An Evening in Provence as Bauman College Graduates its Newest Batch of Natural Chefs

Bauman College is a Boulder gem.
Bauman aims to educate up and coming chefs on the benefits of natural cooking, deeply rooted in the idea that food promotes wellness and well-being and an optimal diet can ward off all kinds of illnesses.
They also provide education in holistic nutrition.
One of 4 locations [Berkeley, Sonoma County, Santa Cruz], Boulder is the perfect place for this kind of training, as committed to health and vigor as the Boulder community is as a whole, and as much as the community and the college share in the belief of seasonal, organic, local, unrefined foods.
I recently attended their graduation dinner – an event put on by the students themselves – set in the theme of an Evening in Provence.
Walking into the space, with strings of clear lights, lace tablecloths and vases of sunflowers, dahlias and zinnias, it felt as though we were in Provence – a place I’ve been and its magic is hard to recreate – but they were able to achieve it beautifully.
Gracious and playful touches abounded.
Green and white striped straws for the spritzer.
Sprigs of fresh mint in the water glasses.
Printed menus at each place setting.
Sprinkles of flower petals on the dessert plates.
Packets of Herbes de Provence, generously provided by Boulder’s own Savory Spice Shop, for everyone to take home.
There on the invitation of Heather Swanson – a colleague, friend, and fellow food obsessive – she was part of this session’s graduating class.
Heather’s story is especially inspiring, as in her early 40’s, she chose to leave a lucrative and well-established career, to follow her passion for cooking, and take that even further to specialize in natural cooking.
I wanted to be present to celebrate her accomplishment, most especially, but as you’ll see from the menu, I in no way had to take one for the team!

Impressively, the menu was entirely gluten-free / 95% organic / 85% locally sourced:

Lemon Ginger Spritzer

Mission Fig + Caramelized Onion Tapenade topped with Crème Fraiche, on Grain-free Handmade Rosemary Crackers

Lamb Meatballs with Herbes de Provence + Pistou Drizzle

Chilled Cauliflower Vichyssoise with White Truffle Oil + Alderwood Smoked Salt

Massaged Kale Nicoise Salad with Lemon-Caper Dijon Dressing
Shepherd Valley Farm Beets, Tarragon-Scented Wax Beans

Stacked Summer Ratatouille, Herbed Tomato Concasse, Chevre, Basil Oil + Red Pepper Coulis

Peach Clafoutis with Honey-Lavender Ice Cream