Holiday season, whether you celebrate or not, can be a time of community gathering and delicious meals. We checked in with our talented kitchen and culinary team after their wildly successful stint with Big Sur Food & Wine. Chefs D3 and Quinton and baker Camilla open their recipe notebooks for some non-denominational holiday yum. “We take care of you by nourishing you so you can focus on the things that you came to Esalen to do,” says Esalen Food and Beverage Manager Chloe Scott.
The cooks and work-scholars that make up the Esalen kitchen staff perform mouthwatering alchemic magic daily — mixing, blending, and transforming a multitude of ingredients and spices, a few dozen feet from the Farm & Garden to create culinary delights for the Esalen community, guests and staff alike. "We are preparing three meals a day for 120 people — every single day,” says Food and Beverage Manager Chloe Scott.
"We want to make sure as we're feeding a variety of people with a variety of dietary needs, restrictions, and desires — that means providing a grain, a staple, a starch, a protein for both vegetarians and omnivores," says Scott. Amidst all the stirring and sautéing by the talented team led by sous chefs D3 and Quinton, Chloe calls it "a joy and a privilege" to provide guests the sustenance they need to participate on campus fully.
"It's a beautiful thing to present delicious meals for our guests, in accordance with Maslow's hierarchy of needs. They are fed and cared for, and with those needs met, they have the spaciousness to do the self-care and personal work in their workshops. We take care of them by nourishing them so they can focus on the things that they came to Esalen to do. Folks come here to meet a variety of goals and challenges. None of that is possible without having nutritious ingredients in their bellies. Then, you’re able to cultivate the mind's and the spirit's work."
Scott refers to the Farm & Garden as “the greatest resource for providing quality nourishment to our guests, an opportunity to use the freshest, most nutritious ingredients," and she always adjusts menus and recipes to take full advantage of the week’s available harvest. "To get produce at their peak flavor, sometimes even just hours after it has been picked, is such a rare thing for most of us. That's something very few kitchens can say, and it brings an entirely new level of value to our dishes."
Though there are always veggies that need chopping or a pot that needs to be stirred — "Mouths that must be fed!" — the Esalen Kitchen took some time to choose a few favorites to cultivate a familiar holiday meal.
The menu starts with a roast chicken that requires a two-day brine and works best with big handfuls of fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage (direct from the Farm & Garden). Sous chef Quinton Nuquist, who provided the recipe emphasizes that "the food we produce is meant to feed and nourish not just the body but the soul as well.” This main course is accompanied by a "community favorite," a savory quinoa salad that regularly inspires guest feedback demanding it be served “at every single meal!” The roasted root vegetables are made with parsnips, rutabaga, and turnips — "which are all grown here and can be picked in the fall." For something sweet, a lemon buttermilk cake, which, by all accounts, rapidly disappears.
“if there's one final word of what we do, it's just 'nourish,’” Chloe says. “That's the whole point — and enjoy!"
Ingredients
Directions
Chicken Brine
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
Directions
For the cake
For the frosting
To assemble
Cover and keep at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerate for up to a week. When ready to serve, make sure the cake is at room temperature. All classic layer cakes taste best at room temperature!
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Holiday season, whether you celebrate or not, can be a time of community gathering and delicious meals. We checked in with our talented kitchen and culinary team after their wildly successful stint with Big Sur Food & Wine. Chefs D3 and Quinton and baker Camilla open their recipe notebooks for some non-denominational holiday yum. “We take care of you by nourishing you so you can focus on the things that you came to Esalen to do,” says Esalen Food and Beverage Manager Chloe Scott.
The cooks and work-scholars that make up the Esalen kitchen staff perform mouthwatering alchemic magic daily — mixing, blending, and transforming a multitude of ingredients and spices, a few dozen feet from the Farm & Garden to create culinary delights for the Esalen community, guests and staff alike. "We are preparing three meals a day for 120 people — every single day,” says Food and Beverage Manager Chloe Scott.
"We want to make sure as we're feeding a variety of people with a variety of dietary needs, restrictions, and desires — that means providing a grain, a staple, a starch, a protein for both vegetarians and omnivores," says Scott. Amidst all the stirring and sautéing by the talented team led by sous chefs D3 and Quinton, Chloe calls it "a joy and a privilege" to provide guests the sustenance they need to participate on campus fully.
"It's a beautiful thing to present delicious meals for our guests, in accordance with Maslow's hierarchy of needs. They are fed and cared for, and with those needs met, they have the spaciousness to do the self-care and personal work in their workshops. We take care of them by nourishing them so they can focus on the things that they came to Esalen to do. Folks come here to meet a variety of goals and challenges. None of that is possible without having nutritious ingredients in their bellies. Then, you’re able to cultivate the mind's and the spirit's work."
