Thank you kids and thank you Erika Tucker for such an great Farm to Fork workshop! We can’t wait to see what you will be making on our next Farm to Fork workshop on June 2nd. Grown ups… don’t feel too left out, you can taste Erika’s culinary delights at The Cellar in San Clemente. Date night, perhaps?
Have you ever asked a child what part of the chicken is the nugget? I can guarantee there would be some very clever responses from our little ones. In a society full of choices, food should be a simple one. Farm to Fork is a program at The Ecology Center that is a perfect opportunity to bring awareness to kids and empower them in the kitchen. Even better- it is fun, messy and always tasty! With that said, it is with great pleasure that we introduce our new instructor, Head Chef Erika Tucker of The Cellar in San Clemente. Just to get better acquainted, we asked Erika a few silly and general questions…
Favorite meal of the day?
Breakfast! More specifically crepes with French brie and orange butter.
Why did you choose to be a chef?
It was either professional race car driver or chef. I chose the latter but still pretend I’m both.
What brings you to The Ecology Center other than your love of food and children?
My dear friend Jeff was the one to bring me over.. immediately I fell in love with the entire concept of the center and wanted to be a part of it. I would come here as a kid when it was an empty lot for pumpkin patches and produce stands. Very special to see what it has evolved into today.
Why do you feel that it is so important to buy local/fresh?
Where do I start? The concept of buying local is all too underappreciated in my opinion. Though obvious that transporting food long distances uses a tremendous amount of energy, why must there be such a strong demand for it? By adding processing and transportation to the equation we are adding a significant and unnecessary amount of stress to the environment. The fewer steps it takes to get your food from the farm to your table the better. Not to mention the fact that local food tastes better! The crops are picked at their peak and are much fresher and nutrient packed.
If you could teach the kids of Farm to Fork one thing…what would it be?
Not to be intimidated to cook at home! To be able to use kitchen tools, knives and equipment safely and effectively. After they get that, the possibilities are endless as to what they can make.
Say I was headed out for date night at The Cellar…Any new creations at The Cellar we shouldn’t miss?
Yes! Chocolate filled beniets with cherry jam.
What clever way would you get kids to eat their vegetables?
I think bringing them here to the farm or any local garden and having them interact with the produce will give them a better appreciation and less negative outlook on vegetables. Having them pull a carrot out of the ground and making carrot bread with it. That’s special. Some fun seasonal recipes with vegetables that I’m making in my kitchen now include carrot and zucchini bread, carrot soup with mango honey, fresh basil and thyme infused lemonade, and a spring vegetable quiche.
Thank you Erika! We can’t wait to see what you will be creating in the months to come.
There is still time! Be sure to join us this weekend for Farm to Fork, Saturday, May 5th from 10:30-12. On the menu: Homemade Bagels and Strawberry Jam. Mmmm.
Farm to Fork: Beginning with an exploration of The Ecology Center's veggie garden and ending with the preparation of small-plate meals alongside professional local chef, this children's program emphasizes the real food journey from "Farm to Fork" .
Join us, May 5th, 10:30-12noon for another month of Farm to Fork
This month's featured menu: Homemade Bagels and Strawberry Jam
with special guest, Chef Erika Tucker of The Cellar in San Clemente
Cost: Members- $15, Non-Members- $20
Ages 6-12 (younger children are welcome, but must be assisted by parent
for the entire duration of class)
Are you coming? Reserve your spot now.
You bring the kids- We will provide you with the morning brew.
April 22nd may mark the end of Earth week but it is just the beginning of a new year’s effort to be better stewards of our environment. In celebration, on April 22nd, LB Iddings of Yoga Works Laguna Beach will be leading us in a free yoga class at 4pm in the courtyard followed by a potluck. In addition, Yoga Works is offering a free one week pass to all who attend.
So mark your calendar for this Sunday, April 22nd and bring your family and friends as well as a yoga mat and a dish to share. We really hope to see you there.
La Sirena Grill is one of our favorite restaurants. Recently, we caught up La Sirena Grill owner Scott Cortellessa to get the lowdown on their relationship to Earth Day, today and everyday.
TEC: Tell us a bit about what La Sirena Grill stands for?
Since the beginning LSG has been about “our” version of unique, great tasting California Mexican eats. And over the years we have evolved into a “Mexeco” eatery, where we focus on offering more sustainable food options…from our grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, natural pork, and organic products, to our latest evolution…the love of craft beers. A perfect “pairing” of quality…craft beer and LSG.
Where did your inspiration come from to create a group of industry leading “green” restaurants?
