Never Enough

Treating myself to a two pound salad at Whole Foods once a month is now a long lost legend of the Gods. I truly do and always have found comfort in home cooked meals, but there's something... risky, I miss about a sneeze guard buffet.

Waiting patiently for a Whole Foods fairy to assist with my need to sample, 'That! Whats that?', or simply to put something in my face hole to hold me over.

Something to be said about the prep being done for us with care is dear to my soul. Like walking to my great grands and the smells lingering from her kitchen guiding me to the right direction. Sprinkling a little bit of this, no thanks on that, more of this please and thank you!

A box full of goodies, truly customized just for Me. No need to subscribe or worry about shipping fees and refund details.

As a Chef and Restaurateur, I am the dragon chasing its own tail. And Salads are beautifully complex to create. Its not just the craftsmanship that thrills me or the consumption but the provider whom blesses me with such awe.

Eating raw, organic, served with love produce provides a high that silences the chaos within me as it does the friction around me and that's the point. Mother Nature, she provides all we need and effortlessly so. But, the exchange rate, on behalf of us humans, is less than fair to say the least.

Having always wanted a garden, moving to Los Angeles distorts such a desire and seems like a lucid dream. Crippling at times to be in such a majestic place that offers all one could ask for to cultivate almost anything. I can barley afford the sage I burn let alone the rent. Though if I had the terra to nurture the nature of my desire, the Amazon would be my nursery of choice.

Salad, I was talking about salad...

No two salads are ever alike and is why its worth the chase for the high. The vanity even! Look at it, look at its flaws, it's glow, it's .....what is that? Black pepper, that you?

Like all quality highs you get lost in the sauce and struggle to recall the details, elements of love, and touches of magic. An adventure of creating within the lunacy of trying to recreate what won't be. Why individuality and authenticity is a must. No one of any two things in nature is the same.

Shall we talk about the dressing? Heavy, Light, Vegan, Spicy, Bitter, Sweet. Some Salads need not apply depending on whats being composed. A melody of fruits, berries, nuts, and roasted vegetables left in the fridge over night will develop a dressing all on its own.

Fatty, amino acid, and potassium rich oils such as walnut or macadamia are my personal favorites. Australia and Hawaii are to thank for the production of some of the worlds finest macadamia products. Again, what a high.

Blackened pineapple, what a delight! no pun intended. Have you ever grilled then blended pineapple to then separated the pulp from juice? WOW. Lets not go into what a dehydrated pineapple pulp chip taste like. A single fruit alone can be manipulated into a single ingredient salad and dressing of countless options.

The elements of fire and friction are also necessary at times to optimize the process of creation. The char of an enzyme or mallard reaction of a protein is why molecular gastronomy is a medium of art within the culinary world.

None of this will make much sense, though it could have been as simple as talking about a salad recipe. Remember, chasing a high here. A journey I can only share based on whats lingering and brought to the forefront of my subconscious.

Inspiration is all that is manifesting in this moment. Maybe a dash of influence and curiosity from you who bless me with your time, but no peer pressure.

Eat a salad, share a salad with your neighbor, mask of, no sneeze guard?! Risky!

Make one?

Photographed/Staged by: @XOCamilleElizabeth (IG)

June 2020

Los Angeles, California