Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Vegan French Baking & Wine Pairing Class Testimonials!


Had a wonderful time with my fabulous students and would love to share their heart-warming and beautiful testimonials! 

Kendra, Seaside – ‘Chef Ellie Instantly makes you feel at ease, as if you are with your family cooking. She radiates joy and infuses everyone with her creativity. And food is delicious.’

Ernie, Walnut Creek – ‘What I love the most about taking Chef Ellie’s class is that I take time to enjoy cooking something new & taking time to enjoy the experience. Also, to meet new people & connect with other foodies. Thanks Chef Ellie!

Amanda, Santa Cruz – ‘Coming to this class was such a wonderful escape from the non-stop hustle and bustle of downtown Santa Cruz. The tarts were phenomenal and the techniques that I learned are applicable to many different dishes, even if you’re not vegan. The collaborative environment between everyone allowed us to form a group mentality tasked with making a fabulous meal that included a small bit of everyone’s personality. I would happily take another one of these classes as it is not just a cooking class but a gathering of people who will from now on be connected to this particular experience.’

Kerrie, Watsonville – ‘Awesome day meeting + cooking w/ new friends in the redwoods!

Tawny, Watsonville – 'Surprised and amazed at finding a vegan cooking class. It was wonderful, fun and everyone worked together as a team. All the foods we made were beautiful, colorful and delicious!'

Vegan French Baking & Wine Pairing Class Pictures!

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!

Copyright © 2019 Lavender Design + Cuisine, All rights reserved.



Monday, July 1, 2019

Vegan French Baking & Wine Pairing Class Pictures!


Toasting our Delicious Class with my Fabulous Students (1)

Toasting our Delcious Class with my Fabulous Students (2)

Beautiful Group Picture with my Fabulous Students 

Class Materials & Wines

Happy Me w/ a plate of heavenly 
culinary lavender

Simone (Farm Discovery) & 
Jason (Live Earth Farm)

Beautiful Farm Discovery T-Shirt

 Live Earth Farm

Savory Veggie Tart w/ Herbes de Provence & 
Strawberry Lavender Tart

Pouring Tarragon Mustard and Lemon-Herb Dressing on Salad

Savory Veggie Tart w/ Herbes de Provence

Savory Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes Galette

Strawberry Lavender Tart

Plum Almond Galette

 Sharon Brushing Butter on Savory Veggie Tart

  Tawny (getting thyme leaves from the stems) & 
Ernie (chopping veggies)

 Plum Almond Galette In the making

Amanda preparing Savory Heirloom Cherry 
Tomatoes Galette's Dough

Tawny making Plum Orange Lavender Compote

Savory Heirloom Cherry 
Tomatoes Galette in the making

Amy Loves the Strawberry Lavender Compote & 
Plum Orange Lavender Compote 

Amanda & Tawny making Galette's Dough

Amanda  making Galette's Dough

Plum Orange Lavender Compote

\
Tawny putting Plum Orange Lavender Compote
into jars for all students to take home!

Charlaine & Sharon chopping butters for 
tarts & galettes

Students slicing strawberries for the tart

Kendra & I placing the dough into tart pan

Amanda making a mini-veggie galette w/ 
leftover veggies

Students arranging veggies in tart pan

 Amy & Kendra arranging veggies in tart pan

 Students arranging strawberries in tart pan

 Amanda & Simone arranging strawberries
 in tart pan

Sharon brushing butter over the veggie galette 
before it goes to oven

Amanda's mini-strawberry lavender galette

Students arranging veggies in tart pan

Beautiful Team Work & Collaboration

 Beautiful Team Work & Collaboration

 Beautiful Team Work & Collaboration

Tawny making salad

Gorgeous Organic Plums & Strawberries

 Beautiful Team Work & Collaboration

Salad is done and jars are being filled with 
delicious compotes!

Refreshments: Strawberry Rhubarb Lavender 
Refresher & Delicious Rustic Baguettes

Refreshments: Delicious French Flageolet 
Beans Pate

Class Organic Ingredients

 Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Fennel & Meyer Lemon

Purple & Orange Carrots

French Breakfast Radishes

Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes

 Valencia Oranges

Strawberry Tart going into oven

Veggie Tart going into oven

Students making Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes 
Galettes with basil, almond, pistachios, garlic, 
olive oil, Meyer lemon juice & rinds pesto 

 Plum Almond Galette going into oven

 Plum Orange Lavender Compote

My students are awesome!

They rocked my Vegan French Baking & Wine Pairing Class: Sweet & Savory Tarts & Galettes on Saturday, June 29th at the beautiful Farm Discovery at Live Earth

They enthusiastically put on their eclectic aprons and beautifully collaborated with each other to make 5 exquisite dishes with organic ingredients from the Live Earth Farm, Santa Cruz Farmer's Market and local organic grocery stores. 

Plus, they made additional delicious dishes from the leftover veggies and fruits. We had an amazing farm-to-table baking and wine pairing class with zero waste. I love that!

Below are the exquisite dishes my awesome students made:

1) Strawberry Lavender Tart with crushed pistachios, and Strawberry Orange Lavender Compote with the leftover strawberries.  

2) Savory Summer Vegetable Tart with zucchini, yellow squash, purple and orange carrots and herbes de Provence, and sautéed Vegetable Medley with the leftover veggies from the tart.

3) Plum Almond Galette (a free-form rustic galette, since we had lots of sliced plums, which went over the dough). After that we still had more plums. So, they made a Plum Orange Lavender Compote, too. 

4) Savory Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes Galette with basil, almond, pistachios, garlic, olive oil and Meyer lemon juice and rinds pesto. 

5) Gourmet Salad with Butter Lettuce, French Radish, Green Olives, capers, pickled shallots and pickled watermelon radishes graced with Tarragon Mustard and Lemon-Herb Dressing

They enjoyed their exquisite culinary creations with McBride Sister's delicious wine, the Truvee Red Blend Central Coast 2013 and organic French roast coffee!  They took home a bottle of this delicious wine, plus a small bag of organic culinary lavender!

Thank you, my fabulous students for your presence in my class and 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

Join my network on Facebook & Instagram to receive recipes and information
on upcoming chocolate, culinary & wine pairing classes and special events!

Copyright © 2019 Lavender Design + Cuisine, All rights reserved.