We don’t give ourselves that much credit for being a green leader. We believe there’s so much more to accomplish, and because it’s ever changing. So, until we feel we’re closer to a finish line (not that we see it yet), we let our food and offerings speak for us. But our inspiration came from personal choices at home. Years before we made changes to the restaurants, we tried to “live local” – eat seasonally, buy local and organic. Started an amazing home garden with fruit trees and vegetable beds. We believed we could align our business with those choices.
Can you remember your first Earth Day experience?
Years ago our family celebrated our first Earth Day cleaning up the beach. Spent the morning picking up cigarette butts, pieces of plastic and styrofoam….good times. It’s amazing how many years pass and yet the beaches still have the same types of trash…kinda like goundhog day. We joined other family and enjoyed a great lunch at our home, celebrating something we grew together.
Any Earth Day resolutions or goals for 2012?
Our big goal for 2012 is to find at least one more product that is more sustainable. I know “1″ thing doesn’t seem like much, but it’s very challenging to find a product that is practical in our business. One product, our expeller pressed fry oil, took over 4 months to get into the restaurants ths year. We’d also like to finish our “gluten-free” menu. There have been a lot of requests from our LSG fans to explain their options to them.
Can you tell us about the Earth Day / The Ecology Center menu for April 14th?
Our menu is pretty simple. We want to offer great tasting eats that show off the seasonal items found at South Coast Farms and the Ecology Center. A “farm to Quesadilla” idea….tasty veggie quesadillas, spring salad and a little different version of our Vegetable Escabeche that we offer at the restaurants. Great pickled vegetables like Romanesco cauliflower, onions, jalapenos and carrots.
Earth Day Menu at The Ecology Center, tomorrow Saturday April 14th 10-4.
Grilled Veggie Quesadilla
Marinated Onion, Red Bell Peppers, Pasilla Chiles, Zucchini, Jack Cheese, Garlic Olive Tapenade
or
Black Bean and Smoked Corn Quesadilla
Smoked Corn and Onion, Black Beans, Jack Cheese, spicy Chipotle Paste
Spring Salad
Spring Greens, Candied Walnuts, Queso Fresco with Strawberry Vinaigrette
South Coast Farms Vegetable Escabeche
Carrot, Jalapenos, Red Onion, Cauliflower
We should have known that if you serve Chocolate…they will come! Approximately 50 guests joined us on Saturday afternoon for a presentation and tasting with Deanna Moore of Chocolatl. She doused us in great information about her sustainable chocolate enterprise and later indulged us with her very own chocolate and even a special chocolate tea brew. Amazing! Thank you Deanna for such an incredible presentation, we appreciate all your work.
If you missed the big day, don’t feel too left out. We now have Deanna’s chocolate here in the shop. Stop by and stock up!
About Tools of the Trade
In collaboration with our new exhibition Tools for Change,Tools of the Trade is a FREE roundtable series in which local experts in a variety of fields will share useful skills and unique insights related to sustainable living.
What a great weekend we had here at The Ecology Center! Pastry chef Elyssa Fournier, of Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, joined us in the kitchen along with 11 kids for Farm to Fork. The smell of fresh strawberry jam wafted through the house as the kids made a fresh batch of currant scones. The best part (other than eating the ones Elyssa made ahead of time) was the kids were able to take their own batch home to bake and share Sunday morning. Genius!!! Thank you Chef Elyssa for such a great workshop. We really appreciate all you have done and continue to do.
Chocolate is an indulgence of course, but have you ever considered where and how it is made? Come and join us on February 11th at 1pm with Deanna Moore creator of Chocolatl. Deanna will be hosting a free presentation for us about the sustainable methods of growing, processing and preparing chocolate, from seed to mouth.
Be sure to sign up in advance, so we can reserve your spot!
Calling all future chefs! Join us February 11th from 10:30am to 12:00pm for our children’s cooking class, Farm to Fork. Pastry chef Elyssa Fournier, of Andrei’s Conscious Cuisine, will be teaching the kids how to make scones and fresh jam. Space is limited, so please sign up in advance. $15 members, $20 non-members.Parents may choose to stay through the duration of class or drop students off. Recommended for children ages 6 to 12.
Growing your own oyster mushrooms could not be easier with this perfectly packaged mushroom kit from Back to the Roots. Started by two friends in their last semester at UC Berkley, Back to the Roots was inspired by the idea of turning waste into fresh, local food. These mushrooms are grown entirely on recycled coffee grounds! Each box grows up to 1.5 lbs of pearl oyster mushrooms in as little as 10 days. We are proud to be carrying these delightful mushroom gardens in our exhibition and general store, Tools for Change.
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