A few months ago I was honored to be asked to be the off-campus mentor for a Hilo High School senior’s project.
Her name is Bindu Nicholson and as she has been a vegetarian all of her life, she chose vegetarianism for her project. As part of the project she needed to follow certain requirements; select her subject, find an on-campus mentor, find an off-campus mentor, do research, write a paper, make a poster and do a demonstration. Her on-campus mentor suggested Bindu contact me as her off-campus mentor.
To read more about the requirements to participate in the Hilo High School Senior Project click on the following link http://www.hilohs.k12.hi.us/uemura/capstoneassignments.htm
Some of my responsibilities as a mentor was to review her project; in this case, review her recipe, give suggestions for the demonstration, help with her dialogue, show her how to do a ‘mise en place’ (miz on plaz), in other words, set her scene; rehearse the recipe to show her ‘tricks of the trade’ and over all, just make sure that her demo appeared effortless and proceeded smoothly and do a final evaluation.
Many e-mails were sent back and forth and on the day of the first rehearsal, I arrived at her house where we proceeded to do the prepping and make the dish as I would have done it if I had been the demonstrator.
Bindu picked up the running commentary and several little techniques in no time!
She chose the Kino’ole Farmers Market as her demo venue since her on-campus mentor is also a seller. The day of the live demonstration arrived wet and blustery, but Bindu was ready. With three of us helping, (her mom, a girl friend and I), we set up and Bindu started her demo by explaining what the Senior Project was all about and why she chose her topic.
Passing out copies of her recipe, the vegetarian poster and evaluation forms, she then proceeded to explain and demo the recipe.
Vegetarian Cabbage Sauté
1 large cabbage (thinly shredded)
2 medium carrots (peeled & shredded)
1 large onion (peeled & thinly sliced)
2 celery sticks (sliced)
1 green bell pepper (cored, seeded & sliced)
1 large tomato (quartered & halved)
2-3 garlic cloves (peeled & thinly sliced)
1 Tablespoon coconut or vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
1 dried chile pepper (optional)
1 bay leaf (optional)
4 Tablespoons water
1 cup parsley, cilantro or watercress for garnish (optional)
Prep all ingredients.
Add the coconut or vegetable oil to a large sauté pan at high heat and proceed to sauté the ‘aromatic’ vegetables – onion, garlic, pepper, celery – and cook until onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking.
Add the spices/seasonings and cook for about 2-3 more minutes, mixing well. Add the water, continuing to mix well.
Add the shredded cabbage and carrots, mixing with an upward and over motion to ensure all of the veggies cook uniformly, until done to your taste.
Garnish with parsley, cilantro, watercress or whatever you prefer. Serve and ENJOY!
The demo went very well, and although the day was so wet, she had a nice audience who asked questions and helped her interact with them as she demonstrated. Everyone enjoyed the tasting!
Well done, Bindu, you kept your composure, did not appear nervous and did a great job. I am so proud of you!
