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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Guest Chef for a Day

Oh my! Look what I've stumbled upon. Friday Mornings @ SELMA -- a local-foods breakfast salon. A gathering place of like-minded friends and community members that imagine a new, regional food economy. These donation-only meals take place every Friday morning in the home of Lisa Gottlieb and Jeff McCabe on the westside of Ann Arbor and are a celebration of seasonal, local ingredients. The fundraising efforts of SELMA are aimed at supporting the current and future local-foods community. Besides sourcing supplies for each event from local farmers and other suppliers, the balance of proceeds is set aside for projects that build new farm/food infrastructure such as creating hoop houses, which can transform Michigan's frigid northern climate into a four-season growing environment. A weekly podcast is broadcast onsite where host Kim Bayer discusses subjects related to the re-localization of food economies--the core reasons this salon sustains.

So how thrilled was I when at my very first breakfast visit, I was asked to guest chef! Two Friday's later I was planning and cooking a breakfast for 94 friends of Jeff and Lisa. It was an amazing experience to be in the kitchen. I don't think I ever grinned wider. Of course, I couldn't have done it with out my friends who helped sous, Jeremy and Aubrey from Arbor Teas, and all of the other super helpful volunteers. Already I've signed up to do it again on August 21st. Mark your calendars! I'll save you a spot at the bar...

I finally was able to round up photos from the morning I cooked. Thank you Kim, Matt and Aswin! If anyone has more photos, please pass them along.






6 comments:

Katie said...

Congratulations, Olivia. I wish I lived in town, so I could check it out. I will encourage Nathan to go on the 21st. Looks so good!

Mary Harvest Kitchen said...

Hi Olivia! I like your blog very much--your cooking is so much more fancy than anything I would have the patience to do. Nice work, and it was lovely meeting you this weekend.
peace,
Mary
check my blog out at communityfarmkitchen.blogspot.com

Olivia said...

a belated thank you, Katie! I'm cooking this friday, if Nate is in town, he should drop by...

Mary, thanks also to you! I appreciate you giving me the link and it was such a pleasure to meet you this weekend! I really LOVE what you are doing with CSAs!

Kitchen Chick said...

I had a fabulous breakfast of fried green tomatoes the morning I attended a Selma breakfast. Makes me wish I was much more of an *early* morning person so I could swing by before work more often.

Olivia said...

I'll be cooking again tomorrow, and green tomatoes are on the menu (although not fried). It would be great if you came!

The P & A Food Chronicles said...

thats sooo fun... I would love to guest chef..