what is renaissance mamas?


being a renaissance mama you never know what i am up to from day to day b/c i digest life through expression....this time my studio relocated into the kitchen.... brushes have turned into wooden spatulas, paint palettes are all-clad, the poetic prose is on the menu & i am deeply inspired by what is growing locally, seasonally & organically week to week from our local farmers....the meals i create are stories, paintings, expressions of a time. i create meals for private families, dinner parties, picnics, heart-centered gatherings, birthday parties, new mamas, workshops, talks & anyone who desires local, rustic, artisinal foods made with love.  

i started renaissance mamas with a desire to inspire women in the kitchen, to inspire the mother within & reconnect her back to the kitchen. i saw a need in my community of mamas... i saw a lot of women who had this strong desire to cook & create but did not know how... where to begin... how to connect the dots between going to 3 markets, cooking a a few of the same dishes, seeing a lot of it go bad...and then start again the next week....overwhelmed, under-inspired, confused & deeply ashamed of not knowing how to do it they end up going out or taking in...when somewhere the stories, the how-to's, the 'just do this and that' and dinner is served...did not get passed down from our mamas & grandmamas... and now we have babies, we want to cook, we want to be the change, show them how to provide & survive for themselves.... yet we did not get that piece. i see this with us modern mamas & i have a deep desire to reconnect this piece for us.....

it is truly up to us.... we are educated, we have the skills, the curiosity....we are the shaman mamas and it's innate in us, in our body knowledge to create, birth, protect & gather... everything we do in the kitchen is connected to a vitality that lives in us as women......i am starting this conversation and i would love for you to join me... 

so... what is renaissance mamas?  i come to your kitchen & connect these pieces...we resuscitate you in your kitchen, get it pumping again as it's the heart beat of your home. we organize, we shui, we shop, we cook, we connect, we gather, we create, we birth, we reinspire you so that you are ready to do it on your own. my sweet friend calls me the kitchen intuitive....that feels right. she wrote this about what i am up to....

My pal Jules is a wonderful kitchen intuitive who lives to meet the emergent needs of the individual/family in the privacy of their kitchens. She can come to your kitchens and do everything from organizing every bullion cube and tea bag in your pantry to making your kitchen functional AND magazine-esque to preparing a few days worth of organic meals for you and your family. So... instead of ordering takeout, take in something rustic, local and gourmet. If you think you can't cook Jules wants to teach you. If you are in a rut Jules will return you to inspiration (and the farmer's market) so you can cook with joyful reckless abandon. If you want to learn to compost, she'll even green you. Whether you taste her once or crave her week to week, give her as a gift to yourself, a new mom, bachelor, or cherished friend.  Jules also caters small, heart-centered affairs. 

i am looking forward to creating & cooking for you... see you soonxxx

sides.










loving the basic sides that create the full circle of the meal. this is where something ordinary can be incredible, simple & replicated by friends...which is the highest of compliments...here we have sauteed wax beans with some herbs.. maybe dill & olive oil...sauteed cauliflower that is so amazing... and basic. carmelize the leeks, little onions or shallots (whatever you love) with olive oil & sage & any other herbs you prefer... really let the onions steep in the oil on medium.. then add the cauliflower... & a little water.. on a bit higher.. watch it while it steams and sautees at the same time.. then we have some fried okra that included an egg, some matzo meal & flour... oven roasted brussel sprouts & sauteed rappini... and then the last colorful blast above is a warm rainbow chard salad (sauteed with carmelized onions, leeks, sage), golden beets & pine nuts...hope this inspires you and your sides....see you soonxxx

everything gardens....


















this menu was full of color as we were celebrating 2 years of business for the sweetest sister team, vanessa & stephanie of everything gardens...their shop is the cutest with beautiful families of colorful succulents, modern & vintage pots, cook books, wind chimes, candles, & hand made soaps beautifully wrapped from northern california. inspired by the season, the aesthetic, the sweet garden & the beginning of summer... i wanted to have a story that exuded beauty & expressed this exciting time for them! with radicchio, cara cara oranges, golden beets, salmon, mango, macadamia nuts (grown here in southern california!) ...i created vacations. i felt like that when i was creating each piece of the story...i wanted to go on vacation with each part of the story. i think we went between hawaii & tuscany...a lot. yum.....wish you could have been therexxx

sweet.

