Lavender Design + Cuisine: 2019

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Holiday Artisan Chocolate & Wine Pairing Class Beautiful Pictures!

Beautifully packaged box of

chocolates by students!

Chocolate Class Materials

Beautiful Flowers by LocaLife Flowers

in Bonny Doon

Persimmon Chocolate Lavender Tart

Class Materials

Magical Venue in Santa Cruz Mountains

Wine: Truvee Red Blend Central Coast 2013

Organic dried fruits & herbs

Organic dried fruits & nuts

Jean is having fun zesting orange!

Orange zest makes chocolate even

more delicious!

Melting chocolate & infusing it with

culinary lavender & orange zest is an art,

which my fabulous students perfectly did!

John & Jean having fun creating chocolate arts!

Jason loves chocolate, can you tell?

Lisa is creating chocolate arts!

Chocolate arts collaboration!

Chocolate arts made by students!

Demonstrating how to make a colorful,

beautiful & decadent chocolate barks

Chocolate barks completed pic

Chocolate arts collaboration

Herbed vegan beetroot & butter beans paté with

French & watermelon radishes,

rainbow carrots, apples, pears

Herbed vegan beetroot & butter beans paté with

French & watermelon radishes,

rainbow carrots, apples, pears and

Za'atar Moroccan spiced crackers.

Students enjoying coffee & tart before the class

Students & their beautifully packaged

chocolate arts, so proud of them!

Toque Blanche Discount on these items and

everything in their store and web site.

My students are awesome!

They rocked my Holiday Artisan Chocolate and Wine Pairing Class on Saturday, December 7th at the beautiful FlipJack Ranch nestled in the magical Santa Cruz Mountains.

Upon their arrival, in the beautiful, cozy, warm and festive settings of the FlipJack ranch, they enjoyed a delicious French roast coffee infused with Provence culinary lavender, a delightful red rooibos tea and a decadent vegan persimmon chocolate lavender tart.

Then, they each took a set of class materials displayed on a perfect long table and beautifully complemented with gorgeous flowers by Localife Flowers, which is the local flowers source (Bonny Doon) for my culinary classes and catering events, thank you Cristina!

Next, they joyfully put on their eclectic aprons and beautifully collaborated with each other to make exquisite chocolate arts with Valrhona Manjari 64% Dark Chocolate (infused with orange zest & Provence culinary lavender) and incredible selections of organic ingredients such as herbs, flowers, chocolate covered cocoa nibs, freeze dried raspberries, candied orange, dried fruits, nuts & fleur de sel.

While waiting for their beautiful chocolates to set, they enjoyed a delicious herbed vegan beetroot & butter beans paté with French & watermelon radishes, rainbow carrots, apples, pears and Za'atar Moroccan spiced crackers.

They also enjoyed sampling their beautiful chocolates with a delicious wine, the Truvee Red Blend Central Coast 2013 by McBride Sisters. They took home a bottle of this delicious wine, a box of their beautifully packaged chocolate arts and a small bag of Provence culinary lavender!

Plus, they'll enjoy one-time 10% discount offer on all items available in the Toque Blanche kitchen store in downtown Santa Cruz and on their website.

Thank you, my fabulous students for your presence in my class and your beautiful testimonials. You are the center of my culinary world and a great inspiration!

At last, but not the least, a special thanks to Robin & David, the owners of the FlipJack Ranch for the most beautiful venue for my class, everyone loved it.

Chef Ellie Lavender
Vegan Mediterranean Personal Chef
Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor
Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive recipes and information

on upcoming chocolate, culinary & wine pairing classes and special events!

Holiday Artisan Chocolate & Wine Pairing Class Beautiful Testimonials!

Delicious and fun time with awesome students in my Holiday Artisan Chocolate & Wine Pairing Class on Saturday December 7th at the beautiful FlipJack Ranch, in the Santa Cruz mountains and would love to share their beautiful testimonials:

Ernie, Walnut Creek – 'Love the energy Chef Ellie brings to her class! This is my third and most favorite. Thank you Chef Ellie.'

Jason, Watsonville– ‘Anyone who likes chocolate, will love this class. Chef Ellie makes chocolate making fun and enjoyable as eating it!'

Teri, Brookdale – 'Today's class was so fun, educational & so full of love for food. Thank you Chef Ellie for your positive goodness & heartfelt joy in teaching!'

Vikki, Aptos – 'Ellie's classes are the best! What better way to spend the Saturday than learning to cook nutritious, Mediterranean vegan food. She is such a pleasure to spend the day with. Thank you!'

Amy, Ben Lomond - 'Ellie is the hostess with the mostest. She creates the most artistic, flavorful, healthy food I've ever experienced. Her classes are uniquely orchestrated and everyone participates. So fun, great people/foodies.'

Linda, Santa Cruz – 'I learned so much today. It was the first time for me to make confections. I enjoyed the people and wonderful food. Thanks for a lovely day.'

Lisa & John, San Jose – ‘Chef Ellie's class was so wonderful. So creative and fun. She was warm and welcoming, the venue was rustic and perfect, and the lesson was engaging. Look forward to taking another class. Thank you.'

Jean, Santa Cruz– 'So fun! Chef Ellie is warm & sweet and includes everyone so we all learn, make & taste lovely chocolates, artisanal style. Thank you.'

To view the Holiday Artisan Chocolate & Wine Pairing Class Beautiful, please click here.

Thank you so much my awesome students for your beautiful testimonials! You are the center of my culinary world and a great inspiration!

Chef Ellie Lavender

Vegan Mediterranean Personal Chef

Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor

Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive recipes and information

on upcoming chocolate, culinary & wine pairing classes and special events!

Friday, September 13, 2019

Elevator pitch: 5 tips for creating a strong sales message!

