Well, now aren’t I ambitious. I know I said I would be blogging from the conference and posting pictures, but that was merely a dream. I can’t remember being so busy for so many hours for so many days.
It was a blast though. Imagine the first day. Loads of fresh food came in from all the local farmers. Irene Plunkett Mina of Maui Aloha Aina picked it all up, washed and prepped it. She is an angel for sure, saving us hours of work. We had loads of Kale, Swiss Chard, Zucchini, Beets, Taro, Sprouts, Pumpkin Squash, Lemons, Ginger, Onions, Fresh Herbs, Pineapple, Mangos, Strawberries, Tomatoes, Fresh Eggs, Venison, and much more. Each day new arrivals appeared in our kitchen. And, each day was a surprise as to what we were going to make from it all.
Our salad bar was extravagant to say the least. Most of my dressings were made from Barlean’s High lignan Flax Oil and Olive Oil. Each meal we featured a hot veggie, a whole grain and one of the protein sources. The food was abundant just the way the conference was – abundant with creative energy, insight, perception and skills. The people attending dedicated themselves to thought provoking sharing and strategic planning. Every one was fed full on many levels as a loyal skilled community formed to help create fresh food security on Maui.
This picture is of all the participants!
Here is a little more about he food and a Thank You to all!
Thank you all for showing up to help make our precious home, Maui, a healthier place to live! Special thanks to those who traveled a great distance to contribute to our well-being. And, huge thank you to Vince and Irene for your tireless dedication to our present and future generations. You are all great treasures.
It was a pleasure to prepare food for you while everyone networked, brainstormed and designed. Thank you to all the farmers who grew the food and so graciously donated it. Also, thank you to the kitchen angels who generously gave their time in service to keep everyone nourished and fueled while they worked so diligently.
This is the beginning of Local Green Dining that I am taking into the tourist, retreat and local market with an emphasis on health, vitality and local restorative value. Here are some answers to requests about the food:
What is in this food???
Many asked a lot of questions about the food, what the ingredients were, and how it was made. Here are a few facts about the contents and nutritional value.
All the food was organically grown with the exception of a few small items. All the produce, meat and fish were sourced from local producers. Because it it vital to keep fats in their integrity for the greatest nutritional value, very little of the oils were used to cook with, and if so, none were cooked beyond their heat point. Coconut Oil, Olive Oil and Flax Oil were used generously in dressings and/or topically after foods were cooked to give them flavor, texture and nutritional value.The Flax and Coconut Oil were Barlean’s Organic Oils, which I use because they are milled and sent fresh to your door. The freshness produces great flavor and high nutritional value.
Raw seeds were used for fresh seed milks and for thickening agents for sauces and dressings. A raw salad bar was served each day along with Cultured Vegetbles, rich in friendly flora and bacteria, great for intestinal health.
These vegetables (like Sauerkraut) were made a week in advance so they had a chance to naturally ferment and provide the valuable probiotic nutrients. They contained cabbage, parsley, kale and carrots. If they are not already, make them a daily part of your diet for enhanced intestinal health.
Very little sugar was used because we did not make lavish sweet desserts. Most of our sugar came from fresh pineapple and papayas. The quantities of sugar used for the entire 6 days - 3 meals a day (approximately 25 people for breakfast and dinner and 35 to 50 for lunch) is listed below.
2 – 8 oz bottles of Maple Syrup
1 container of honey + 1 cup
8 cups of sugar
Most of the sugar was used to sweeten coffee and tea, with a little used for cookies, chocolate mousse and raw pie. You can see that this is not alot of sugar for the number of people and meals.
That’s it for now. Please make a comment (www.susantetoncampbell.com) if you have any further questions or want to read about the type of food used in my Essential Cuisine dietary practice. I hope all the food kept you nourished and pleased throughout your conference.
Making every bite count, Chef Teton
Mahalo for the honor and pleasure, Susan Teton Campbell
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Susan, I love it. I especially like the name of your blog, from Seed to Soil…Wish I could gave participated with you feeding all those people three meals a day. I’m sure you dud a fantastic job. You’re awesome. Someday let’s make food together…
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Susan—THANK YOU!!!
Thank you for making such delicious meals and for your follow through with this post along with your on-going committment to our collective health. Your dedication from “Seed to Soul” is evident in every mouth watering bite you prepare as well as every word you use to open the mind to flow with the pleasures of the taste buds. You are sincerely a magic chef of love!
The Maui Agriculture Design Conference brought together a diverse gathering of farmers and resource people under the wonderful umbrella of Hale Akua in Haiku. For five days, people focused on creating a better agriculture future for the island. What made the event truly spectacular and drove home the message that Maui has the ability to become food self-sufficient was the incredible food coming from the kitchen of Chef Susan Teton Campbell. The food and how it was prepared also helped keep participants alert throughout the intense exchange and processing of ideas and information that goes on at a conference like this.
It began with the diversity and abundance of organic fruits, vegetables, poi, eggs, fresh caught fish and deer straight from Maui’s farmers, hunters, and fishermen and produce from organic grocers; herbs fresh from the garden at Hale Akua, salt from the ocean. And cream. I never knew that cream, without the milk (lactose), could be good for you (helps your pancreas). In the eggs, like silk. With the fresh lilikoi, in a cheese cake, it was divine. Every day, meals had an abundance of fresh fruits, salad greens, a diversity of sprouts from Kahanu ‘Aina Farms, unique herb dressings, complex carbohydrates in grains such as oats and quinoa, taro and kabocha pumpkin, a potted vegetables ferment. The herb quiche woke up all my senses. By the second day, my cravings for sugar, salt and carbohydrates were completely gone. The venison meatballs, chicken, fish, the soups were lightly seasoned to perfection so that the flavor of each element came through. Nothing was smothered, except my experience that organic dishes (except for salads) often meant sacrificing fine cooking and the palette. Chocolate mousse with avocados and sapote. Pumpkin soup seasoned with chipolte and spices. Water with roses. A feast of the senses – and to sharpen the senses.
Chef Titon uses food to heal the imbalances in the body. Each dish was prepared with her incredibly creative and enthusiastic energy and the help of a fabulous kitchen crew. We were all happy to help with the dishes for being fed so well!
A month later, I’ve gone into withdrawals and wishing that every farmers market, store and restaurant in Maui would wake up to the potential that resides right here in this community to feed ourselves with this kind of abundance and health. It starts with farmers healing the soil and culminates with chefs like Susan and cooks and consumers like all of us.
Penny Levin
Wailuku, Maui