Native Foods Blog

Best Friends & Great Food

by Kelly Erwin
The Organized Vegan

 

In my life I have been blessed with the best friends in the world.   I still have close relationships with all my girlfriends from grammar school.  Some still live in town, some have moved across the country yet, we still keep in touch by phone or email.  My girlfriend Bridget lives in Rancho Mirage, CA and I was in her town this weekend to help Chef Tanya with the cooking demo at the Palm Desert Native Foods Café.  I met Bridget in the second grade at St. Francis de Sales school but we didn’t become close friends until the 7^th grade.  Her brother Adam also lives in the desert and I’ve not seen him and his family for about 15 years.  Also, her brother Mark was in town visiting from Austin, TX.  It’s been just as long since I’ve seen him!!!  WOW!!!  It was great fun to see everyone and their children. 

 

Fortunately or unfortunately, however you look at it, my mind is always on Food!!!  So as I was driving down there I thought to myself wouldn’t it be great to introduce some of the amazing food from Native Foods to my extended family.  I quickly called Sue at Native Foods Palm Desert, she’s so nice, and ordered up some Scorpion Burgers, Chicken Run Ranch burgers, Ensalada Azteca’s and Native Wings for the kids.  I brought the food over and laid it out and just let everyone try some at their leisure.  THEY LOVED IT!!  You just can never go wrong with Chef Tanya’s amazing creations.   I have found that it doesn’t matter if the newcomers are vegetarian or not.  People love good, tasty food and Native Foods always delivers. 

 

The best things in life are always the most simple.  Best friends and great food, a cozy house and some cats lounging around.  I am so grateful that I have this group of friends that have been with me through the ups and downs of my life, and that I have been there for them.  I cherish all my friendships, old and new, and feel there is always enough room for more.  Love and friendship knows know boundaries.  There is no cap on love.  Take a friend to Native Foods and watch what happens!!!

 

Organizing Tip:

Make your bed first thing when you get up!  This is an old tip that still rings true.  I have found that once my bed is made, I can see the other bits of clutter that is around and I can quickly put it where it goes.  If I don’t make my bed, I seem to have a blind eye for the jacket that needs hanging or the stack of folded clothes sitting on my dresser.  Yes friends, I too am a procrastinator!!!  Why I can’t just put the folded clothes away once they are folded is a mystery to me.  Make the bed and your bedroom will be a sanctuary of peace and harmony!

California Legalizing Meth!-Stop the Press!

By Chef Tanya Petrovna

Native Foods Chef & Founder

 

 

Metyl Iodide that is.  Methyl Iodide is a soil fumigant and a soil fumigant is something that gases up the soil before crops are planted to kill fungi, bacteria, nematodes, insects, weeds, disease organisms and healthy organisms. Basically it is designed to kill the soil. If you don’t wait the correct amount of time, it will also kill the crop that is being planted.

 

Thing is in soil there are also great things that help protect and engage the young seedlings being planted and the flipside is that without that protection there is also a loss of the plantings that is factored in. It’s the control/fight nature commercial agriculture modus operandi. Is there another way? Well yes for example there are strawberry farmers out there that have been farming without it for 35 years.

Huge monoculture fields know no other way to gain yields.

 

John Froines, Professor of Environmental Health at our neighboring UCLA chaired at external scientific review panel that studied risks of Methyl Iodide. His comments? “This is, without question, the most toxic chemical on earth.”

 

Froines and the four other members testified before the Senate Food and Ag Committee which was looking into Dept. of Pesticide Regulations proposed decision to register Methyl Iodide officially. Despite their concerns California proposed using Methyl Iodide in agriculture.

 

Here’s another bit of info about M.I.’s buddy fumigant chloropicrin:

 

The Pesticide Action Network (www.panna.org) tested with a Drift Catcher (device that monitors air for fumigant pesticides) the city of Sisquoc, CA as they grow monoculture commercial strawberries there. All the rules were followed in the fumigant procedures. Average levels in that city’s air over a 19 day period were 23 to 151 times higher than acceptable cancer risks. Don’t let your kids ride bikes outside or anything!

 

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD ON METHYL IODIDE ENDS TODAY!

CALL THE GOV! 916-445-2841 www.is.ga/cO438

 

 

In the meantime EAT ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES!!

Interview With Chef Tanya of Native Foods

Nice blog about Native Foods...check it out please!

3Questions4.com

SugarShock!

