Happy 2nd Birthday Be Mindful. Be Human.: What We’ve Learned

C – Two years later and we are still learning …

Scallop Crab Inside-Out Roll recipe

Making mistakes and having fun. It’s not a bad life here at Be Mindful. Be Human. Especially, because we get to eat! We wanted to share what we’ve learned throughout these two years.

Luke

L — I’m a chef because I love playing with the abundant ingredients I have in California, and seeing the pleasure people experience from eating my creations. However, being a chef in restaurants and in retail food preparation is not at all glamorous. It’s hard work and there are lots of rules and limits.

Working at Be Mindful. Be Human. has given me the freedom to experiment, trying new ingredients and new techniques with no real downside. If it doesn’t work, we just learn from it and try something else. I have embraced many more Asian ingredients, thanks to Christina, which has helped me create really interesting and successful cross-over dishes. It’s easy and fun.

Jim

J — When we started Be Mindful. Be Human. we were moving forward by sheer force of will. We just did it. I am amazed when looking back at our early efforts how the results were still pretty good. Oh, what we didn’t know.

Two years later, we have newer, fancier equipment. We are much more focused on ingredients. Back then, we never would have considered doing a Peach Week or a Salads with Fruit Week. And, I believe our storytelling and photography have improved. Most importantly for me, I am much more mindful of subtleties of flavor, nuances of presentation and the ultimate experience of eating a dish. What a gift.

Christina

C – I am so amazed at all the things I have learned. I thought I knew a lot two years ago. But, I really didn’t know how things were made until I started working on Be Mindful. Be Human.

For example, how to make bacon. I always bought bacon already cured and pre-sliced. I didn’t know it was made from pork belly and you can buy an entire 12 pound pork belly from the store to make your own bacon.

It’s crazy to think we will never buy bacon again here at Be Mindful. Be Human. It’s actually easier than I thought it was going to be. Curing and smoking is part of the fun of it. It’s also amazing to tell people that we make our own bacon. People question us about it all the time. Then, they taste it and question us even more. It makes us love and appreciate our bacon.
Bacon Two Ways recipe

I guess the biggest thing I learned these last two years is to really appreciate good food and where good food comes from.