As groups of students milled about, taking in the sight, smells and tastes of the different vendors at Thursday’s Farmers Market at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), they were inevitably drawn to the tasty samples of chocolate pudding prepared by CSUMB’s Executive Chef Julie Picco and Otter Kitchens resident district manager Monty Vicks.
A Teaching Kitchen was hosted by Picco and Vicks, demonstrating how to make this delicious treat.
“Today we’re doing a tasting for the farmers market, just trying to let students try some ingredients and food options that maybe they haven’t had a chance to, and it’s free, so there’s no commitment involved,” said Picco.
Picco demonstrated a simple, easy recipe for Chia Chocolate Mousse. The recipe is vegan and involves using only a blender or food processor.
It seemed that the pudding was unanimously enjoyed by those who tasted it. “It was really good and I liked how it was non-dairy. It was sweet and the texture was like if it did have dairy,” said fourth-year, Karen Maldonado. “It was yummy!” commented fourth-year, Lexi Yokomizo.
In the samples, one could taste the chefs’ expertise and passion for cooking. According to Picco, the Teaching Kitchen hopes to inspire students to branch out in the things that they try cooking at home.
“We try to pick recipes that are easy to execute at home. This one requires no cooking at all – all you need is a food processor to do it. So in theory, you can make this in a dorm room,” Picco said.
Vicks commented on a shared mindset of creativity that he and Picco both express through cooking, leading them to experiment with different recipes like the one demonstrated on Thursday.
“What I enjoy about our partnership is that we think outside the box. Even though we’re on campus, we use it as our canvas,” said Vicks. Both Vicks and Picco commented on the high hopes that they have for the university’s culinary future.
“We’re going away from just getting by, to going above and beyond, like this could be a campus or this could be a hotel. It needs to be at that level, like a four or five-star hotel,” said Picco.
To this, Vicks added, “We’re changing. We’re doing some cultural redevelopment for our [Otter Kitchens] team which means that we’re shifting how people have seen food. We want to hear the heartbeat of the students and faculty, and we’re building upon that.”