Spend a creative, insightful weekend with us in an exploration of your relationship to food. This exciting, hands-on weekend will provide opportunities for you to engage in practice and dialogue about that essential, and often neglected or vilified, necessity of life. Explore what we eat, why we eat it, how to prepare it and how to enjoy it as you learn how to reintegrate food into your life.
In the kitchen with Chef Tod, you will deepen your theoretical and practical understanding of food preparation and hone your culinary skills under the guidance of one of the Quaker Center's most requested chefs. You will have the opportunity to create several delicious dishes, with both vegetarian and meat options on the menu. As you cook under Tod's guidance, you will
- gain confidence in your ability to create something delicious with whatever is on hand
- learn the basic fundamental concepts of cooking that chefs learn
- increase your understanding of how techniques and ingredients combine to make simple things perfect
- practice shortcuts and techniques for speed and efficiency
In the Casa de Luz with Roxy, you will use nonviolent communication to explore the choices you make around eating:
- identify what you enjoy about your food choices and what you wish to change?
- gain understanding of the reasons you eat the foods that you do
- learn how to hold compassion for yourself while still maintaining awareness of the values you wish to guide your choices.
- identify strategies to support you in eating the food that nourishes both your body and your heart
Participation is limited to 24 registrants because of the hands-on nature of the program. Participants will be divided into two groups who will alternate their time learning from Tod in the kitchen, and working with Roxy in the Casa de Luz. Roxy and Tod will also join participants for meals, where the discussion about food and its role in our lives will continue. We invite you to register early - the last time a Cooking from the Heart program was offered, registration closed several months before the program start.
Tod Nysether
Chef Tod is known for creating divine meals for all dietary preferences that nurture the body while delighting the senses. His signature line, Cooking from the Heart, captures his intention to support people in moving away from recipes to instead craft dishes based on an understanding of how ingredients and flavors combine to create a sensory explosion.
Tod is the chef and owner of Simple Pleasures Catering in Santa Cruz. Tod is adept in preparing attractive, delicious and healthful meals that meet a wide variety of dietary needs. He has more than twenty years of experience cooking in a variety of different professional settings that range from summer camps and commercial kitchens to fine dining restaurants and full-service catering companies. He thinks that food is at its best when it is prepared with a combination of the freshest ingredients, simple techniques and love. Tod is passionate about his work and is continually inspired to provide people with an experience that reminds them of how deeply satisfying good food can be.
Roxy Manning
Roxy has been using NVC in her psychotherapy practice since 2003, and has been teaching NVC since 2005. She has been working with BayNVC as a trainer in the NVC Leadership Program and to increase the range of NVC offerings in the South Bay both for parents and for couples. She is a trainer and main organizer for the annual New York Intensive, and one of the trainers for the NVC and Diversity Intensive, now in its third year. Roxanne holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Binghamton University.
This retreat will take place at the Ben Lomond Quaker Center. Our lodging and meeting halls are surrounded by majestic redwood trees, wonderful trails to explore on 80 acres of redwood forest, an outdoor labyrinth, and beauty everywhere you look. Our sleeping rooms will be in the Orchard Lodge - semi-private rooms near the dining room. The accommodations are simple and can be described as “rustic,” meaning that you can expect to walk outside your room (and outdoors) to go to the shared bathrooms, and your room will have no amenities (you bring everything, including towels, sheets, sleeping bag/blanket. Most people can expect to share a room with 1-2 others. Tenting is also an option.
What is the cost for this program?
The cost for the program is a suggested sliding scale of between $250 and $350 per person, based on your discernment of your financial status. We hope that the average contribution per participant will be $300. This fee includes tuition, accommodations, and six meals.
How can I register for this program?
Registration involves two steps.
- First, complete the online registration form below. Completion of this form will hold your registration for one week pending receipt of your deposit of $50.
- Second, send your deposit or program fee by mailing a check payable to Tod Nysether to 420 Morrissey Blvd., Santa Cruz, CA 95062.
Please note that all but $25 of your deposit can be refunded if you cancel more than one week before the program. After that the full $50 deposit will be retained.
Registration Form
What shall I bring to this program?
Please bring your own kitchen knives, aprons, cutting board, comfortable shoes, and comfortable work clothes appropriate for cooking in the kitchen. We hope to arrange to have professional knife sharpening available for an additional, modest fee for those who arrive by 4:00 pm on Friday afternoon. More details about the availability of knife sharpening services will be provided closer to the retreat date.
You will also need to bring a towel, toiletries, and bedding (a pillow case and either a sleeping bag or sheets and blankets). A flashlight is essential. If you bring your own cloth napkin we can reduce our use of disposable paper products.
Please note that some friends who attend our programs are made very ill by close proximity to highly scented commercial products, so we ask participants to refrain from bringing or using perfumes or strongly scented soaps, deodorants, and personal care products.
If you have questions about the program, please contact either Tod or Roxy.
Tod Nysether: tnysether@gmail.com
Roxy Manning: roxanne.manning@gmail.com or 408.685.0867