Recovering Cupcakeholic!

I absolutely love cupcakes! I've tried Crumbs, Magnolia, Butter Lane, and my old time favorite Buttercup! Each cupcake offers a unique appearance and eating experience. Some are huge cake like sizes, others offer layers of cream, and some come in outrageous flavors and toppings. I prefer the classic cupcake. It’s simply dressed, perfectly coated with a delicious whipped cream that satisfies your sweet tooth and comes in flavors (and sizes) similar to those that Mom use to make. My favorite cupcake flavor is Red Velvet-I simply love the chocolately flavor and the deep red color, not to mention the cream cheese frosting!!! For those who have never seen them before they are usually taken by surprise since the taste does not reflect the color.

This weekend I prepared 200+ cupcakes for P.S. 203, an elementary school in Bayside, Queens. The event was Family Night Out where parents and their children took part in events like movie night, photography, nail painting for the girls and an art workshop. I offered a cupcake decorating station with the help of my assistant (and loving husband) Alex. The children purchased a blue ticket (which also served as my raffle ticket) and received a homemade cupcake (yes real butter, organic eggs, buttermilk, Philadelphia cream cheese and vanilla extract was used—couldn’t expect a tasty and moist cupcake otherwise). Each child had a choice of Lemon-Vanilla or Red Velvet (the obvious winner!) and then would smooth on some frosting and top with chocolate or colored sprinkles, some even made faces using Cheerios. The kids had a ball! Some took their masterpieces home; some couldn’t wait to dig in! But each child took pride in their work and enjoyed. The raffle prize? A cooking utensil and a personalized A Pinch of Salt apron given to Timothy Christopher from 1st grade. Congrats!

As for me, I think it will take some time before I indulge in a cupcake after making so many, but life is too short to not indulge in a delicious and compact childhood memory so a few days will suffice.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn....And So Does Treats!

Rachel Ray (aka EVOO) suggest when traveling to "ask the locals." That's exactly what we did this weekend. Alex and I visited the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens after hearing rave reviews of the cherry blossoms. As a child my family and I would often frequent the gardens (and then head to Prospect Park!)  Saturday, being a great day to be outdoors, inhale the fresh air and take in the crisp, but rather warm weather seemed perfect! Falling in love with the plants, flowers and trees that shower the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens served as an added bonus. After two hours of trailing, Alex and I worked up a sweet tooth. Truth of the matter is that for us spring and ice cream are synonymous!

No longer familiar with Brooklyn, I Yelped dessert places nearby. Okay, perhaps not exactly "asking the locals", but in today's modern world it's sort of the same thing. Shortly after we were driving to 5th Avenue in Park Slope, to a dessert café called The Chocolate Room. The menu consists of a few categories: Desserts, Ice Cream and Shakes and highlights a few items that are truly classic: Sundaes, Chocolate Room Pudding, Brownie Sundae and Fondue! We sat there and contemplated the menu (unusual for us since we also know what we want to order). But being here in the presence of multiple chocolately—and seemingly endless—options, it was impossible to narrow it down! As soon as we did, and were seconds from ordering, the waitress brought out an order for the table beside us that looked truly amazing! So naturally that totally through us for a loop and we were back where we started! Finally, Alex made his final decision: Banana Split and I ordered the Chocolate Layer Cake (Suggested by Oprah Magazine) and a cup of Joe! My goodness, when then came out I thought I was in heaven! They looked picture perfect and tasted absolutely decadent! Alex and I behaved, and shared desserts. With each mouthful we took a minute to close our eyes—ignore each other for a sec—and take in the whole experience. And what an experience it was, sinfully delicious!

A few moments later we noticed a group nearby sharing our enthusiasm! We began chatting about how delicious this spot was. The man stated that he recently moved from Queens a year ago.  New to the neighborhood, he stumbled on this hot spot. After dining here a few times he knew it was the perfect place to take his two friends who currently joined him—both out of towners! It was true, by the look on his guest faces you could see how delighted they were! Not only was he right, but so were the hundreds of reviews written on yelp. So you see, we did ask the locals one way or another. Brooklyn proved again to be a great spot for embracing nature and all those deliciously naughty pleasures that comes with the arrival of spring and provided a memory reminiscent of my childhood—what a delicious way to spend a day!

A Gem In All Accounts

A close girlfriend of mine is Asian and definitely has an appreciation for fresh, local vegetables and ingredients. Ling frequents Chinatown. She’s either shopping for wonderful products: fresh fish, veggies like bok choy, Chinese broccoli, long green beans or whatever looks fresh that day or heading to markets for peking duck, roasted chicken, or roast pork. This also means that Ling knows where some of the best deals and phenomenal cheap eats are in Chinatown.

After telling her of my recent visit to Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches (after they were aired on an episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate on Food Network) Ling told me about a Vietemanese sandwich shop on Mott Street that her and her sister have been hooked on. The catch? The shop is located in the back of a jewelry shop. I decided to yelp Banh Mi Saigon Bakery and was surprised of how many countless reviews supported Ling's account. I was extremely excited to go! When Ling and I made it to Mott Street my excitement was put to a halt! The store was closed for minor renovations. What a disappointment! Fortunately Di Palo's (my favorite Italian specialty shop) is across the street so all was not lost. Yesterday luck was on my side! Ling and I met up for our weekly dosage of lunch and catch up. Unlike other times where we debate over "what's for lunch?" I knew exactly where I wanted to eat—Banh Mi Saigon Bakery!!!

I indulged in a Banh Mi Ga (#2 on their menu) the Chicken sandwich!  As with most classic Vietnamese sandwiches it's served on a crunchy, yet tenderly moist baguette, with toppings like cilantro, jalapeño, daikon and carrots, cucumber nestled on top of the moist, tender, fried pieces of chicken. If chicken doesn’t interest you, other options like pork, sardine, pate, meatball, Buddhist and beef stew are available. My chicken sandwich was incredible, satisfying and perfectly balanced—sweet, tangy, and a tad spicy! Don't get me wrong, if you are by 2nd Street and Ave A&B Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches is delicious, but if you’re in the heart of Chinatown (138-01 Mott Street to be exact!) definitely make a stop  in, you will not be disappointed.  Banh Mi Saigon Bakery is a precious gem for sure.

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.