so... we always begin the story with a menu... hand stamped with love.

wooden bowls of strawberries (at the peak of their season from harry's berries) & cara cara oranges that are pink & incredibly sweetly perfect. 

all thes eggs... (90 of them) were donated by peacock family farms in dinuba.
the best eggs at the market...sunday in hollywood & wed. in santa monica.
tell them i sent you... they are the best. 

flourless chocolate islands of love with golden rasberry chutney on top.

matcha tea shake with honeydew melon, milk & vanilla ice cream

pignoli cookies: pinenut almond cookies...great for the gluten free as there is no flour in the recipe... just confectioners sugar, almond paste & eggs

oceans of matcha tea....

white peach & lemon basil clafoutis... 

sequoia cherries... who had about a 1 month visit at the market...

golden rasberries.. at the pasadena market...it's like going on a vacation
with floral flavors & sweet all combined in one. really delicate & lush.

i heart you.

little special presh cake to welcome joshua home...


the longest process for the smallest cookie in the world... butter balls with ganache rolled in vanilla sugar.....it was worth it.

these deserts were for an organization i am very passionate about called center for non-violent education & parenting which is not about violence....at least in what you are thinking right now...
if i was in charge of changing the name.. i would call it sustainable parenting or intimate parenting or the most incredible way to interact with your child... having empathy for all people, allowing your child the experience of feeling felt, communicating with your child about his/her emotions & creating connection with every experience. they are doing incredible things & i love supporting them. it was a beautiful evening in a garden in larchmont... 
wish you could have been there & see you soonxxx

what's cooking in my kitchen lately....

yummy favas... i have done a few things with these... i put them in the cuisinart with cinnamon basil & goat cheese...which made for a rustic fava chutney of sorts that i put on some pretzel baguette with tomatoes & pinenuts...also - a simple saute with some little onions & leeks is so good too...

carmelized carrots on the stove...start with little yellow onions & leeks...glazing them for about 15- 20 minutes on medium heat....then add the carrots with some water... boil... then back down to medium to soak up all the water...about 45 minutes in total. 

apricot & peach roasted chicken with cumin & cinnamon...massage with love & put it in the oven at 400 for about 45 minutes...best facts on how to roast a chicken...just plain and simple (then you can add what you want...) is in the joy of cooking. 

pine nut pizza on corn meal crust with tomatoes, goat cheese & love.

almond cupcakes with matcha tea icing...
out of one of my favorite baking books baked...2 guys in brooklyn.. gotta love it. 




my first clafoutis... look out for more as i am making 2 this weekend...
i will give the recipe in the next blog.... can't wait to share it with youxxx

just another day at the farmers market.....




ocean loves to be with the gals from peacock farms where we buy some of the best eggs, nuts & raisins at the market!


ocean and i were at wednesdays farmers market & this time it was for dinner with friends...nothing fancy...i call it my fast food because it takes about an hour and i am usually rushing like a mad woman to get it all done before eveybody gets home.... it's basic, down home, rustic cuisine with a local flavor....  

at home - i love bowls and i love to create stories inside them....this time around it was leeks & brussel sprouts, these incredible purple artichokes (a few leaves & some heart), roasted rosemary yams all hanging out together  on a bed of rice pilaf.  on the side was a mixed green & edible flower salad with avocado & pistachio nuts...and a small delight of little pretzel crostini with lavender goat cheese & a slice of those amazing yellow tomatoes... wish you were here ... xxx

lake's birthday story....


i love to start out with a vision board so that we are all on the same page....it gets us excited & passionate about the project...it inspires everyone to see the start of the creative story, it's the tune in & once we are cleared for take off...i gather all the energy, desires, vibe, feelings of the client under my wing and fly....which i love.  

i wanted to create a menu that looked easy peazy with a summer feel....
beautiful & light that sated each belly (big & small)...


watermelon, cherry & strawberry salad...





you can't have a party without banana sandwiches....





happy birthday lake!