, delicious. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes until the dough is puffed and golden. Then slice into squares. By time your company arrives and begins to settle in, they would be welcomed with a great comforting dish that looks like it took a lot of effort to make, but only you know the truth of its simplicity!

FYI, this dish is nice warm, but can easily be served at room temp. You can easily make this a quick dinner by adding mesclun tossed with a simple vinaigrette on the side. Either way it's a great dish to have in your back pocket for those planned and unexpected visits!

                                

Hands-On Cooking Classes

Dear Fans,

I am very happy to announce that I will be giving hands-on cooking classes for children 13 and up at Queensborough Community Kids College this March! Please see page 8 of their brochure for more details!!!

Hope to see you there!