I love food & cooking almost as much as I love photography. The hubs and I have been going to food school at Gymnopedie this past month. Kate Lord - friend and awesome photographer (you rock!) - gave us the cooking series as a wedding gift. Gymnopedie serves vegetarian fare and is truly a gem of a place that is tucked away north of downtown Athens. The chef & owner Sarah Dunning uses innovative and DELICIOUS ways to cook with local ingredients. AND she has an awesome Kiwi accent. ; ) We had the best time at food school, and I wanted to briefly share our experience with everyone and encourage my fellow Athenians to try it. : )

Chef Sarah explains how to properly dress a salad during our "cozy salads & comfort food" session.

We used lots of herbs & produce throughout the series, which is great not only for your health but also improving your knife skills. : )

Sarah offers a wine list to pair with the dishes she serves at the restaurant, and we got to sample some during our sessions. : )

Umm YES I had to post a photo of the hubs in his uber-manly apron. ; ) Love him.

Prepping the vegan mac & cheese and dressing the salad...

Our finished products (clockwise): quinoa-olive salad with roasted white asparagus and haricot verts, vegan macaroni & cheese, green tomato tapenade (for garnish on the quinoa salad), & Moroccan carrot salad. ALL were delicious and relatively easy to make. Give food school a go. It's fun, educational and supports small, local businesses (great for our community and great for our Earth!). : )