Since many of you have been asking about solutions for tasty, healthy, and time-sensitive meals, we found a possible solution for you.  Enter 0700 rockstar and professional cook, Melissa Fernandez.  She has made herself available for any requests/projects, large or small!  Not only is Melissa an incredible chef, she is also one of the sweetest mamas we know.

For those of you who don’t know Melissa, here is a short autobiography:

“Experience-  I’ve been working as a professional cook since 1995.  I started working as a cook in NYC. After 7 years, I decided to take a break from the city and move to the Bay Area to work at Chez Panisse for 1 year.  I fell in love with California (and my husband!) and I’ve been here for 7 years, working at Chez Panisse in both the Cafe & the Restaurant.

Food philosophy-  The most important thing that I’ve learned in my career is that we must not only take care of ourselves but we must take care of Mother Earth.  Maybe I think about this more now that I have a beautiful little girl that will be inheriting this land from us.  I support local organic, sustainable farms, fisheries and ranches.  Food nourishes your body and your soul.  I think it’s important to eat wholesome foods made with seasonal ingredients. I also think it’s important to splurge (without compromise…) every now and then with a great bottle of wine and a juicy ribeye steak!!

What I like to cook-  I love to travel. Learning new customs and cultures, meeting new people, discovering different foods.  I made sure to travel before motherhood hit full force and I like to take inspiration from that.  I’ve spent time in Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia…. and I can’t wait until Isa is a little older to continue the adventures.  Such different cuisine in all these places; but, the one constant is that in their everyday food, they all focus on simplicity and freshness.

My latest adventure- teaching cooking classes to individuals or small groups, catering dinner parties, consulting with clients on a meal plan and either cooking in their home or dropping off prepared foods at their home.”

Please contact info@icechamber.com if you are interested in having Melissa’s help with any of your culinary needs!

Today started with the pleasant surprise of my son crawling over my face as I awoke to sunlight in bed (my morning off).  If you’re a parent, you know how precious these moments are.  If you’re not a parent, trust me when I tell you that it’s priceless to be with your children in the morning.

When I arrived at the Chamber, we had the pleasure of pulling a great April Fool’s prank on Kim Martinez as part of her birthday gift (courtesy of Team 1000).  We can only hope that Kim liked it since she was the only one cranking out push-ups and burpees when instructed.  Everyone else did jumping jacks no matter what was called

An hour later, I arrived at King Middle School to talk to a class of teenagers about exercise and goals, as well as to share some of my life experiences with them.  It was a profound moment for me.  It’s incredible to communicate through movement because it can bridge the gap between age and culture.

(The wonderful teachers of King Middle School)

My afternoon was filled with excitement too. 2008 Olympic alternate Annie Shiraishi was training alongside Olympic hopeful Michael Eldred.  It’s always fun to watch these two train; they’re perfectionists when it comes to form and technique.  Thomas is doing great work with them.

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The evening rounded off with Ross, Kristin, Craig, Rob and the rest of the Kettlebell Crew showing some serious progress on the KB snatch.  They’ve committed to earning an official WKC ranking at the next meet.  I’m ecstatic about this.

Finally, I just received news that Sarah Baughn is the official winner of the ReBoot Weight Loss Challenge!

Congrats Sarah (second from left) on winning your free month.  We are extremely proud of Sarah and all of the ReBoot participants for their recent accomplishments which include fat loss and strength gains!

Best,

Steven