By Holladay Allen

Native Foods Tribe Member

 

There is a nasty rumor going around about Agave.  Have you heard all about it?  I think Sugar must have started it!  I really can’t blame Sugar, can you?  I mean for years Sugar, and its delectable melt in your mouth crystals, reigned supreme.  Sure High Fructose Corn Syrup had its stint in the spotlight, but the public was soon on to its highly processed composition and possible detrimental effects on health, so Sugar made a comeback, and it was a glorious comeback indeed (I wonder who handles Sugar’s PR). 

  
Agave Plant

 

Everything, from soda pop crack rock to cookies to fast food milkshakes, was all of a sudden being made with “Real Sugar.”  Sugar was back!  But then Agave appeared on the scene with its exotic name, golden amber liquid, and allure of having a lower glycemic index than sugar.  Darn you Agave!  But what goes up must come down (I really need the name of Sugar’s PR firm).  Now Agave is the Sweet Demon who actually sends a surge of sucrose into the bloodstream far worse than anything Sweet old Sugar could ever do.  Oh you guys!  The fact is all three of you HFCS, Sugar, and Agave come from plants and undergo some sort of processing no matter how “minimal.” 

 
Sugar Cane

 

I think what we (as in we Americans) want is a source of sweetness that will negate caloric content and the glycemic index altogether.  Sorry folks, but I would never trust a sweetener that would allow me to consume a dozen cupcakes without feeling a spike in my blood sugar and the guilt of having eaten three and a half times my daily caloric intake.  Most of the truly health based diets (and I am talking changing the way you eat to improve your life not just shed extra pounds for summer diets), such as the Macrobiotic diet, call for a halt to the intake of most sugar and alcohol based foods.  The Macrobiotic diet is very much based on balance and the yin and yang of the body and is an excellent restorative and healing diet.

 

  Check out “the Hip Chick’s Guide to Macrobiotics” for a great introduction to the lifestyle.  Sugar and alcohol (which essentially converts into sugar in the blood) greatly alter the body’s chemistry, which creates cravings for more of the same, and so begins that addictive cycle.  I love food of all kinds (animal-free that is).  And I oftentimes really love a glass of wine or two and a piece of Native Foods’ Chocolate Love Pie to complement that perfect meal.  But I also realize that balance is key, and I will not forego dinner in order to consume 3 pieces of that unbelievably delicious pie.

 

 

But I just want to eat what I want!  To each his own right?  My friend Jessica doesn’t eat any vegetables and only eats bread, meat, pasta, and sweets and is the picture of perfect health!  And yes there is that anomaly of a man from the movie Supersize Me that ate a Big Mac or two everyday and was also in perfect health according to his doctors.  Heck, my great-grandfather Anders from Sweden subsisted on a steady diet of red meat, scotch, and cigarettes and led a very long and healthy life until he died of old age.  Deviations from the norm exist, but the norm usually accounts for the majority, and the majority of people these days need to find balance in their diets.

Earthsave Event with John Robbins

by Kelly Erwin
The Organized Vegan

I’ve been a volunteer for Native Foods for many years now.  I’ve helped cater many a fun event with Chef Tanya, from weddings to parties to fundraisers.

Sunday night’s fundraiser was truly a night to remember!  This event was to raise money and awareness for an amazing organization called Earthsave.  Earthsave has come up with a program called Meals for Health which helps educate low income families learn about healthier food choices, such as eating a plant based diet.  Meals for Health to me a breakthrough idea!  Check out the website www.earthsave.org and learn about this innovative way to teach people how to eat healthy and delicious food.

The fundraiser was at a magnificent house in Beverly Hills.  We walked into the backyard and I thought how beautiful this is.  Little did I know the backyard went all the way down the hill!  All I could think of was how much my dogs would love this backyard!!  Everyone at the party looked so beautiful and festive with their summer frocks and crisp linen suits.  There were hanging Chinese lanterns and lilting music playing as we started to set up the food.  There was Scorpion Burgers, Ensalada Azteca, Baja Surf Tacos, Twister Wraps and the Trio Salads (with Chef Tanya’s Tempeh Pate..my personal fave!)  And for dessert there were Boogie Bars, Chocolate  Love pie and my oh my…CHEESECAKE WITH BLUEBERRIES!!!

We had the pleasure of hearing some great speakers, including Rip Esselstyn and John Robbins himself.  Gosh I love that man!!  His book, Diet For A New America changed my life forever back in 1988.  After reading that book I was so shocked and stunned at the realities of where we get our food, I swore off eating animals  forever.

He continues to write books that encourage me and educate me.  And the best thing about John is his ultimate message.  LOVE EVERYONE. And everyone includes ALL ANIMALS, from the tiniest to the largest, let’s just LOVE.  What the world needs now is Love Sweet Love.  My hope for our animals and humans is that one day, we can change the words to Mr. Bacharach’s timeless song to “what the world HAS now, is love sweet love”.  John Robbins and his wonderful wife Deo are helping to do just that.

