I had the great fortune to be invited to an Ombelly Raw Desserts Workshop last weekend. I know Verda Marley, owner of Ombelly, is an amazing raw desserts chef having delighted in some of her raw chocolate truffles, but I had no idea just how knowledgeble and extensive her talents are until now.
First of all, the location of the Ombelly workshops is at a spectacular paradise in Kula called O'o Farms. Garden after garden of organic vegies are raised and harvested for the farm-to-table fine dining oceanfront restaurants in Lahaina; Pacifico's and I'o. O'o Farms has an extensive outdoor kitchen equipped with food processors, food dehydrators and blenders - essential tools for this kind of raw foods mastery. The cool upcountry breezes, colorful trees and fluttering butterflies set the perfect environment for a relaxing, fun weekend of rich savory experiences.
Verda carefully explains each ingredient of her absolutely divine desserts as she includes the students in their creation. She educated us on the variety of raw, organic sweeteners, fruits, nuts and thickeners that can be blended in various forms to create pie crusts & fillings, exquisite desserts such as tiramasu, nutella cheesecake and decadent truffles such as coconut cinnamon and kumquat blue ginger. Her assistant, Jamie, cut coconuts with machetes as she extracted the sweet juice and savory coconut meat for a lilikoi and pomagranite pie. Verda carefully added espresso to the layers of raw, organic, sinfully delicious tiramasu.
I don't think i have ever tasted so many amazing, robust flavors in my life. Cacao beans, fresh coconut juice, creamy avocados, fresh dates, and fruit pies that made my mouth water. The desserts are not only outrageously delicious, they are very nutritional and absolutely beautiful. Luckily Verda gave each attendee a valuable recipe book that we each added notes to as she filled our brains with an immense education on fine raw dessert mastery. I am going to be utilizing that recipe book to wow my friends and family for years to come!
After a couple hours of preparing the desserts, Jamie cut some tasty vegies from the O'o gardens including kale, arugula, radishes and tomatoes for our lunch. Verda explained how to make a raw caesar dressing that is to die for! They added some organic goat cheese and olives to the salad and served it with some heavenly bread. We all got to know each other as we shared the savory lunch and wine amidst the rustic, glorious setting of the Kula countryside and its epic ocean views.
Verda holds her Ombelly Raw Desserts Workshops at O'o farms monthly. Check out her website to register for her workshops or order any of her incredible raw treats:
http://www.ombelly.com
