The Dream Omelette

Not sure how I came to watch this video because it didn’t strike me as particularly exciting, but tomorrow being a work-from-home day watching a video about a dreamy omelet seemed like a good idea.

What I thought was a dreamy tasting omelet was actually an omelet this chef concocted while having a dream! Now I’ve had plenty of dreams, but the ones that are remotely similar to his wildly imaginative dream were a result of sleeping past 10 am or the morning after consuming too many adult beverages!

It’s a funny short video and worth a watch. One thing that stuck out worse then a sore thumb was the blurb at the end of the news story about staying tuned in to the news station to learn how to turn your autistic child into a tax deduction! Jeepers! I didn’t catch where this news station was located, but I’m pretty sure it was in the twilight zone!!

Noras Restaurant

Like so many other successful entrepreneurs Nora Pouillon found her passion matched up well with an under-served niche in the marketplace. That niche being the organic cuisine niche.

These days Nora Pouillon is considered a true pioneer and champion of organic cuisine. Nora came from to the US from Austria in the late 1960s and she was struck by the amount of processed and chemical-laden foods Americans were eating. That’s when she began her search for seasonal and organic food and her crusade for healthier living. That’s when her idea to open a restaurant that served organic cuisine began to germinate. This was back in the 1970’s mind you.

Throwing caution aside and letting her passion drive the decision making process Nora opened her Restaurant Nora, way back in 1979. She was immediately recognized for her ability to create not only healthy but also delicious organic dishes. Twenty years later, Nora’s restaurant became the first certified organic restaurant in the nation. Only three other restaurants have since achieved this goal!

For more information about Nora’s Restaurant visit her Website at: Noras. To write a review visit this link at Menuism: Nora Restaurant.

Nora’s passion extends well beyond her restaurant. Her passion and energy have resulted in many accomplishments and contributions to her cause. Here are some examples:

• Nora was instrumental in creating the organic certification standards for restaurants that guarantee at least 95% of all food served originates from certified organic sources.
• In the early 1990s, Nora launched the farmer/chef connection by introducing the farmers of the Tuscarora Organic Growers Coop (TOG), to other local chefs helping to ensure their farms’ economic viability.
• She also initiated the very first producer-only farmer’s markets in the nation’s capital, now known as Fresh Farm Markets which has grown to include eight active markets.
• While serving as a board member of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, Nora established an organic internship program and still receives five interns each year at Restaurant Nora.
• She is the author of Cooking with Nora, a seasonal menu cookbook, which was a finalist for the Julia Child Cookbook Award.
• Nora presently sits on the board of directors for several organizations including the Amazon Conservation Team, the Environmental Film Festival, Fresh Farm Markets, Earth Day Network and Wholesome Wave.
• Nora also plays an advisory role to the Center for Mind Body Medicine’s “Food as Medicine” program, and Rachel’s Network.
• The Washington Post named Nora one of the dozen “Power Chefs” in the city.
• Over the years, she has received numerous awards from the International Association of Culinary Professionals, the Organic Trade Association, New Hope Natural Media, the American Horticultural Society, Campaign for Better Health, and others.

Judging by her success and how great she looks looks it would appear there’s a lot we can learn from her about eating healthy!

The Next Food Network Star

My wife and I got hooked on this dog gone show. We tivo’d and watched each of the last 7 or 8 episodes. Who would of thunk that a cooking related competition like this would be so damn interesting to watch?

At any rate, we watched the finale last night with popcorn in hand. (Fortunately we didn’t catch the news of who won beforehand caused by some screw up at the network that caused the winner to be leaked via their Website ahead of the show.) After watching each contestant bomb under pressure and the limelight and then viewing the final edited clips produced we were as torn as the judges surely were between the three finalists. It was a toss-up for us.

Although we like all three of the contestants and truly appreciate their dedication to food and their profession, we found all them a bit lacking as TV personalities coupled with the lack of an interesting theme for a show that would draw us to watch from time to time. Having said that we are very glad Aaron won the contest. We think his background can be parlayed into an interesting show if they get him out of the kitchen and interacting with peeps. Perhaps a show in Camden NJ and other rough patches of urban America where he can help inspire some folks to get into cooking some bold food!?

Some media snobs are choking on their brie covered triscuits because a hospital chef was chosen as the winner of this culinary competition…. We say Aaron is not a “hospital chef”! Aaron is a man that chose to become a professional chef earlier in his life. His path in life led him to become a hospital chef. Little doubt Aaron was doing what he had to do to feed his family and survive, all the while sticking to his dream!

Aaron proved once again that big bold dreams can come true.

Congratulations Aaron! Good luck with The Food Network! We’ll watch!!!

Here’s a short Food Network video (3:42) recapping the finale:

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Next Food Network Star Finale Recap