The highlight of the night was sitting in a small room inside the home of the couple who graciously hosted the party.  We walked in to find people sitting in big comfy chairs and scattered on the floor by the sofa where John and Deo were sitting and talking.  John was telling us about his friendship with Dr. Martin Luther King and how much he misses him.  I felt like I was with a group of old friends that I’ve know for years.  Some famous people and not so famous were gathered around listening to John’s soft spoken words.  We were all one big group gathered together with a solid mission to end cruelty to animals and humans alike.  It was quite a fun and inspiring evening in Beverly Hills, CA!!

Organizing Tip!

If you find that your kitchen counter is too cluttered with products you use frequently, try using a small lazy susan.  You can put your oils, spices, salt and pepper and any product you use on a day to day basis.  If you have a larger counter area, try the larger lazy susan.  You’ll be amazed at how much that will clear your counters and your mind!  Zen your kitchen and you zen your life!

Top Ten life skills my dad taught me

1. How to swim.

2 Helped me graduate  from a tricycle to a bicycle..

3. How to dodge waves in the ocean (swim underneath). I'd sit on his shoulders and hold his neck and take a breath while he went under.

4.. How to snorkel and make friends with fish.

5. How to Boogie board, the roller coaster ride that comes with salt water and sunshine fun.

6. How to hold and eat with a knife and a fork properly, therefore allowing me to eat in public!

7. All about food from all over the world and how to do fine dining food service.

8. World history (that lesson is continuous!).

9. How to be a diplomat.

10.The hunting law-That it was only fair if you went one one one with an animal if you wanted to kill it. Hunting with guns from a mile away should never be called a sport.

 

Thanks Dad!! Happy Father's Day!

 

 

Tanya Petrovna

Native Foods Vegan Restaurants

Vegan Musings by the Organized Vegan

by Kelly Erwin
Native Foods Tribe Member

I have a very good friend named Galen, whom I’ve known for many years now.  She and I met while volunteering for an organization which provided inner city children with violins and violin lessons so they could feed their soul with music.  More and more the schools were cutting their music programs and these kids needed a place to express themselves.  They did just that Sweet Strings.  Although the organization didn’t make it, Galen and I remained friends.  Although many years went by that I didn’t see her or talk to her, we found each other again on Facebook and  I couldn’t be more thrilled that she’s back in my life!

But what I’m OVER THE MOON about with Galen is that she had been living a vegan lifestyle for about 5 months.   She saw Alicia Silverstone on Oprah and something Alicia said struck a chord with her so she bought her cookbook and decided to try out the 30 day challenge that Alicia suggests.  Galen called me so excited and so happy to be exploring this new world of veganism!  I of course couldn’t spit out the words Native Foods Café fast enough..and all of the other amazing vegan restaurants we are so lucky to have in L.A.  As it happened she could meet me at NFC that weekend for lunch.  I’m never really sure what to have the newbies so I think I played it safe and suggested what NF suggests for newcomers.  Well honey’s..you could have knocked her over with a feather (recycled just off a bird flying past on Gayley!)  She said that if THIS is was what’s available to vegans then this challenge is going to be easy!  She loved it!

Now she’s about 6 months into it and has taken cooking classes with the Spork gals, turned her friends and family on to NFC, she and I have  almost eaten our way across Los Angeles, and she is just a mountain of energy and good will!   Next on the to do list is a NF cooking demo.  Don’t know which one but she’s comin! 

I get so much joy when I see someone have that one light bulb thought  to take their diet to the next level.  For Galen it was conscious eating and living.  Many of my friends and family have become vegetarians.  I’d like to take the credit but I won’t.  They’ve had open ears and open hearts..and open bellies!  They decided on their own.  But I will say that when one of them says they have changed their diets toward vegetarianism, my heart just beams.  I know that it’s a domino effect so she’ll tell two friends and so on and so on.  Pretty soon this world will be a better place that it already is.  You go Galen and every other person who has had the courage to look deeper than the food on their plate!  GO VEGAN!!!!  Your body will LOVE you!!!

Organizing tip of the week:

ON THE GO OFFICE!

Find a clear make-up case and fill it with office essentials! 
Keep it in your car with you so if ever you find yourself in need of scissors, scotch tape or a stapler it’s right there at your fingertips!  Add a small ruler, pencils with erasers, post it notes, business cards, pens, highlighter, paper clips, stamps and whatever else you might need.  I have found this to be a lifesaver!

