Ten years after its last cookbook launched, SoCal luxury resort Cal-a-Vie Health Spa releases Beautiful Living, its 300-page lavishly produced cookbook and lifestyle guide.
Learn how to make Cal-a-Vie's sea bass Veracruz with wild rice and brocolini at home.
New year, new you. We’ve heard it before. Each January we try desperately to commit to a healthy lifestyle, and despite our determination, it never quite sticks. But with Cal-a-Vie Health Spa’s cookbook release, Beautiful Living, that’s all about to change. Boasting more than 100 health-conscious recipes created by executive chef Curtis Cooke, the book showcases cuisine prepared with fresh ingredients sourced from the resort’s garden and local vendors, with each beautifully pictured dish photographed amid the retreat’s French Provençal backdrop. “Some of the recipes are ones I have carried with me my whole career,” says Cal-a-Vie’s veteran chef, who subscribed to a healthy lifestyle while attending cooking school in his 20s.
From broccoli Parmesan soup, made with simple and pure ingredients for maximum nutritional value, to the classic meatball, a riff on the popular entree dish served as a one-bite appetizer—two of chef Cooke’s favorite dishes—each recipe is dynamic and flavorful, and features a full nutritional breakdown. “Cal-a-Vie is more than just cooking, and we wanted this book to not only tell our story, but also resemble who we are,” says Cooke, adding that the cookbook incorporates a little part of everything one experiences at Cal-a-Vie. Those with food allergies or dietary restrictions will also be pleased to find many recipes curated to nearly every nutritional request. “We wanted to make sure there was something for everyone in the book,” says Cooke.
So, with this new decade among us, let’s make this year different and follow in chef Cooke’s healthy lifestyle philosophy. “It’s all about mindfulness and being present,” he says. “It’s an honor to share these recipes and show you that healthy eating is attainable at home.” Let the cooking commence!
Photography by: Debora Smail