Scott refers to the Farm & Garden as “the greatest resource for providing quality nourishment to our guests, an opportunity to use the freshest, most nutritious ingredients," and she always adjusts menus and recipes to take full advantage of the week’s available harvest. "To get produce at their peak flavor, sometimes even just hours after it has been picked, is such a rare thing for most of us. That's something very few kitchens can say, and it brings an entirely new level of value to our dishes."
Though there are always veggies that need chopping or a pot that needs to be stirred — "Mouths that must be fed!" — the Esalen Kitchen took some time to choose a few favorites to cultivate a familiar holiday meal.
The menu starts with a roast chicken that requires a two-day brine and works best with big handfuls of fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage (direct from the Farm & Garden). Sous chef Quinton Nuquist, who provided the recipe emphasizes that "the food we produce is meant to feed and nourish not just the body but the soul as well.” This main course is accompanied by a "community favorite," a savory quinoa salad that regularly inspires guest feedback demanding it be served “at every single meal!” The roasted root vegetables are made with parsnips, rutabaga, and turnips — "which are all grown here and can be picked in the fall." For something sweet, a lemon buttermilk cake, which, by all accounts, rapidly disappears.
“if there's one final word of what we do, it's just 'nourish,’” Chloe says. “That's the whole point — and enjoy!"
Ingredients
Directions
Chicken Brine
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
Directions
For the cake
For the frosting
To assemble
Cover and keep at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerate for up to a week. When ready to serve, make sure the cake is at room temperature. All classic layer cakes taste best at room temperature!
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Holiday season, whether you celebrate or not, can be a time of community gathering and delicious meals. We checked in with our talented kitchen and culinary team after their wildly successful stint with Big Sur Food & Wine. Chefs D3 and Quinton and baker Camilla open their recipe notebooks for some non-denominational holiday yum. “We take care of you by nourishing you so you can focus on the things that you came to Esalen to do,” says Esalen Food and Beverage Manager Chloe Scott.
The cooks and work-scholars that make up the Esalen kitchen staff perform mouthwatering alchemic magic daily — mixing, blending, and transforming a multitude of ingredients and spices, a few dozen feet from the Farm & Garden to create culinary delights for the Esalen community, guests and staff alike. "We are preparing three meals a day for 120 people — every single day,” says Food and Beverage Manager Chloe Scott.
"We want to make sure as we're feeding a variety of people with a variety of dietary needs, restrictions, and desires — that means providing a grain, a staple, a starch, a protein for both vegetarians and omnivores," says Scott. Amidst all the stirring and sautéing by the talented team led by sous chefs D3 and Quinton, Chloe calls it "a joy and a privilege" to provide guests the sustenance they need to participate on campus fully.
"It's a beautiful thing to present delicious meals for our guests, in accordance with Maslow's hierarchy of needs. They are fed and cared for, and with those needs met, they have the spaciousness to do the self-care and personal work in their workshops. We take care of them by nourishing them so they can focus on the things that they came to Esalen to do. Folks come here to meet a variety of goals and challenges. None of that is possible without having nutritious ingredients in their bellies. Then, you’re able to cultivate the mind's and the spirit's work."
Scott refers to the Farm & Garden as “the greatest resource for providing quality nourishment to our guests, an opportunity to use the freshest, most nutritious ingredients," and she always adjusts menus and recipes to take full advantage of the week’s available harvest. "To get produce at their peak flavor, sometimes even just hours after it has been picked, is such a rare thing for most of us. That's something very few kitchens can say, and it brings an entirely new level of value to our dishes."
Though there are always veggies that need chopping or a pot that needs to be stirred — "Mouths that must be fed!" — the Esalen Kitchen took some time to choose a few favorites to cultivate a familiar holiday meal.
The menu starts with a roast chicken that requires a two-day brine and works best with big handfuls of fresh thyme, rosemary, and sage (direct from the Farm & Garden). Sous chef Quinton Nuquist, who provided the recipe emphasizes that "the food we produce is meant to feed and nourish not just the body but the soul as well.” This main course is accompanied by a "community favorite," a savory quinoa salad that regularly inspires guest feedback demanding it be served “at every single meal!” The roasted root vegetables are made with parsnips, rutabaga, and turnips — "which are all grown here and can be picked in the fall." For something sweet, a lemon buttermilk cake, which, by all accounts, rapidly disappears.
“if there's one final word of what we do, it's just 'nourish,’” Chloe says. “That's the whole point — and enjoy!"
Ingredients
Directions
Chicken Brine
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
Directions
For the cake
For the frosting
To assemble
Cover and keep at room temperature for up to 4 days or refrigerate for up to a week. When ready to serve, make sure the cake is at room temperature. All classic layer cakes taste best at room temperature!
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?