PROGRAM LOCATION

The Conscious Gourmet
Greenwich, CT  06831
(just 45 minutes driving time from NYC or 35 minutes by train)

Make the most of your holiday weekend!   Join Diane in her own Greenwich kitchen for a “fast track” holiday weekend culinary intensive.

Our program begins on Friday at 5:00 p.m. with a get -acquainted reception, knife skills practice, cooking demonstration and a delicious dinner. 

On Saturday and Sunday we’ll start our day with a winter-warming breakfast buffet, followed by  four hour hands-on cooking classes.  Afterwards we’ll feast on the gourmet meal you’ve prepared so you can experience the satisfying results.  We’ll break and resume at approximately 2:00 p.m. for our lecture/workshops to explore The Conscious Gourmet’s underlying principles and theory, completing by 5:00 p.m., with a Saturday evening optional group dinner at the U.S. #1 rated Coromandel Restaurant in nearby Darien, CT.

Monday’s fabulous brunch class begins at 8:30 a.m., followed bv our farewell meal and lecture wrap-up, completing our weekend at approximately 1:00 p.m.

Holiday intensives sell out quickly, so register now to assure your space!

Be sure to visit The Conscious Gourmet photo gallery to view last year’s Greenwich retreat!

PROGRAM CONTENT  

Culinary Classes

Cooking classes include the orchestration and preparation of delicious health-supportive meals from soup to dessert using the highest quality, organic ingredients available—free of the most common allergy-producing foods such as wheat, dairy and refined sugar.  Menus include both raw and cooked foods.

In each class, we’ll go over each recipe in detail introducing you to their health-supportive ingredients such as grains, beans, natural sweeteners, high quality oils, condiments and a variety of staples--why we use them and the resources available for stocking your own pantry. Under Diane’s expert guidance, you’ll practice:

• knife skills practice  
• the art of seasoning
• fundamental health-supportive culinary techniques for preparing delicious organic meals including:
• appetizers
• non-dairy “creamy” soups
• salads and vinaigrettes
• grains, beans and 1 meal featuring fish
• seasonal vegetables 
• calcium rich greens
• and mouth-watering desserts

Our fish meal will also include a vegetarian option.  Following each cooking class, you will feast on the delicious meal you’ve prepared to experience the satisfying results. You'll go home with tips and techniques for a lifetime of healthy eating and enjoyment for yourself and your entire family.

Lecture/Workshops

In these eye-opening workshops, you’ll discover a whole new way to think about food and how to make conscious food choices that support your personal goals.

You’ll discover how to:

• connect the dots between the food you eat and what you experience physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually
• understand and utilize both Western and Eastern nutritional models such as criteria for health-supportive food selection; expansive/contractive and acid/alkaline to plan meals that balance YOU and leave you free of food cravings and binges; and how to choose foods to maintain a healthy Ph for maximum nutrition and weight maintenance
• break the food allergy/addiction cycle and eliminate the toxic bloat we call fat that accompanies it
• identify the underlying health conditions that often sabotage our best efforts for maintaining a  health-supporting diet
• stock your pantry with the healthiest dairy products, free range, organic, or grass fed poultry and meats, and high quality fats and oils
• use the  ABC’s of menu planning for creating both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals and how to use leftovers creatively
• use both local and Internet resources for health-supportive foods, condiments, staples and more!

NOTE:  This intensive does not include the Chinese Medicine Five Phase curriculum offered in the five day retreats

You will receive a Conscious Gourmet apron and binder filled with recipes and numerous handouts to support your continued learning.  Knives are supplied for your use during class and will be available for purchase.

PROGRAM FEE

• $795 program fee (since the retreat is in Diane’s home kitchen, she can pass the savings on to you!)

Discount

• $200 discount for two people enrolling together ($100 each)

$250 non-refundable registration fee is due upon enrollment with the balance due 60 days before the class start date.  Enrollments made less than 60 days in advance of the start date must be paid in full at time of registration. Class size is limited to ensure the ultimate learning experience.  Early registration is recommended to assure availability.

The 4 day, 3 evening Program Fee includes the following:

• 1 full meal menu cooking demonstration and dinner
• Knife skills practice
• 2 breakfast buffets  
• 3 Hands-on cooking classes with complete organic meals
• 3 Lecture/workshops
• Conscious Gourmet apron
• Program Binder with recipes and lecture/workshop handouts

Not included

• Airfare
• Car rental or shuttle/taxi services
• Accommodations
• Meals or beverages other than listed above

Additional tours or services are available at the participant's option and expense. If you choose to participate in activities outside of the group itinerary, no deductions, allowances or substitutions will be made.

ACCOMODATIONS

For those participants requiring accommodations, Diane recommends the Sheraton Hotel on Summer Street in Stamford, 203-359-1300, located an easy 15 minutes from her home.  For additional recommendations, please contact Diane at 203-622-1189. 

REGISTRATION

REGISTER by calling (203) 622-1189 or e-mail Diane at dcarlsonsspirit@aol.com.  You will be notified where to send your payment.  Please include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address as well as your selected program location.

Your enrollment will be confirmed by e-mail (or hard copy if requested).  A welcome packet and itinerary will also be e-mailed to you including all the details to make your journey as easy and enjoyable as possible.
 
CANCELLATION POLICY – Go to Policies

TRAVEL INSURANCE 

We recommend purchasing travel insurance through the internet such as Travel Guard International whose travel insurance plans offer coverage for vacation and trip cancellation, travel interruptions and delays, emergency medical and health expenses, lost baggage and more.