The Whole U Cooking Series Launches with a Mouthwatering Hit!

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Lauren Updyke. This entry was posted in Eating Well. Bookmark the permalink.

UW faculty and staff ranked healthy eating as their #1 interest and food and cooking as #2, so our mission was clear. The Whole U has partnered with UW Dining Services to host monthly cooking demonstrations after work!

Our first event was a HUGE hit! Faculty and staff filled the stadium seating and chef’s table at Local Point. UW Medical Center Dietitian Emily Kelly Brown kicked it off with the importance of making a few vegetarian meals a week for health and the impact on the environment as well as the great benefits of the recipe. Executive Chef Tracey MacRae and her fabulous team charmed the packed room with entertainment, education, and amazing sampling of white bean, kale, and yam sauté over grilled goat cheese toasts. The crowd got up to get seconds and even some thirds. I personally had three helpings and never tasted sweet potatoes like that. I always thought you had to add brown sugar and butter to make them that yummy! This version had a sweet yet spicy kick to it. In fact, I am ready to make it for the family this week. Tracey and the team also showed us how to add other ingredients for a different flavor. She answered questions along the way and we walked away feeling like we could add it to the weekly dinner list. If you would like to try it out, download the recipe here.

Sarah R. Zangrillo attended the event and let us know she, “already recreated the menu at home and thought I’d share a few photos of my adventure! Who would have thought such a delicious meal could be cranked out in such a short period of time?” Rock on, Sarah!

Below is Chef Tracey MacRae’s bio. I decided to share it with everyone to spotlight her awesome personality, passion for cooking, and commitment to the UW.

I cook, therefore I am. This is not true for everyone, but in my case it most definitely is. I am proud to celebrate going into my 12th year with UW Dining at the University of Washington and my 28thyear in this career/adventure/love affair with food. It is with humble beginnings that sometimes tall oaks grow…. And in my case I have turned a driving passion and curiosity into a fruitful and proud career in a field that chose me as much as I did it. Prior to the University I was in fine dining and a restaurant owner, so I had no sites set on such a career change. That being said, here I am!! I came to the University by way of an invitation from Master Chef Jean Michel Boulot and have had a growth filled experience ever since.

It has been my pleasure and pride to help the University lead the way in providing our community, healthful, captivating, delicious, and socially conscientious food by increasing awareness in new flavor profiles, cultures and cuisines, decreasing our environmental foot prints, and introducing the comfort, wonder and joy of artfully prepared food in a college setting. This has been a challenge, a journey and my great pleasure to be a part of such a powerful food movement.

We are contributing to the way our young people view food, nutrition, where food comes from, and how we affect the planet. Starting out as an executive sous, I have been able to stretch, grow, and learn to become a better manager, administrator and of course, chef. Now, as the campus executive chef it is my fortune to help others learn and grow as I have. Working together to enhance student life has come to mean a lot me over the past 12 years. I believe in it; I strive to make it happen on a daily basis.

Our next cooking demonstration at Local Point will be on Thursday, May 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. As a special treat, we will feature famous Chef Jehangir Mehta, contestant of the Iron Chef and owner of Graffiti and Mehtaphor in New York City. He is coming to the UW campus and has offered to be our sous for the night! This event will also be part of Mushroom Mania. UW Dining, The Mushroom Council, and Ostrom Farms will be hosting a week full of events featuring mushroom dishes of all kinds, education, displays, and mushrooms for purchase. This will be an event that truly satiates foodies and the health conscious alike!