We have been working crazy hard behind the scenes to promote our little company and what we do. Locally, things are slowly growing and as a testament to that I was asked to do an interview about our weekly raw food lunch for a local entertainment blog. It was a blast and I loved chatting with my interviewer Chris Jay about everything that is anything
Here is a link if you are interested in taking a peek:
Hi again! It’s been a minute since I posted last, trying to get things going again with the business since we got back from England. I’ve made a few raw cheesecakes that I have sold at my local HFS as well as at the freshly begun Fall Farmers’ Market!
This one was Chocolate Mango. I used both fresh and dried mangos in the mango part and it tasted like caramel! So good!
Then I made this Pumpkin Lucuma with Chocolate Drizzle Cheesecake! This one was freaking amazing! Don’t let anyone scare you out of using fresh raw pumpkin!!
Just for fun, here’s a photo of our market stall!
So, our last night in England we stayed in London because it was easier to get to the airport. We chose a hotel room within walking distance of the Whole Foods in Kensington because I wanted to eat at Saf. It was soooo, soooo good. We started off with a cashew cheese appetizer.
I loved this cheese, and it inspired me to get back into making my own fermented nut cheeses.
Then I had a portobello slider. The barbecue sauce was incredibly good and I was so impressed by the attention to detail and how every single component of the plate was delicious- so assembled it was just insane!
Dan had some kebabs that were tender and flavorful. The side dish was my favorite though!
He also got a juice that had carrot, ginger, apple and turmeric root. It was my first time having the root fresh and it was so good. Amethyst loved it and ended up with a golden mustache. I got a smoothie with almond milk, lucuma and berries because I thought Amethyst would like it. She didn’t think much of it, and while it was good compared to the juice it was kind of just okay.
We also both ordered the tiramisu.
Whoa, this was one heavy dessert! We could have ordered one. While I liked it much more than InSpiral’s tiramisu it still didn’t crack the code. It was clearly nut based and while it was delicious it just wasn’t the definitive raw tiramisu for me lol! I guess that just means manos a la obra for me to create my own!! All in all though, we loved Saf! I was impressed with the quality of the dishes and the rich complex flavors. We both left really full, which is rare with raw food restaurants. It is gourmet raw food, so expect to pay for it. It is worth it!!
I am so proud of myself this week! I have managed for the first time in a long time to eat mostly raw! Sounds crazy for a raw food business owner, right??! But I have to be real, open and honest I reached a point where I just felt physically bad again because here in the States, unhealthy food really is ubiquitous- it is the status quo without a doubt. The amount of planning, research and willpower that has to go into maintaining a truly healthy diet ( raw or not ) is mindboggling. Which is why I do what I do!! If I can help someone eat a little better and feel a little better by offering high quality raw snacks and food then I have done my job
And the truth is, a week in- I feel amazing!! I’ve had lots of green juices, including this one with broccoli stalk, parsley stems, green apple and lime
Raw soups, like this carrot, cashew, and Ras-al-Hanout spiced one
This smoothie with mango, banana and spinach is pretty much like the very first green smoothie I ever had so many years ago!
And I have been LOVING having different variations if Kate Magic’s Purple Mayhem for breakfast.
The basic recipe is this: 2 tbsp. mesquite powder 2 tbsp. cacao powder 1 tsp. purple corn extract Mix in bowl, then add 1 tbsp. tahini 1 tbsp. coconut nectar 1 tbsp. water Then stir in
1 cup sprouted buckwheaties
I love trying out new variations on this and if always keeps me satisfied and energized for hours!! Also, breakfast has always been one of the most challenging meals to keep interesting while doing raw because I never, ever want a smoothie first thing in the morning.
Hope you try it and enjoy it! Much love.
This Saturday marked the end of the Farmers’ Market Season and I suppose at least mentally the end of summer. I am sad to see it go, as especially toward the end of the season I feel like I connected with a few other ladies and it is nice to have that weekly space to socialize, chat, meet new people, tell your story and really try to get the public excited about your products! This is the last time our stand will look exactly like this:
On the other hand, I am excited to work on other projects we have going on, like our weekly Raw Food Lunch on Fridays at Sunshine Health Foods. The first week, this was the menu:
And the dessert, raw chocolate covered caramel shortbread slices (Billionaires Shortbread)
This past week, we offered raw falafel with tahini sauce, kale salad with Moroccan cream sauce, hempseed tabbouleh and strawberry shortcake!
We are starting out small and sort of grassroots, but looking forward to growing organically with this!! Also, the Fall Farmers’ Market starts up in October and we already have big plans for making our stall even better and will be offering a new line if products that we just know are going to be a massive benefit to our amazing customers , friends and family! Also, my sweet baby girl turned one, but that gets its own post in due time😉 I love each and every one of you!
xx
Yesterday I had a full day back at school getting my Food Safety Certification. Man, I have to say that some *legal* practices are just shockingly bad!! Anyway, I had been up late preparing for the Farmers’ Market (which my sweet husband manned all by himself yesterday) and I had to get up so early that the idea of breakfast was more than I could handle. I knew I would be there until late and that I would need to take my lunch. Standing there in the kitchen with five minutes until I had to walk out of the door, I started thinking about which fast food joints have something I could eat. And then I realized how freaking silly that thought was and put together this quick chia pudding:
it has chia seeds, almond milk, goji berries, fresh strawberries and maple syrup. On my way out, I grabbed a pack of my kale chips and some water.
It was enough to keep me going all day. I know that it isn’t revolutionary or anything but taking care if yourself and making good food choices is really easy! You just have to make sure you are prepared and that you have an arsenal of awesome and nutritious ingredients on hand to throw something together at a moments notice.
We have a busy week ahead and are looking forward to tomorrow and making some magic happen in our lives! What about you- are you welcoming or dreading Monday?
I don’t really blog about anything business related as this blog is quite personal. I guess it is inevitable that the two intersect here and there as building Sacred Strawberry, raw food business, is an integral part of my life, about which I blog here.
Over a month into launching my little start-up and deciding to run a stall at the Farmer’s Market, it is amazing to see community being built all around. You see everything from business deals being negotiated to first dates being considered and of course many friendships forming. And generosity by the truck-load. No matter what you might think, you don’t vend at such a place just for the money. Most vendors do it because they give a shit! They do it because they believe in not only eating locally, but in building local economies and communities of support. You just simply don’t raise vegetables in the Louisiana summer heat and humidity for the money alone. Some of the nicest, most genuine people I have met are farmers at the market. One of our suppliers, the wonderful couple out at Thompson Farms ( I can’t find an online presence or else I would link them!) gave us an enormous box of heirloom tomatoes because they couldn’t sell them and thought we could do something with them!
They may not be the prettiest, but they are the ripest, juiciest, tastiest tomatoes I have ever had! We have also been given greens, beans, squash, lemongrass and even flowers from other farmers down there. We try to reciprocate and have given away kale chips and superfood truffles to people who might not have ever tried them!
Above and beyond that, it really is incredible to see and feel the difference between the anonymity and disconnection that comes from trading at a big box store in a strip mall and striking up a conversation with the person who either grew or made your food. I absolutely love seeing familiar faces around my stall! That sort of positive feedback not only makes me think “wow, they liked my food!” but it also keeps you honest, striving to do better and be more creative! So a big huge thank you hug to my customers, naysayers, competitors, suppliers, farmers and fellow vendors. Without ALL of you, it just wouldn’t be the same.