How to Craft a Highly Successful Elevator Pitch That Will Land You Big Business!

What is an Elevator Pitch?

This is the 30-60 second business description of what you do and why people should do business with you. It’s called an ‘Elevator Pitch’ because it describes the challenge: ‘How would you explain your business and make a sale if fate placed you in an elevator with your dream business prospect and you only had the time it takes to get from the top of the building to the bottom?’

Why Is Having an Elevator Pitch So Important?

You only have 30-60 seconds to make a powerful first impression. The attention span of the average person is just 30 seconds before their mind starts wandering. The other reason is people have less time today. You need to grab them quickly or lose them forever.

Elevator pitch - 5 tips for creating a strong sales message:

1. Figure out what is unique about what you do - The whole idea behind a great elevator pitch is to intrigue someone. It's an ice-breaker and a marketing pitch — all rolled into one. Your elevator pitch must have a hook. 'I own a café in downtown' doesn't hold a candle to, but 'I own a café in downtown and offer gourmet vegan Mediterranean foods beautifully paired with wines' does!

2. Make it exciting - A superior elevator pitch increases your heart rate. It speaks to who you really are and what excites you about your business. It has integrity. What is it about your business that really motivates you? Incorporate that!

3. Keep it simple - A good elevator pitch doesn't try and be all things to all people. Rather, it conveys a clear idea in a short amount of time. It might be a few sentences, but no more than a paragraph or so. Keep it under 30 seconds.

4. Write it down - Use the guidelines above and take a stab at it. Write down your pitch, say it out loud, re-write it, and then re-write it again.

5. Practice, practice and practice some more - The first few times you try out your elevator pitch may be a bit uncomfortable, but it gets easier. After a while, it will become second nature to you, and when it does, you will be glad you practiced. You never know what will come from having a great, natural, elevator pitch, but you can bet that you've just increased your chances that it will be good.

- Elevator pitch opens the door to business

- Elevator pitch is an intro – meant to open up a dialog

- Elevator pitch is a work of art in progress

- Elevator pitch is about why you do what you do

- Every opportunity is a networking opportunity

- What is the hook, why you do what you do and how you do it

- Be yourself, everyone else is taken

- Who you are and how you present yourself is your ultimate business card

- Smile, smile, smile and smile some more

Happy Sales Pitching!

Ellie Lavender

Certified Feng Shui Practitioner

Interior Designer

Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive Feng Shui & Interior Design tips and information on upcoming workshops & special events!

Sunday, August 18, 2019

A Taste of Morocco on Your Plate Beautiful Class Pictures!

Students enjoying their exquisite culinary creations!

Class Group Picture with Robin & David, the
FlipJack Ranch Owners in Bonny Doon

Class Materials

Wine: TheTruvee Red Blend Central Coast 2013

by McBride Sisters

Venue: FlipJack Ranch in Bonny Doon

Class Menu: A 4-Course Meal

Class Organic Ingredients

Organic Purple Figs

Refreshment before the start of the class:

Butter Beans Lemon-Dill Hummus

Refreshment before the start of the class:

Freshly baked & locally made baguettes from

Companion Bakeshop in Santa Cruz

Refreshment Drink before the start of the class:

Strawberry Rhubarb Lavender Refresher

Chopped Strawberries & Pink Pearl Apples

Appetizer: Moroccan-Spiced Chickpeas

Salad: Fennel, Orange, Radish & Olives

w/ Citrus Dressing

Entree: Sweet & Savory Moroccan Couscous

Dessert: Fig Lavender Tart

Dessert: Fig Lavender Tart w/
Cardamom-infused Dark Roast Coffee

Students enjoying refreshments before the start

of the class & getting to know each other

Students enjoying refreshments before the start

of the class & getting to know each other

Students Group Picture

Students toasting their culinary creations

Toque Blanche kitchen Store's Discount:

All student in this class will enjoy a one-time

10% discount offer on all items on this flyer and all other

items in the Toque Blanche kitchen store in

downtown Santa Cruz & on their web site!

My students are awesome!

They rocked my Vegan Cooking & Wine Pairing Class: A Taste of Morocco on Your Plate at the beautiful FlipJack Ranch, in the magical Santa Cruz mountains!

They enthusiastically put on their eclectic aprons and beautifully collaborated with each other to make 4 exquisite dishes with organic ingredients from the Santa Cruz Farmer's Market and local organic grocery stores.

We had an amazing farm-to-table vegan cooking and wine pairing class with zero waste. I love that!

Below are the exquisite dishes my awesome students made:

1) A Delectable Appetizer – Moroccan-Spiced Chickpeas made with fried chickpeas, preserved Meyer lemon, fried shallots and za’atar spice.

2) A Delightful Salad – Fennel, Orange, Radish and olives with a delightful citrus dressing composed of extra virgin olive oil, Meyer lemon and orange juice.

3) A Magnificent Entree – Sweet & Savory Couscous made with zucchini, yellow squash, red bell peppers, artichoke hearts, fresh dill, Moroccan green olives, almonds, dried apricots, shallots and za’atar spice.

4) A Decadent Dessert – Fig Lavender Tart with orange zest, lavender honey and crushed pistachios, which they enjoyed with a delicious cardamom-infused dark roast coffee.

They also enjoyed their exquisite culinary creations with McBride Sisters' delicious wine, the Truvee Red Blend Central Coast 2013! They took home a bottle of this delicious wine, plus a small bag of organic culinary lavender!

Thank you, my fabulous students for your lovely presence in my class and for your beautiful testimonials. You are the center of my culinary world and a great inspiration!

Chef Ellie Lavender

Vegan Mediterranean Personal Chef

Culinary & Wine Pairing Instructor

Lavender Design + Cuisine

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive recipes and information

on upcoming chocolate, culinary & wine pairing classes and special events!