LIVE Magazine #230 March 11-March 25, 2016

Compiled by Juli Ragsdale of LIVE Magazine
Plant-Based Chef, Restaurateur, Author of Made with Love,
Owner of Kelly’s Bake Shoppe (Burlington, ON, Canada)
Quick, free associate: gluten-free. Plant-based. Vegan.
For a lot of people, those food descriptors translate to: bland,
blander, and blandest. Gluten-free is to delicious, they believe,
as a three-toed sloth is to a cheetah. Plant-based is to a sumptuous
repast as Twitter is to the Great American Novel. Vegan
is to … oh, never mind. You get the point.
And that point is decidedly off-base, if you ask Kelly Childs.
And if you taste her recipes, you’ll forget the cynical question
forming on your lips. As co-owner of Kelly’s Bake Shoppe
and Lettuce Love Café in Burlington, Ontario, Childs’ mission
and her passion are to show skeptics how wrong they are to
assume that if something is healthful and nutritious, it can’t
taste good. The deeper message of her medium (food) is that
the more healthful your diet, the better your life. And a good,
better, best life leaves more time and interest to indulge in
yummy meals.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9 AND SUNDAY, APRIL 10
Grand Tastings: 12-4 p.m. / VIP entry at 11a.m.
A showcase of over 40 local, regional, and national
restaurants, as well as 60 premium wineries, craft breweries,
and spirits purveyors. The live demo lineup includes Ricardo
Zarate, Sean Le, mother and daughter vegan chef duo Kelly
Childs and Erinn Weatherbie (Kelly’s Bake Shoppe, Lettuce
Love Café), alongside beloved favorites from the local dining
scene, such as Herve Glinn (Mister Parker at the Parker Palm
Springs), Bruno Lopez (State Fare Bar + Kitchen at the Ritz-
Carlton, Rancho Mirage), and many more.
To purchase tickets and view the latest festival additions,
schedules, and more, visit www.palmdesertfoodandwine.com
Childs co-owns the bakery and the affiliated restaurant with
her daughter, Erinn Weatherbie. The Canadian entrepreneurs
spread the good word via their website, and on TV. For one
Canada AM segment, mom and daughter brought an array of
lip-smacking baked goods and explained that all were vegan,
gluten-free, and that they satisfy the sweet tooth of people
who have food allergies without compromising their health.
Their book Made with Love, from Random House, is available
in bookstores and will be available at Palm Desert
Food&Wine. It’s chockfull of more than 100 recipes, savory
and sweet. The new offering can only enhance Kelly’s Bake
Shoppe status as BuzzFeed’s No. 3 on its list of “25 Sweet
Cupcake Shops Around The World To Eat At Before You Die.”
Whoever said the cupcake thing was over has never been on
the business end of Kelly Childs’ tasting spoon.
“
Our advice for a Palm Springs Romantic Dinner
for two would be:
To start, Spiced Avocado Toast with heirloom tomatoes and
balsamic reduction, Lemon Ricotta (made with nut cheese
- Vegan). Lasagna and a side of roasted organic yellow and
red beets. Finished with a deep rich molten lava cake and
hazelnut, cinnamon coconut milk ice cream and a raw cacao
drizzle.
Libations: Hibiscus Champagne Cocktail (1 tbsp Hibiscus
syrup placed in flute before you pour the champagne)
”
“BFF’s forever! We love nature and a
more connected way of living. Yoga and
meditation are daily practices of us.”
“We love Palm Springs
and come down 3 to 4
times a year. Favorite
hangouts are TRIO,
Tropicale, Spencers,
Workshop Kitchen,
Nature’s Cafe and
Norma’s.”