Kelly's is a PHENEMONAL organizer....for her services, reach her at Kelly Erwin - Love to Organize! [lovetoorganize@live.com]

Tanya’s Fiftieth Blowout Bonanza!!!!

by Kelly Erwin
Native Foods Friend

That was such a fun party!!!!  When I arrived it was PACKED with people milling around, having dinner and standing in line for .50 cent beer and wine.  Cameras were flashing, people were laughing and it was HOT!!!  I think it was 104 if my car temperature gauge is correct, but they had the misters going and we had lots of shade so it was a-ok.   Tanya looked Fabby in her chic black chef coat and pants with orange trim and she was grinning from ear to ear each time she whizzed by me!

Friends of the Palm Springs animal shelter is truly an amazing group.  They have a mission and that mission is to build a state of the art shelter for all of the dogs, cats and  other darlings that turns up homeless.  I’ve done a couple fund-raisers for them and each and every person involved is so nice and so compassionate.    The biggest hearts this side of the Mississippi..heck this side of the Atlantic!!  It’s really all about the animals and that is just heartwarming.  I spent most of Tanya’s birthday gift trying to win the Spa day for two.  Alas, I did not win but I did buy a dog bowl that I got to paint myself.  My dogs are thrilled to have an outdoor water bowl now.  So many amazing and interesting people were there.  That just goes to show you that what we give out  comes back to us.  Tanya is so giving and so compassionate she’s attracted hundreds of faithful friends.  I’m proud to call myself one of them. 

 

I adopted a dog through Friends of the Palm Springs animal shelter.  The sweetest most interesting dog I’ve ever had the pleasure of living with.   He was fostered for about a week before I got him.  This was wonderful because by the time he arrived at my house, he was sure that whomever he was with, he was treated with love and respect.  He’s my little Professor Oliver Boswold (cause he looks like a Professor of Literature to me) and I’d never have met him if not for Tanya. 

Happy Birthday Tanya!!  Thanks for all you do for the animals and the people sharing our planet. I just love ya!

A Dog Gone Night to Remember!

By Holladay Allen
Native Tribe Member

 

So it has come and gone… and here we are, left to reminisce on such a lovely Native gathering.  It twas indeed a perfect Palm Springs early summer evening, with the notorious dry heat of the California desert hovering at just the right temperature.

PS Animal Shelter had adorable puppies and kittens for adoption

  We arrived as the sun was beginning its descent into the Pacific, and what a lovely light was cast upon the quaint desert town of Palm Springs.  This was my first visit ever!  And boy was I excited to see Native Foods’ flagship restaurant! 

Mary and Joe have been coming to NFC for 16 years!!!!
 

The place was abuzz when we arrived.  The crowd was munching on crudités and Baja Surf Tacos while sipping on Watermelon Sangria (get ready for the new menu my friends!).  Mia wandered through the crowd, with mic in hand, providing the melodic vocals for the night while everybody gushed over the adorable animals available for adoption from the Palm Springs Animal Shelter.

  After a couple hours of mingling, the birthday gal, Chef Tanya, took the mic to announce the very lucky raffle winners, with prizes ranging from a luxurious spa trip to ceramic art work to a stuffed bear that moonlights as a rapper! 

 
Brian Bergstrom who over 10 years ago helped Tanya start the Cooking Demos with a class of 8...now we have 400 coming Saturday!  Thank you, Brian!

There were also several arts and crafts tables, including one where you could design your own dog or cat food bowl.  Yay!  And for those of us who were feeling lazy or swindled by the desert heat, there were two lovely young ladies who happily decorated our bowls for us and did a magnificent job.

At the end of the night, some of the crowd slipped into the restaurant for a late dinner while the rest of the partygoers watched the fire performers.  Chef Tanya and the animals were by far the highlights of the evening!  And it is so wonderful to see so many Natives come out to support the animals in honor of Chef Tanya’s birthday!  What a great night.  Thanks for everything Tanya.  You are the best!  Happy Birthday to my favoritest Gemini Rat!

Left:  Maggie Downs, a fellow vegan and animal lover who writes for The Desert Sun.

 

By Ashleigh Perdue
Native Foods Tribe Member

 

Chef Tanya’s birthday bash in Palm Springs this past Tuesday to raise money for the finishing touches on the Palm Springs Animal Shelter. The puppies were a-mazing and I did everything in my power not to scoop them up and take them home, too cute.
Tanya with her dad, Peter and Laurie, our restaurant designer and friend.

