Recently invited to trial the relaunch of a health-focused meal delivery service in Los Angeles, I was curious and gave Fitness Kitchen LA  a try.  Two thumbs -up! 

Fitness Kitchen LA is lifestyle service for health conscious Angelenos wanting optimally nutritious, delicious and restaurant quality meal plans conveniently delivered to their doorstep. Fitness Kitchen taps into a network of California vendors for locally sourced ingredients such as grass-fed beef (no hormones or antibiotics) free-range poultry and eggs, wild-caught fish and seasonal, local produce.

How it Works:
Complete a form that will determine your meal plan and your menu. Do you want to trim, maintain or train?  These are the 3 choices of the meal plans and each plan includes lean proteins, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats and fresh vegetables and fruit.

If you don't like a particular vegetable, grain, fruit, protein or dairy item, Fitness Kitchen will work around dietary and taste preferences. There are up to 5 items you can eliminate at no charge. My five choices were veal, lamb, tofu, brussel sprouts and mushrooms. (If you are a super picky eater, Fitness Kitchen LA will accommodate up to fifteen dietary eliminations at an additional charge.) An email is sent the night before the first delivery confirming your customized plan, what to expect and recommendations on heating the items (avoiding the microwave & heating naturally.)

What I Received:
Bright and early, there was a delivery at my doorstep. Packed neatly in a square cooler bag were my 4 menu items, numbered for each meal with my name on the front. Unpacking each meal was a treat. I could see each meal was very fresh, well- presented, looked attractive and contained quality ingredients. Their website states "Fresh, local ingredients and food that taste like it came from your favorite restaurant" and in my opinion that is a true statement. If you want to get an idea of their weekly menu, click here. 

During the 2 day trial, I actually looked forward to each meal and it made me more conscious of portions and how just a little of this or that can add flavor, texture and color without going over board.  My favorite  meal was Fitness Kitchen LA's Paleo Banana French Toast with coconut berry compote and garnish of strawberries. Oooo lala!  With the 4 meals provided each day, I didn't feel deprived even though I was on the trim plan. I also really enjoyed the kale and butternut squash salad with pulled roasted turkey. Whoever pulled the turkey took great care in ensuring there were no fatty, stringy, ligament-y parts - and it was super high quality and delicious. 

What I liked Fitness Kitchen LA:

• Locally sourced, super high quality, fresh and mostly organic food 
• Tried new foods or combinations that took me outside of the same healthy eating routine
• Very good to GREAT tasting well balanced meals 
• 4 Meals delivered daily to my doorstep - super fun!
• Customized plan based on my unique preferences
• Great customer service - when I had a question, bingo! Got the answer via email super fast

Special offer: Fitness Kitchen LA is offering WTJ readers a  20% off their first order or 10% discount on orders of 4 weeks or more. Use the discount code "WTJ" online. http://fitnesskitchenla.com/
Please note: Discount promo can not be combined with another promo. 

Sign me up! I could hardly wait for my  half day cooking class with The Siam Hotel's Executive Chef to begin. I was smitten with the idea of learning how to cook Thai cuisine with a top chef from one of the best luxury hotels in Bangkok.  There were 4 parts to this food adventure - a curated visit to the local market, a tour of The Siam's urban garden, private cooking class and the joy of eating.

On a gorgeously hot and humid September day, Executive Chef Damri and I started our food adventure with a tuk tuk ride (my first!) to a local and authentic market. That in itself was a hoot and I've got the video to show it!

Part 1: Curated Visit to the Local Market
Arriving to the market, Chef Damri smartly selected the produce section to start our tour.  Picking up a bunch of herbs, he'd ask me if I knew what this or that was. It was a fun way of learning and I knew more than I thought I did.  As we proceeded to the fish area, we passed a stall with hanging intestines and other meat. It was gross (animal lover here!) but still interesting since most of us in the West are completely separated from the butchering process. The fish area - oh my! - had all sorts of squiggly, mystery things - some identifiable like squid and eels - and things I had never seen before. There were pastes and curries that we past and a man working hard to extract the water from coconuts. Yes, the floors had mucky water and fish heads were being chopped off  but the authenticity (with no American or other tourists to be seen) made the visit all the more special. This was a remarkable first-hand look at what is perhaps akin to our Farmer's Market.  Before departing I spotted a vendor selling  coconut dessert, ordered 6  to share with the staff and headed back The Siam a happy camper. 

Part 2: The Siam's Urban Garden
The Siam Kitchen Garden began 5 months and grows vegetables and herbs and is conveniently located in the backyard of the Siam Kitchen with easy access for the Chef to access. Plants from the Kitchen Garden are used for Thai soups, curries, stir fried, wok fried, and side dishes  as well as for garnishes for plated meal such as Phad Krapraow Beef and Crisp Fried Eggs,  Below are a list of plants currently cultivated at The Siam Kitchen Garden:
·         Lemongrass
·         Mint
·         Holy Basil
·         Sweet Basil
·         Bird Chili
·         Betal leaves
·         Kaffir Lime tree
·         Shallots
·         Butterfly Peas
·         Vietnamese Mint
·         Coriander
·         Issan Laab Leave / Saw Tooth Coriander
 
Why mention this? Urban gardens are beneficial to guests, property and planet. Growing flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables contributes to the guest experience, giving an added boost to serving up the freshest and tastiest of meals. For hotels and restaurants, urban gardens are a brand booster and can help with the bottom line. Grown onsite minimizes the costs of shipping produce and plants improve air quality, which is especially helpful to reducing city smog. I personally respect a restaurant/hotel that actively sources locally grown ingredients and shows concern for the environment while serving up delicious, eco-licous cuisine. 

Part2: Private Cooking Class
Let's cook!  With only two cooking stations, this was a truly private and intimate experience. The kitchen has been prepped with a big beautiful basket of fresh produce, gas cooking stations, pots, mortar and pestle and all the ingredients and cooking tools needed to prepare the three dishes I chose.  The setting was GORGEOUS overlooking the river. The cooking school is in a charming (and small) authentic Thai house. The Siam's F & B Manager arrived to give us a warm welcome and as I donned on my apron, I noticed in the adjacent restaurant there was a live jazz band playing for the Sunday brunch crowd. HEAVEN! Bantering with Chef Damri was easy and our conversation flowed about food as love, cooking with a smile, the right ingredients make all the difference to knife skills and more technical instruction.

While I can't say I mastered  Thai cuisine, this was a happy and memorable experience where I enjoyed exotic aromas in a historical setting. listening to live jazz, overlooking the soothing water of the Chao Praya River and reveling in the total experience.

Tips for Booking:
Typically there is a 2 person minimum for each class but this was an exception. Lucky me!  Seating is for 2-4 people. Space is limited of course so its best to make arrangements in advance although The Siam Hotel offers this daily upon request. For more information visit www.thesiamhotel.com

Check out our 1 minute video on the The Siam Cook School  here.