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Any quality Chef, worth his weight in peas, knows that the best food comes in cooking with the seasons. There is no known sense of happiness greater than the bliss that consumes a chef upon the arrival of Spring. The first sign of existence after a lifeless, desolate, ice covered winter presents the ideal circumstances for profuse celebrations.

The season’s prologue is steeped heavily in the inception of new life as well as the continued reproduction of our evergreens. As the Doe births new life in her fragile fawn; the established wintergreen, unearthed from under a blanket of ivory flakes, begins to sprout it’s crimson berries anew. The tone set by an unspoiled patch of gradually thawing earth manifests a calming insight into what a Pre-Columbian America may have been. Understanding the benefits of mother nature and how to use her assets adds a nice touch to any minimalist’s menu.

It starts with the first vibrant chartreuse blossom breaking the gray scale of a vanishing winter. The much anticipated herbs begin to bloom into spring changing menus and moods in kitchens around the country. Soon, there is no stopping natures natural progressions with the furnishing of the season’s preamble bounty, embracing the consumption of Fiddlehead Ferns, Dandelions, and Wild Ramps. The woods become a candy store; every step into the wild provides a naïve forager with the danger of trampling dinner.

When a Cook has spent time getting in touch with his inner naturalist and supplying the food that he is responsible for handling, it changes the appreciation and understanding of the ingredient. When a Chef understands the amount of energy that is exerted in producing a single Blueberry Blossom ,the question will never again be “what is a Blueberry Blossom” rather “What does this Blueberry Blossom become in the hands of an Educated Cook.”