Waking up on day 5 like, my dog is more frustrated than I am, the coronavirus isolation hitting home for him as usually by 6 I’m up and he’s out, swimming, playing with his friends and generally causing some ruckus around town, however, now as the jetlag fades and I’m staying in bed until 8 ish he’s losing his mind. We get sun all day from the balcony, right above a busy street in Bondi, it’s amazing coming from Italy, where shit gradually hit the fan, back to Australia, it’s actually like going back in time, people going about their daily routine, unknowing about what is to come, its the same pattern, you almost want to scream it off the balcony. Life goes on. There is some respect to be had in that, I’m just hoping they don’t shut down the country as I come out of isolation, only to be trapped inside for another 4 weeks. I’m slowly getting through all the grains, nuts, fruits and seeds in my cupboard, I never usually eat breakfast, but in times like these who wouldn’t get excited about bircher, with fruit and yoghurt. For a few months in 2018, a partner and I launched a company called Raw Reformation, why we chose that name I don’t know, but we liked the RAW element to it, just because the word sounds as it describes, it has punch, not many people understood the name, I learnt the lesson of a catchy title. Upon starting this private chef company, we booked a gig with a beautiful couple who were spending the summer in Jackson, Wyoming, right along the snake river, just outside of Teton Village, this was one of the most amazing places I’ve lived, and still have nostalgia about it frequently. The house smack bang in the middle of the natural Alk migration, we saw moose, bears, Alk, owls and so much more, coming from New Zealand where there are no predators and only farm animals this blew my mind! The lady of the house was quite partial to the granola She had eaten at Split Apple, where I had cooked for her 6 months prior, so first duty on the first morning was to replicate her beloved granola. I’m a big fan of coconut yoghurt, I got off dairy besides the odd bit of cheese a long time ago, but everywhere you travel, it’s super hard to get your hands on co-yo that tastes good and has the texture I desire, its usually one or the other, I need both!! So with the joys of my trade, I decided to make my own, I’m not sure how I stumbled across the recipe, I would like to think from a little lady of the land, making kombucha and jams to sell at the local market, but I can’t be sure, low and behold it was the most amazing coconut yoghurt I have ever had, 3 ingredients, lasts 5 days and surpasses anything I’ve had the opportunity to taste, in fact, I never buy coconut yoghurt, if I’m going somewhere new, I take my probiotics with me and will have a fresh batch within 24 hours. During this stint in Jackson, Valerie and I worked on a cookbook to gift to the couple on our last day of service, I had never produced written recipes before, I keep them in my head, and with Val never making a book, it was stressful, however after 2 months we managed to compose 57 recipes, have them photographed and printed. An amazing experience received so beautifully by the couple we worked for. Doing a little extra work goes a long way to grab peoples hearts, it’s a beautiful feeling, While Valerie and I are no longer together, she’s currently studying graphic design, amazingly this book made her choose a career path and I’m so proud to have been a part of that. The world is a funny place, and if you step back, you realise things happen the way they are meant too. Not sure if Ziggy ‘the dog’ will comprehend that as I’m still in bed unloading my brain to this paper. We’ll walk soon pup, I promise.