| Venezuelan Pastry Chef former Graphic Designer.

The image of the chef who grows his/her own fruits and herbs in the garden has become almost a cliché these days, but the motivation behind this trend goes beyond fashion, in fact emerges as a logical response (at least from our point of view) to the dangerous “modern” eating habits, “fast food” processed foods, GM crops and the neglect of our culinary and cultural heritage, driven by this ideal of practical and hectic “modern life” completely artificial that keeps us apart from our connection to the earth. Chefs who have advocated to this noble task are trying to recover forgotten ingredients, authentic tastes, healthy foods free of pesticides. They are looking to recover old and valuable traditions and make them applicable in the present.

As for myself, those who really knows me knows that my love of gardening comes from when I was 6 years old, when I experimented with planting Gepetto’s (my hamster back then) sunflower seeds in every plant pot of the house. Apparently since that age the unquiet nature of my mind was more than evident, because when my mom noticed all the germinating seedlings, the first thing she did was to ask me: What have you done?, when I told her she inmediately decided to transplant the little ones into a rectangular container and placed it in the center of the balcony at the top. One morning after having breakfast I looked over the balcony and to my surprise there were 4 very big and beautiful yellow flowers “looking” towards the east (our north-facing apartment was perfect for them) My mom explained me that Sunflowers needed tremendous amounts of sunlight in order to live so they “rotate” depending on the location of the sun on the sky, of course, such “interaction” coming from a plant fascinated me and my preference for this flower remained ever since. During my teenage years my passion for plants revived thanks to a Bonsai tree given to me by a good friend, the little tree accompanied me for a couple of years of careful pruning and daily irrigation with mineral water, until it withered after a bad potting soil change.

Since my beginning in cookery I loved the idea of having fresh herbs growing in a window garden. It has not been until now after many attempts and dead plants because of my inexperience that I’ve decided to retake the idea. So a year ago I started with 4 Plants.

Kimura Jazmin, dead by mealybugs.

Apparently this especie is the most prone to sickness of all. Bad choice for the novice.

Jade Plant (Crassula Ovata) Drowned by the incessant rain.

Requires constant sunshine and occasional watering, obviously adapting to the Panamanian monsoon season was impossible for the little thing.

Aloe Vera.

Poisoned to death after confusing incense beads with fertilizer.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Didn’t make it through my weekly pesto cravings.

You must wait a year for the plant can withstand frequent pruning, if you want to enjoy its fragrant leaf on a regular basis.

The Venus Fly Trap seems a good choice for the Panamanian warm and humid weather.

NOT! the unique conditions of their natural environment are very difficult to replicate at home. This was a gift from my wife, who bough it from the supermarket’s nursery.

After a short period of mourn and research, I decided to risk it again, this time with a native especie (Photos Plant) and also re- use the former jazmin pot to plant a local fruit in it. I choosed Papaya after seeing it in many gardens around town. As soon as I found a good fruit (large, sweet and juicy) I kept the seeds, washed them through a strainer and planted them into the former jazmin deathbed.

Photos Plants are native of the rainforest and grows well in the shade.

The pot must be placed over a plate with pebbles and water in order to keep the leaf humid by the evaporation. Perfect for Panama city

Weeks passed by without seeing any plantlings which led me to think that the fruit was not appropriate so I planted creole lemon seeds. Days passed again without apparent results, so between my frustration and friends mocks, I put the pot in the window and I forgot about it. Recently I celebrated my birthday and a dear friend and colleague, gave me this beautiful Fuchsia plant full with flowers, (she bought it in Chiriquí: Panama’s highlands) wich renewed my enthusiasm, the next morning I started to take care of my new plants. so I opened the window to let in the morning light, and I found the must pleasant surprise.

Since these days were pouring rain, the soil was moist. From what I read in a gardening blog I was able to confirm that these were Papaya sprouts. so i retired the pot from the window to protect them from excessive light and humidity.This surprise I interpret it as reminder from nature, that the gardener’s main virtue is patience and careful observation. With this in mind I will continue researching and learning from my successes and setbacks. I can’t wait for the sunny days of the central american summer and its warm breeze, to plant sunflowers of course.

Regarding the Fuchsia, sadly it’s starting to wither. The trip from the highlands to the coastal capital weakened it. If it drops all the leaves I’ll prune it and continue to water it until it’s ready to be reborn again, another lesson to learn, but I know after all this i’ll be one step closer to my idilic Chef’s garden.

Fuchsia also called queen’s pendants, native of Central America is accustomed to moisture, grows well in partial shade. Once a year go through a hibernation period in which it completely strips its foliage. The photo was taken the day after my birthday.

Sweet is one of the 5 basic tastes, its receptors are located around the small structures on the upper surface of the tongue. Of course it is accepted globally as a “good” flavor and usually linked with pleasant memories, now, all these feelings associated with its consumption has deeper roots than mere self-indulgence. It turns out that the sweet taste of breast milk is a sort of survival mechanism, since this way the baby feels more attracted to its consumption.

Is No surprise to me when I’m at an event (probably most of my colleagues have also noticed it) the reaction of the people right after serving dessert, the rigor of etiquette is set aside to make way for a more smooth and friendly interaction (also because of the intervention of Bacchus, saint of my great devotion 😉 ) smiles begin to surface more often, some ladies start sharing recipes, the tone of voice rises and the murmur becomes cacophony. It is here where the event becomes more pleasurable for me, I relax, I allow myself to have some extra wine to get in tune with the environment and I delight in the reactions of people around me.

When you think about it, all the aforementioned reactions are not that surprising if you take into account all the physical, chemical and neurological responses triggered within the very first bite of a good dessert, that is why everything inherent to our noble profession is always linked to pleasure and the ideal of ¨ good living ¨, that is why the interaction with our customers is always cordial and that is why the reaction we getfrom people when we first tell them what we do for a living comes with a pleasant surprise reaction, emphasized with eyes wide open and a big smile.