There were kittens, music,  a station for making dog bowls, new menu item samples, sangria, and people ga-lore. Still being an alien to California it was my first time to the desert and I fell in love.
I was afraid I was going to sweat out and drench my clothes and everyone within 10ft but it was surprisingly pleasant and the water mist at every corner was refreshing as well. Jerry and his crew were awesome getting everyone accommodated and cooled off.
Our vendor friends were terrific donating raffle items for the PS Animal Shelter!

 The raffle was my favorite part, such generous organizations and people. Everything from cookbooks and mugs to pilates and spa packages.

It was also great to be around people who have followed Chef Tanya from the very beginning and have grown with the company, a party indeed. I met her best friend from second grade, a fellow native crew member, Chef Tanya’s father, the kitchen staff, and most of all being in the presence of the people who make Native Foods what is both old and new all together for a great cause. It was awesome seeing everyone and I’ll be back!!! Fabulous recycled art....more on this fascinating artist in an upcoming blog!

The Case of the Curious Gypsy Chicken

By Holladay Allen
Native Foods Tribe Member

Did you know that at the present moment chickens outnumber humans on Planet Earth?  Yep, that’s right, if the chickens of the world decided to rise up and start a revolution they could take us all out in a heartbeat.  Although that is an unlikely scenario seeing as we seem to be the only animals hell-bent on destroying this planet and its lovely array of wildlife.  (Whoops, I apologize, sometimes I slip into momentary bouts of cynicism, but not to fear, I am optimistic 99.1 percent of the time.)  The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimated that there were approximately 16 billion chickens in 2002 whereas in 2008, the World Bank tallied the global human population upwards of 6 billion.  Whoa!  That means there is more than double the amount of chickens than humans in the world.  The upside to this is the fact that extinction does not seem to be an issue for the intelligent chicken.  The downside, as many of you know, is that a majority of the world’s chickens are being raised for food in factory farms.  (If you are unaware of what takes place on factory farms across the world, please visit PETA’s website for more details.) Chickens are family oriented animals with social structure and a language all their own.  Check out this great article about Dr. Chris Evans of Macquarie University who has performed numerous studies on the intelligence of our feathered friends: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1534177/So-who-are-you-calling-bird-brain-Chatter-of-chickens-proves-they-are-brighter-than-we-thought.html

I grew up in Key West, Florida a lovely little island where the locals cohabitate with the rogue gypsy chickens that wander the streets.  Back in the day, Key West was an uncluttered oasis of mom and pop businesses, palm trees, and eccentric folks. 

Chickens were raised in yards by families or in back of local groceries.  They were raised for food but allowed to wander free with their families until their ill-fated demise.  With the commercialization and influx of corporate America onto the small island, so came the giant grocery stores.

  Mom and pop eventually closed and/or were forced to compete with the big guys’ prices, so the chickens were let loose and their population started to grow.  While you can often hear the tourists cooing with delight as they sip their margaritas and watch the chicken families parade down Duval Street, you can also hear the locals lamenting the fact that Rudy the Rooster commences his wake-up calls at three a.m. each morning, continuing every 30 minutes, until the sun actually rises at about 6:29 a.m. 

So began the notorious Key West Chicken Wars: the chicken lovers versus the chicken haters.  The city actually had to take a measure to protect the chickens establishing the entire island as a “bird sanctuary and preserve” making it illegal to kill and even disturb the chickens.  Yay chickens!

 

One summer, newly committed to my vegan lifestyle, I returned home from college to work and enjoy a couple months of island living.  My father had told me over the phone about a nuisance of a chicken that kept sneaking into his house while he was doing yard work.  He thought that the chicken lived across the canal and was fed by one of the neighboring families.  After work one day, I headed over to his house for a late afternoon boat ride.  While he was getting the boat ready, we chatted about whatever… friends, island gossip, what he had for dinner the night before:  Chicken!  Oh and it was especially delicious!  He had finally caught his pesky intruder after chasing her around the house for 45 minutes.  He caught her with his bare hands and snapped her neck, then defeathered her and slow roasted her in the oven.  Holy cannoli!  I was floored!  My father killed an animal with his bare hands, and it was one of the gypsy chickens!  One of the main reasons I became vegan was the fact that I absolutely detest the idea of any animal, human, or creature suffering.  Modern day food systems fully depend on factory farms, which are truly torture chambers.  If factory farms were abolished, along with guns, and humans were left to their own devices, their hands, to kill, dismember, and prepare animals for food, would I still be vegan?  Would I eat the gypsy chicken?  No, definitely not for me.  However, the incident with my father and the gypsy chicken always conjures up conflicting feelings and thoughts.  I am not entirely sure that I think he did a bad thing, but I also feel it is downright awful.   What do you think?