The Glen Ivy Book Club is reading The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister.

On Wednesday, July 27 we had our final meeting in person with the author, Erica Bauermeister, at Glen Ivy Hot Springs in Corona, California.

I want to send my heartfelt appreciation to each of you who read along with me each week during Glen Ivy’s Summer Book Club.  I so enjoyed reading The School of Essential Ingredients and hearing your thoughts and perspectives on the book and its characters.   I always find that the reading experience is deepened when shared with others.  Different opinions, viewpoints and life experiences bring out subtle but significant details that one can miss when reading on their own.  Of course, the most delightful part of our Summer Book Club was our final meeting, at which we met with author Erica Bauermeister and dined on Chef Bill’s interpretations of recipes featured in the book.  Connecting with Erica and hearing stories about what inspired the book and characters was a priceless experience.  I am so grateful of her support of our book club and her graciousness in the time she spent at Glen Ivy with our book club readers.   I always find that the camaraderie developed through the sharing of a good book and good food makes for a memorable and enjoyable experience.  Here are a few memories from our day…

Be on the lookout for our Autumn Book Club selection, to be announced soon.  I hope that you’ll be reading along with us!

Warm Water Wishes,
Seraphina

In this final blog discussion of our book, we look at the lives of Helen and Ian.  Through Helen’s story we see the ebbing and flowing of a seasoned relationship, while Ian’s tale allows us to see through the eyes of new found love.  It seems that Ian and the other students in the class look at Helen and Carl’s relationship as ideal.  It made me wonder if it was watching this couple is what gave Ian the courage to finally approach Antonia.  Do you think Ian and the other class members would be surprised to learn of the challenges Helen and Carl have faced? Do you think that Helen did the right thing by telling Carl about her affair?  How do you think their marriage would look if she did not tell him?

Both of these chapters feature food in a sensual, almost magical way.  Some cultures have stories about wise women who can cook emotions in to food; I loved that in this instance we got to see a man do this for a woman.  Do you believe that food can convey the emotions of the chef?  Do you have any personal stories about an experience with this?

I look forward to reading your thoughts on Helen and Ian, and I hope to see all of you at our Book Club Spa Day on Wednesday, July 27^th.  Author Erica Bauermeister will be joining us for lunch and a final discussion of our Summer Book Club selection, The School of Essential Ingredients. Click here for more information.

Glen Ivy Spa Book Club is Reading The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

This week we are reading about two characters, Chloe and Isabelle.  Although at opposite ends of life, each woman is finding her way through a changing internal landscape; in a sense both Chloe and Isabelle are disposing of “shoulds” of a prescribed life recipe and learning to intuitively measure what is necessary in the nowness of their lives.  Chloe discovers the beauty of simplicity – how setting aside the expected formula of a multitude of ingredients in favor the fresh simplicity of oneness leads to beauty and true fulfillment —  while Isabelle is learning embrace a life based not in time, but rather a stew of memories, sensation and accepting all of life serves to us.

Chloe found beauty in the paired down simplicity of a single tomato; through this she was able to bring her life back to balance.  Is there a food that you love just as it is, with nothing added?  Are there specific times in your life that you find yourself turning to this favorite for emotional comfort, reminiscing or when seeking clarity?

All of the characters in the book experience memories that are beckoned by a particular kitchen aroma or flavor, but the sensory journeys that Isabelle experiences with food are particularly brilliant.  Is there a particular meal that takes you back to a memorable moment in time?

The School of Essential Ingredients

By Erica Bauermeister, Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Join us on Wednesday, July 27 at Glen Ivy Hot Springs in Corona for our Book Club Spa Day!
Your reservation includes Spa admission, reserved lounge seating on Club Solé, Lunch featuring recipes from the book prepared by Executive Chef Bill Wavrin, and a Q&A and book discussion with the author, Erica Bauermeister. $75

Please call 888 GLEN IVY to reserve your spot!

Glen Ivy Book Club Reads The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

Much like the complexity of the recipe described in this chapter, I found Tom’s story to be sweet, sad, romantic, and heartbreaking all at the same time.  This chapter seemed to transport me in to the character’s life; perhaps because of the sensual descriptions not only of the food but of the time that Tom and Charlie shared together.  I felt the timelessness of Tom’s love for Charlie and thought how perfect it was that the chosen meal was pasta with red sauce.  As a child growing up in a predominately Italian-American neighborhood, I have vivid memories of “pasta night,” which, perhaps, should have been more aptly named “pasta day.”  The sauce was always started by mid-morning and left to simmer until the evening dinner.  The scent filled every room of the large, old farmhouse I grew up in, and wafted through the windows and into the backyard and surrounding neighborhood.  My repeated inquiry of, “Is it done yet?” was always met with the same reply:  Good sauce takes time. I relish those memories and take pride in my ability to make authentic sauce by using my senses:  knowing the feel of good garlic and the weight of the best plum tomatoes, recognizing how the wooden spoon should move through sauce that will be the perfect thickness and remembering the sweet, earthy aroma of sauce that was left to simmer through the entire day.

Like every good meal, Tom and Charlie’s seemingly endless time together came to a close, but, like the memories we carry of the food we share with those we love, is relived in the senses and best honored when the recipe is shared with others. In preparing the night’s meal with his classmates, it seemed to me that Charlie’s heart began to open.  What do you think?

