I’m excited to introduce one of my summer interns, Tory Chavez. Tory is in the distance learning program at the University of Alabama and is a California resident. Originally a Theatre major and Psychology minor, Tory discovered her passion for food and went on to pursue her interest with an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America. Once she graduated, she became the winery Sous Chef at Inglenook Winery (in Napa). In Tory’s introductory email to me, she told me “I think working in the culinary industry really just opened my eyes to the way people eat and how most people complain about it not tasting good or being too hard when it doesn’t need to be.” I completely agree!

Tory’s hope is to teach people how to eat right in a delicious and easy way by combining her chef and nutrition skills.

You’ll be seeing Tory’s recipes throughout the summer so stay tuned–she has so many great ideas! In the meantime, here’s her first recipe and blog post. I can’t wait to try it!

Introducing: Tory Chavez

By Tory…

2015 has been a year full of changes, not only for my family, but for many friends as well. And as great as change is, it makes for a very busy life. Along with starting school full time and a new puppy, we just moved to a new town. So in between all the moving boxes and schoolbooks, I have been exploring our new area and discovered a great little farm called Darling Farms down the road. On my visit I was greeted with a huge smile and got to pick some great produce fresh from their farm! I love being able to support the local businesses!

All these veggies were fresh picked at the farm

Being on the go, lunch can be really tough to get something nutritious. I am always having to just pick up whatever is easiest while running around – and I know I am not alone in that. After my trip to the farm I was inspired to make a salad that would be easy to bring in the car and eat in between classes. The fresh kale, cabbage, and carrots I picked up are all hearty and hold well, keeping that crunch I love, even if they have to sit for a bit. And I was just so excited for fresh zucchini that I had to throw some in.

Wanting to keep this salad lighter, I decided to make sesame vinaigrette rather than your typical creamy dressing that wouldn’t hold well out of a refrigerator. This salad is easy to throw together and you can make a bigger batch to eat over a few days unlike other salads that wilt and have to be eaten in a few hours at most. It is very versatile so if you have any vegetables in your fridge that are heartier, throw them in too! Hope you enjoy this as much as I have been!

I like to let the salad sit for at least 20 minutes so the dressing can wilt the raw veggies a little and let the flavors combine

~ If your kale is particularly bitter, feel free to leave it out or add more lemon juice to help tame it a bit.

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I’m so excited to work with Tory this summer and can’t wait to try her delicious creations!
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