Bermudian Karla Lacey is hoping to teach the value of cooking meals using ingredients that are in season.The CEO of the Bermuda Hospitality Institute has written a cookbook, ‘Karla’s Kitchen Table for All Seasons’.The impetus was the development of the chef courses she runs for kids and the insistence of a professional food stylist in the US.“I never thought of myself as a cookbook author and I didn’t feel that I was the right person to do a cookbook,” she said.“Irene [Bertolucci] stayed on me until I made a commitment and once I made the commitment, she would not let me out of it. So truly, I was badgered into it.“She felt that for everything that was being done for Junior Chef, in order to move it forward, it needed a cookbook, because once you are published in that field it is an entry into many things.“I love food. I teach and I’ve reworked many recipes, but I wasn’t so focused with teaching people through the written word, as I was through doing.”Ms Lacey founded the Junior Chef programme in California in 2004 and introduced it to the Island about three years ago.Its aim is to teach kids to make healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and their families.The programme is supported by the Bermuda Chefs Association and the Healthy Schools Programme.‘Karla’s Kitchen Table for All Seasons’ was designed by Ms Lacey’s friend, Michele Thomas.A Bermudian graphic designer based in Washington DC, she had previously worked for the Smithsonian Institute and the IRS.Photos were shot from Ms Lacey’s California home.“Every item [in it] I purchased at the farmer’s market or the grocery store,” she said. “I made everything with one exception and that’s because we were down to the last two days of shooting. The stylist had to make it because I didn’t have enough oven space.”The book would have been completed in early 2008 except an important chunk of it was missing Ms Lacey still hadn’t put pen to paper.“The book waited on me to finish the copy,” she said.She eventually started working and finished the book earlier this year.The recipes included surprised many who she had cooked for in the past.“I got harassed by some of the people who know me, because some of the favourite recipes that I cook at home are not included because I focused on beginner recipes.”Seasonal items were also part of her focus.“That is the basis of how I teach and how I eat and I realised that really I wanted to teach people how to do the same, and that is when it all came together.“In the beginning of the book it says, ‘this is not a cookbook’. It is a how-to-eat book masquerading as a cookbook and truly that is what it is.“It’s about eating with family and friends and sharing a meal.“My whole philosophy is that food [should be] eaten properly. It should not necessarily be treated with reverence, but appreciated and enjoyed with others.“Not everyone has that option, but you should feed yourself as well as you would feed others; so it is really not about how to cook it is about how to eat.”With the exception of the baking recipes, no aspect of food preparation is set in stone, she said.“You can add, subtract or substitute at will. For instance the Thai coconut soup recipe, I make that at home with fish. I don’t make it with chicken [as the recipe calls for in the book].”Part of the inspiration for many of the recipes was reducing sugar and removing the reliance on packaged or prepared food.“I start always with what’s in season and using it in different ways,” Ms Lacey explained.“I’ve done a lot of eating and I love all different cuisines as I have been fortunate enough to live in different places where I’ve tasted authentic cuisines.“California, of course, is great for that, because you have every ethnic group preparing their own foods.“And when you are somewhere where you have access to the freshest of foods, being [prepared authentically] by their own people, you can’t help but be inspired.”Her recipes are based on that variety of influences their common denominator is that the ingredients are fresh and seasonal.“I don’t eat tomatoes in the winter even if they are hot-housed, I’ll eat sundried or roasted tomatoes and I’ll roast my own.“I just go the winter without because it is not what my body needs they are not at the peak of their flavour, and not as nutritious.“It is eating what your body needs. In the dead of winter your body doesn’t need all of the hydration that comes with the vegetables in the summer.“In the winter the days are shorter and your eyesight needs to be boosted, you need more vitamin D, because there is less sunlight and you need foods that will boost your immune system.”‘Karla’s Kitchen Table For All Seasons’ is available for $25 at the Bermuda Bookstore and online, www.jrchefcentral.com.Petite Shepherd PieFrom ‘Karla’s Kitchen Table for All Seasons’Makes 6 ServingsIngredients1 Tbsp Vegetable oil1 Large Onion peeled and chopped1 Large Carrot, peeled and chopped1 lb Ground beef (or substitute with another ground meat)1 Cup Beef or chicken broth1 Tbsp Tomato Paste1 Tsp Chopped fresh or dry rosemary½ Cup Chopped Italian parsley1 Cup Frozen green peas2 lbs Baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks6 Tbsp Unsalted butter½ Cup MilkKosher salt to tasteDirections1. Preheat oven to 375°F2. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the onion, carrot and meat. Cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes.3. Drain the fat. Add the broth, tomato paste, and herbs to the meat. Simmer until the juices thicken, about 10 minutes, add the peas.4. Pour the mixture into 6 oz. Soufflé dishes; set aside.5. Meanwhile bring the potatoes to a boil in salted water. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes; drain.6. Mash the potatoes with the butter, milk and salt.7. Spread potatoes over the meat mix