Summer juicin’ & Happy New Year!

Hey guys!

Apologies for the hiatus.

Work has been busy the past couple of months and new projects are aligning which unfortunately means little energy or time for the blog.  I will do my best to keep y’all up to date as we’ve got some interesting stuff in the works happening here in Buenos Aires!First off, Happy New Year!!!

2014 is going to be a big year, I can feel it.   I’m really excited, scared, nervous, stressed, and optimistic for what’s gonna go down.  Work changes, improvements, moving forward, letting go, it’s going to be interesting to say the least…

And what a way it all started!

Our New Years story….

We opened for dinner service on the 31st at NOLA.  About 10 minutes before the first guest arrived I found myself pacing in the kitchen, nervous about the night, an unfamiliar feeling considering we’ve been doing this every week for the past 18 months. I felt nauseas and that I was going to be sick.

Before you know it the buzzer was ringing and within five minutes we had a packed house of 25 diners, everyone looking sharp as they mingled over champagne excited to bring in the new year.

As we’re about to get started with dinner the electricity goes out in the neighborhood due to the massive heat wave.  That means no lights, music, oven, or air conditioning.  Luckily it’s a gas stove and there were many candles on the tables so the place actually looked quite beautiful.  We lit some more candles and I asked everyone to have a seat and to send some good vibes to the electric gods of Buenos Aires.  Ticol began pouring the Torrontes while I introduced the evening & menu and before you know it ceviche was being plated, and then the second and third course were being fired.

We were melting in the kitchen.  As I fried the sweetbreads the electricity flashed back on and everyone cheered but their level of excitement couldn’t even compare to ours in the kitchen.  Oh the stress of hosting is heavy enough but man when you’re stripped of your electricity it really puts a burden on things!!  And it was so insane because our lil NOLA team was so in sync that the three of us barely had to communicate to each other as we were in this natural rhythm that just flowed organically.  I’m so thankful for this rhythm and our NOLA team!!  Without it everything could have easily gone to shit.

Not even five minutes later the electricity went out again but luckily it only lasted a few minutes before coming back on for the remainder of the evening.  We cranked up the music & AC and got back into our groove.

At midnight we grabbed a few bottles of sparkling and took the guests to the roof to watch fireworks and toast to the new year.  Everyone was so happy and had become instant friends.  It was amazing!!  It was like we were all in this big hot adventure and in the end we came out a strong team ready to take on the world.  And such an international mix (Venezuelans, New Yorkers, a Dutch couple, Brazilians, a German, French, Argentinos, Texans, Canadians) too!

After coffee and tea we suggested a nearby bar that was open and promised everyone we’d see them there for drinks after we cleaned up.  Cassandra, Ticol and I opened a bottle of bubbles and finally took a seat and all started laughing as we replayed the moments of the night.  Cass thinks my intuition was onto something hence the nausea at the beginning of the night and I must say I think she’s right!!  And as fucking stressful as it all was, I came out feeling stronger and more confident than ever.

Bring it on, 2014.  I’m ready!   To keep things cool I’ve been having loads of fun with my new transformer.  Ain’t she a beast?!

I lugged my Vita Prep all the way from New Orleans back in September and am using her like crazy in the kitchen mostly for smoothies and juices.

New morning routine-  mate + music via 8 tracks + yoga + glass of fruits & vegetables. Here are some of my favorite Summer mixes to help stay cool in the heavy heat-

watermelon + cucumber + lemon + mint

watermelon + beets + celery + ginger

spinach + beets + lemon + parsley +ginger

avocado + cucumber + lemon + parsley + cilantro + celery

Throw everything into a blender or juicer, puree and drink immediately.I’m also a big fan of straight up watermelon juice as I’m sure you’ve noticed if you’re an Instagram follower.

I just can’t seem to get enough!

Actually, we have two plants growing in our patio from misplaced watermelon seeds.  True story!

Watermelon is one of the best foods to be eating with this heat.  According to my acupuncturist there is something magical and medicinal about the white rind that helps nourish our fluids, increase circulation and help protect us from free radicals which is super great for our skin & immune system.What about y’all in BA?  Any remedies to stay cool?  Crazy new years stories?

For those of you in the middle of winter and dealing with the polar vortex… suerte!!

We totally feel your pain, just at an extreme opposite.

LizaNola