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The Self Examiner

Sharing is very important to us at Cafe Gratitude. This blog is our means of connecting with you, our community through sharing what's happening with us and creating a conversation around the many facets of this community.
Tags >> chef
cheyenne

 

Carmen VazquezMeet Carmen Vazquez, an innovative and passionate chef leading the pastry world at Gracias Madre.  Carmen has been with Cafe Gratitude as a top baker for over four years, working with sweets in every which way.  Carmen is humble for what she is creating and how head over heels guests are who get to taste her creations.  Below is an interview with her so that you can get to know who the artist is behind that magical vegan flan at Gracias Madre.

What lead you to want to become a chef?
What lead me to becoming a chef was my fascination to how meals came together. It all started when I began to grocery shop and cook for myself while seeking to improve my health. 
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What do you love about food in particular and how has it changed your life?
I love how limitless food is. I also love how much we (humans) love food. Therefore, I love how food brings people together. The reaction on people's faces after having a bite of an egg-less, dairy-free flan and liking it, is priceless.  Its changed my life in may ways. It has bridged my commitment  to food and health. Also, being by far the most important to me, was becoming vegan and understanding how easy it is to maintain great quality and amazing flavors in a vegetable.
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How long have you been in the industry?
I've been in the industry for about 5 years
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Have you been a chef before?
Yes, I've worked with catering business and other non-veg restaurants here in the bay area.
What were you doing before you came to Cafe Gratitude and what do you plan to do next?
Before CG I was living in southern California (where I grew up) studying Interpersonal Communications. I decided to make a big change in my life and completely focus on a different direction. And next thing I knew, I had enrolled at CCA and was moving to San Francisco.
What's next for me is endless but my main goal is to open up a vegan restaurant.
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What is surprising and unique about you that most people would not know about you?
ummm this one's hard.... something surprising is I don't like shiitake mushrooms :)! Although im not good at it, I like to make people laugh...hahah. oooooooh I also LOVE to sleep! I'm a huge fan of classic rock. and I secretly wish for everybody to go vegan! 
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What's your favorite vegetable and fruit?
I have many favorite vegetables..I love avocados (but I guess by definition its a fruit) okay so kale yummmmmm, corn, tomatoes...  My favorite fruits are persimmons and watermelon.    
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Thank you Carmen, for the awesome work that you are doing in the world and your dedication to sustainable food tasting OH SO GOOD!

 


cheyenne

Heather giving a 1 on 1 lessonHeather has a way with food.  She knows the science of, the obsession with, and the art of food.  She is articulate and on top of every new twist and turn in the culinary arts of raw cuisine.  She is dedicated not only to healthy sustainable food, but to satisfying even the most critical omnivorous tastes.  I’ve taken classes with Heather and have radically changed how I make food in my kitchen at home.  I’ve actually passed on simple tools learned through her to several of my friends and family members.  

Heather inspires me to stay conscious and love making food, no matter what I’m making.  She is a wealth of knowledge and an excellent resource to grasp onto through her passionate and down-to-earth speaking.  I love listening to her teach because I both love what she stands for, and I know that she’s available to talk to any level of chef, and any level of diet commitment.  

Heather is good at keeping it simple, and making raw foods just as easy as any peanut and butter sandwich or burrito.  She also has a great talent for wowing crowds with her creations.  Her raw minestrone soup from her Italian class is by far the best minestrone (raw or cooked) I’ve ever had.  She can go from 5-minute coconut yogurt to 5-layer lasagna and walk you through safely to the end.  


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