As the Images & Voices of Hope Summit 2010    (http://www.ivoh.org) converged onto Peace Village in Haines Falls NY last weekend,  the kitchen was prepping and getting ready.  We had meetings before the event to plan out the menu.  We had Indian fusion cuisine, italian, american.and some healthy alternatives.  Although we were all  different types of chefs we combined our talents to create a wonderful dining experience for the guests.  Along with the food, we kept a peaceful vibration in the kitchen.  I've talked about this before.  Keep the atmosphere clean and clear while you prepare your food.  Every few hours a song would begin playing for 3 - 5 minutes.  It was called "traffic control." You actually  stop the traffic of thoughts for that time to clear your mind and keep steady and peaceful.  .  We would stop what we were doing for the entire song then go back to our kitchen tasks once the song had finished.  It gave us renewed energy and a subtle refreshing boost of serenity.   . Some of the kitchen staff worked from 4:00am to 10:00pm.  They did it because they wanted to not because they had to.  That makes all the difference.
The creativity building in the kitchen had reached new levels and the willingness to assist one another was visible.    Loving what you do helps to create a very special outcome.  With love like that the finished product could never fail.  We each had that love for the task.     It was a great experience and one I will never forget.  Four chefs with different backgrounds working together to create one smashing weekend.  There was never any problems only solutions.
A task well done.  Special thanks to Kymberly for the photos.
In Peace
Donna