Charlie stated, “We’re all just ingredients…What matters is the grace with which you cook the meal.”  What do you think she meant by this?  Why do you think Charlie saw Tom as the oregano?  Do you think it’s significant that on this night the pasta sauce was just a little different than the Spaghetti del Mare that Tom shared with Charlie, then again on his first visit to Lillian’s restaurant?

This chapter made me feel reminiscent for my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.  Like some of the characters in the book, I question the “more is better” approach to this holiday and prefer a feast focused on camaraderie and food prepared with fresh, local vegetables and herbs.  I loved that Antonia got to experience the holiday as a celebration and sharing of good food that has been prepared with love and that she was then able to impart this wisdom with her clients.  While reading Antonia’s story, I found myself longing for a cool, crisp autumn day in which I could spend the day in the kitchen making homemade vegetable stew and apple crisp for desert.  These types of seasonal meals help me feel more connected to family, friends and the beauty of the earth.

What are your favorite autumn or Thanksgiving foods?  What foods do you most enjoy preparing for family and friends?  Have you ever watched a relationship transform because of the food you cooked?

June 27: Carl

Glen Ivy Book Club is reading The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

This next chapter was one of my favorites.  I found it interesting that even in the chapter devoted to him, Carl was a strong, silent presence in the background; in this chapter we learned nearly as much about Helen and some of the other students as we did about Carl’s character.  Like the white cake that was the class project for the evening, Carl possesses the quiet comfort of an old standard; while not showy or elaborate, he might easily be overlooked in favor of something with more pizazz, but in the end he is the reliable classic that one returns to.  There is something soothing and reassuring about food that is simple and understated; it is this food that we return to when we need comfort and rest from the stresses of life; likewise Carl is the steady, reliable husband/friend that waits in silent repose, being always available to share the joys and sorrows of life.

During this class, Lillian notes that, “flour is what holds the cake together,” and that, “if you mix the flour with the other ingredients for too long you will have a flat, hard cake.” Using the cake as a metaphor for Carl and Helen’s relationship, which of these characters do you think represents the flour?

Seraphina

Meet Seraphina...

The Glen Ivy Book Club is reading The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister

June 18: Claire

This week we have our first introduction to a student of Lillian’s cooking class as Claire, a young wife and mother of two small children, makes her way to the class with more than a little hesitation.  As the thoughts of guilt and worry of leaving her children for a few hours slowly fade to the background, we see that Claire’s real struggle lies with the loss of self that often accompanies the life of a young mother.  Once a woman brave enough to make the first advance toward a man “replete with success,” Claire now feels invisible to the world, her individuality set aside to make room for the lives of her children and husband.  Although Claire possesses a deep love for her family, the shattered feeling of her loss of self is mirrored in the shattering of the crab that is the subject of that night’s meal. As the live crustacean is cracked open and dies to the life once known in a scene that may not be easy for all to read, we then witness the transformation of the crab as it is mixed with the right ingredients; the flavors slowly blend, creating something new, nourishing and beautiful…as this transition takes place, Claire finds her own transformation…she is not completely what she once was but still beautiful, complete in a different way, nourished by the seasoning of life experience and change.

Have you ever felt that food or cooking mirrored a life transition for you? Is there a meal that you turn to in times of change in your life? If so, what emotions does the food or meal evoke?

In this chapter we also learn that Lillian does not use recipes. Do you use recipes or do you cook by taste and “feeling?” Why or why not?

—Seraphina

June 11th: Prologue & Lillian

In this first week, we’ll discuss the prologue and first chapter of The School of Essential Ingredients, both of which introduce us to restaurant owner and cooking school instructor, Lillian.  The prologue sets the scene for the impending class; as we meet Lillian she is preparing for the first night of class and we learn that Lillian has been teaching cooking classes for seven years.  The description of the scene seems to indicate that Lillian knows the routine of welcoming a new class of students and greets it with familiarity; do you sense that there may be something different about this class? Is there any indication that Lillian may experience transformation along with her students?

As we move in to the first chapter of the book, we become privy to how Lillian learned the alchemy of cooking. An absent father and distant mother left young Lillian to discover much of life on her own, and, as children tend to do, she relied on her senses to guide her. Aromas, scents and smells are Lillian’s prevalent way of relating to the world. What role do they play in your life? Do aromas spark memories for you? What is the aroma of your favorite memory?  Do you think Lillian’s reliance on aroma and love for cooking would have developed had she had a more traditional upbringing?  Do you agree with Abuelita’s statement to Lillian that her cooking skills were a gift from her mother?

Hope you’re enjoying the book in these first few pages and I look forward to hearing your thoughts thus far.

Welcome to Glen Ivy’s first Book Club.  Over the next several weeks, we’ll use the power of social media to connect, converse and share a good book. Our first title will be The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister.

My name is Seraphina, and I am privileged to be your guide in this adventure.  I am the Director of Guest Experience Programming & Retreats at Glen Ivy.  Although I have a 15 year+ history of working in a spa environment, I have always been enchanted by the written word. If I ever win the lottery, you’ll find me opening a hip bookstore complete with earthy gourmet coffee, mysterious blends of herbal teas and Miles Davis music playing softly in the background.  I have always held a deep love for books; in fact, my post graduate work was in Library and Information Science.  Although the spa industry held more appeal for me than a career as a librarian, my affection for books remains and I look for any opportunity to join my passion for spa and literature.

Now that you know me, I would love to get to know each of you more…please feel free to post a comment below with a little about yourself and your interests.  What do you love most about a good read? Are there any special foods or drinks that you simply must have nearby when digging in to a new book? Do you read the book first or see the movie, then buy the book?