Yoga for Foodies…Chicago
March 8 and 9, 2010
at Province Restaurant with Chef Randy Zweiban

Zweibans favorite ingredients:

The corn products from Anson Mills.
“We use their grits for a Shrimp and Grits dish at Province.”

L’Estornell organic olive oil from Spain.
“I have been using it for years and love the flavor and consistency of the oil.”

Guiseppe Cocco Pasta from Abruzzi-Italy.
“One of the best dried pastas I have ever had and always cooks up to a perfect al dente.”

A great artist once said, “I’d like to live as a poor man with lots of money.” When eating a great meal by an amazing chef, don’t you sometimes feel taking off your shoes, putting on your pj’s, and getting as comfortable as possible before total indulgence? Or is it just me? It can’t be just me. There’s at least 24 others because 12 people showed up on March 8 and another 12 on March 9 for the Chicago stop on the Yoga for Foodies tour. The mission, to take off one’s worries and anxieties, if not their shoes, by doing a little yoga before dining. If no shoes sounds unsanitary in a restaurant, don’t worry, we were tucked away in the private dining room at Province, the creation of chef Randy Zweiban.

Zweiban described to the participants why he agreed to let people practice yoga in his restaurant. He was recently in Paris enjoying meal in the perfect outdoor setting and wondered if the gorgeous setting effected his memory of the food? Would a pre-meal stretch in Province’s dining room also create a permanent and powerful memory for the participants?

The very instant class was over, we enjoyed, on our yoga mats, Acai Blood Orange Cocktails and Shrimp and Anson Mills Farms Grit Spoons. Maybe it was the food and drink but something very strange happened. Formerly strangers, the participants involuntarily formed a circle to talk with one another. Sounds so basic but going to a nice restaurant and engaging in vibrant conversation with people other than who you arrived with? It’s so easy to make friends when we’re kids but…

There’s no better way to bond than over a great meal. “Great” doesn’t do justice to some of Chef Zweiban’s selections which included one of the best pieces of fish I ever tasted: Spice Seared Hawaiian Tuna with serrano chilies, sea salt, and citrus yogurt. It even outdid the ensuing meat dish Charred & Grilled Beef Tenderloin with root vegetable hash and Province chimichurri.

As we wound down the evening with dessert (Chocolate parfait with chocolate crema, chocolate crunch, chocolate sorbet), Zweiban challenged us to see if we could dip our spoons to the bottom and capture each of the layers in one amazing spoonful. It was the perfect finale…and a sweet reminder that sometimes, no matter our worries and struggles, one rich spoonful of life filled with stretching, music, new friends, and great food is all we need to remember: livin’ the good life is livin’ the moment.

A look at the menu from the event: