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SANTA CRUZ SENTINEL FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2017 LIVE IT UP! 7 CONTINUED FROM 6 years. During his tenure, he started many new programs to help kids and families eat healthy on slim financial and time budgets. "I did lots of healthy cooking demonstra- tions, free outdoor BBQs, etc., and spent time listening to parents' concerns for their kids," says Smith. "e same theme kept rising to the top. Parents were universally grateful for the healthy meals we were mak- ing in schools but said they wished I could do the same for them at home for dinner." Foodsmith was born in 2013 out of Smith's desire to teach folks to cook healthy meals at home, with the realization that he really could, in a way, cook for families in their homes. "I was somewhat disgusted by the proliferation of mail order meal kit de- livery services, especially those calling them- selves 'healthy.' e ingredients really weren't healthy at all, not locally sourced, and the amount of wasteful packaging used to de- liver the meal kits was abhorrent. e values of Foodsmith are Local, Organic, and Fresh and we aim to have virtually zero waste." ey package meals in compostable plant fiber containers, and meals are delivered (or stored for pickup) in reusable chilled cooler bags that "eliminate wasteful cardboard boxes, insulation, and ice packs that are used by the mail order meal kit companies." "We prepare and portion the meals to exacting recipe standards, ensuring proper portion sizes for your meals and virtually zero wasted ingredients," says Smith. "My first Chef Instructor, the famed Jacques Pepin, told me that the measure of a great chef is the weight of his garbage can, or lack thereof, meaning buy only what you need and use everything that you buy. at allows us to have possibly the lowest priced meal delivery service out there." Smith emphasizes that Foodsmith is "perfect for everyone, from seniors looking for easy meals to heat and eat and feel great, to endurance athletes looking for perfor- mance through nutrition, to folks looking for weight loss or control, diabetes preven- tion, reversal and control and/or cholesterol control, and anyone looking for healthy, convenient, and creative meals made fresh and delivered right to your door. In short, it's like having a dietitian, and a personal chef all in one—at a fraction of the cost." Foodsmith offers home delivery for a small fee, including Santa Cruz County, San Jose, Palo Alto and Carmel Valley. Or, cus- tomers can do free pick-up at many locations like its Soquel kitchen and a few gyms in Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley. Also, they part- ner with Grind Out Hunger and the Digital Nest in Watsonville, as well as Hahn Student Services at UCSC to deliver meals that are in turn donated to students in need, many of whom are going to college for the first time in their family, and who struggle to afford healthy food while juggling the work load. THE OPEN HEARTH Meals from e Open Hearth are either ready to eat, or ready to heat and eat. Every week, TOH offers three different meals plus a dessert, beverage and side. "e variety allows for mix and match meal options," says founder Beth Freewomon. "Depending how many servings of each meal clients order, people can be well fed for upwards of a week." Freewomon has been offering ready- made meals made from organically grown, gluten-free, plant-based and whole unprocessed foods to the local community for more than 10 years. ese include soups such as Borscht, Minestrone with Millet and Ramen Bowl. She uses seasonal, locally sourced produce. Examples of the most "well-loved TOH meals," says Freewomon, are Veggie Burgers with Sauteed Onions and Rosemary Potato Salad, Brown Rice Risotto (with sundried tomatoes, chickpeas and baby spinach) and Braised Fennel and Onions, Shepherd's Pie with Golden Gravy, and Coastal Kale Salad. Popular desserts include Raw Cacao Mousse, Raw Carrot Cake with Cashew Cream Frosting, and Chocolate Brownie Cupcake with Peanut Butter Frosting. "We also offer healthy and unique bever- ages from Citrus Basil Cooler in the summer to Lemon Echinacea Ginger Tea in the autumn and winter," shares Freewomon. Freewomon used to work in the publish- ing field. Aer decades of believing in the power of food as medicine, she decided in 2005 to "make a career shi to cook- ing healthy food for people." In 2006, she completed Bauman College's Natural Chef training program, then " hung her shingle up as a personal chef." Within days she had her first client. "It turns out that in figuring out how I could meet her needs as well as mine, a meal preparation service was born," says Freewomon. She is committed to high quality ingredients plus high integrity practices in the kitchen. "We use filtered water for everything but washing dishes, we wash our produce well, and we do not let the food touch aluminum—which is known to be a culprit in Alzheimer's," says Freewomon. She utilizes local vendors including Happy Boy Farms, Route 1 Farms, and New Natives. Freewomon is excited to share that for anksgiving, TOH will be in the kitchen on the Wednesday before the holiday, in order to offer holiday meals for both established and one-time clients. Healthy plant-based versions of tradi- tional anksgiving favorites will be available. TOH uses "virtually all" organic ingredi- ents. Selecting organically grown ingredi- ents, Freewomon says, supports organic farmers who tend the health of our planet. "Organic farming practices eliminate soil and water contamination and helps preserve local wildlife and conserve biodiversity," she says. "Because most organically produced food is distributed locally, this also helps the fight against global warming." Also aligned with Freewomon's priority of working toward the planet's health, TOH menus are plant-based. "Plant-based diets have a direct impact on the health of our plan- et," says Freewomon. "By choosing to eat more plant-based foods you can drastically cut your carbon footprint, save precious water supplies and help ensure that vital crop resources are fed to people, rather than livestock." ere are pick up spots in midtown and downtown Santa Cruz, the San Lorenzo Valley, Soquel, Aptos, Watsonville and Los Gatos. "Door to door deliveries may be available depending on location and circum- stances," says Freewomon. Contact Information Golden Roots Kitchen, 2890 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, goldenrootskitchen.com, 831-471-7787 Foodsmith, 2800 S. Rodeo Gulch Rd., Soquel, myfoodsmith.com, 831-480-2345 e Open Hearth, 2890 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz, iamtheopenhearth.com, 831-471-9677 Courtesy of Foodsmith Photo by Beth Freewomon Beth Freewomon, founder of The Open Hearth Photo by Portia Shao

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