Gaia Gourmet Culinary Course
Learn the FIne Art of Plant-Based Cuisine
Learn with Us
The Yoga of Cooking:
A 21-Day Plant-Based Culinary Arts Course
The sacred union of mind, body & spirit is deeply connected to the way we receive nourishment. Optimal nourishment from food strengthens the physical body (in the yoga tradition we call it the anamaya kosha) so that it can best support mental and spiritual awakening. Not only what we eat, but also how we eat and where our food comes from are very important. Considering this, we have made delicious and nutritious vegetarian cooking and eating our lifestyle. When you pair the best and most consciously cultivated vegetables, fruits and herbs with an expert, sophisticated and artful palate, you get Gaia Gourmet Cuisine. We nourish all of the senses and layers of who we are so that we can live our best lives.
Training Details
Exclusive Surroundings, Experiential Eating
With the Gaia Gourmet Culinary Yoga immersion, you’ll travel to a beautiful destination and spend about twenty days cooking and practicing yoga. Enjoy delicious, colorful, and decadent vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Explore your yoga practice. Expand your kitchen skills to deeply nourish yourself and others. You do not need any prior experience with yoga or cooking.
cook from day one
With Love, for Health
In this unique certification program, students participate in all aspects of catering a yoga teacher training. The course is based on tried and tested Gaia Gourmet methods and recipes under the guidance of Chef Naga or any expert from his team. In addition to spending time in the kitchen, you get to join morning meditation and asana classes, group excursions, as well as have the option to attend lectures on Ayurveda and yoga philosophy with the other yoga students.
Your daily schedule will vary, but expect to spend about 40 hours each week in and around the kitchen. You’ll be cooking from day one—working with the finest natural ingredients to create nutrient-dense gourmet cuisine in a precise, fast-paced, action packed professional environment.
Who is this program for?
This program is for you if you want hands-on experience in a working vegetarian kitchen preparing Chef Naga’s world renown dishes. You will get to perform the full range of cooking, from the basics to the advanced. You will make some of the most delicious vegan and gluten-free desserts, an array of different dressings and sumptuous sauces so that you can reproduce them at home for yourself, family, friends, or potentially setting you up for a career in the culinary arts. This experience will give you an opportunity to cultivate greater confidence and skill while cooking at home. If you have some professional kitchen experience already, this program will inspire your plant-based repertoire and open your eyes and tastebuds to new possibilities. This program is also a great option if you’d like to join a friend or partner during their yoga course. All levels of cooking experience are welcome. No prior experience is necessary.
What you’ll learn
Curriculum
The Gaia Gourmet method centers focus and awareness, bringing mindfulness to the kitchen as we lovingly transform our raw materials into a multi-sensory, communal dining experience. This training is 100% experiential, not a traditional classroom. All of the learning happens hands-on in real time. You will learn by watching and doing. It takes a lot of structure to feed 20+ yogis three amazing meals each day, so the menu is standardized rather than improvised. Space is limited to only two participants per culinary training, so you will get maximum practice time in front of the stovetop, oven, blender or grill!
Click here to see an outline of our Culinary Training Curriculum
You Will Experience:
- How to Organize a Plant-Based Kitchen
- Optimization of Produce Lifespan and Uses
- The Versatility of Nuts and Seeds: Nut Butters, Vegan Cheeses, and Garnishes
- The Ultimate Vegetable Stock
- Spice Combining
- Lunch and Dinner Entrees
- Soups, Dals, Curries, and Kicharis
- Salads and Dressings
- Decadent Vegan, Gluten-Free Desserts and Biscuits
- How to Handle Dietary Restrictions, Special Needs, Allergies, and Sensitivities
- Problem Solving on the Fly in a Live Kitchen Environment
- Menu Planning, including Describing and Announcing Dishes
- Scheduling and Time Management
- Meal Service (Front and Back of House programming, including Table Setting and Clearing)
- Strategic Kitchen Cleaning
- Daily Vinyasa Yoga classes
- Morning Meditation
- Ayurveda lectures
- Yoga Philosophy lectures
UPCOMING PROGRAM DATES
Starting at $3699* if you pay-in-full at the time of registering up to 90 Days before start date. (*For Shared room and bathroom, private accommodations available at check-out at extra cost)
$3999* when you book within 90 Days of start date OR if you secure a spot with a $500 deposit. (*For Shared room and bathroom, private accommodations available at check-out at extra cost)
2023
NOVEMBER 19 – DECEMBER 9 SANCTUARY SANTA ANA, COSTA RICA (SOLD OUT)
2024
FEBRUARY 4 – 24 SANCTUARY SANTA ANA, COSTA RICA
MARCH 3 – 23 SANCTUARY SANTA ANA, COSTA RICA
APRIL 7 – 27 SANCTUARY SANTA ANA, COSTA RICA (SOLD OUT)
JUNE 25 – JULY 15 VERONA, ITALY (SOLD OUT)
JULY 22 – AUGUST 11 VERONA, ITALY
AUGUST 15 – SEPT 4 VERONA, ITALY
WHAT DOES MY TUITION PAYMENT COVER?
- Gaia Gourmet Certification upon successful completion of the course
- Gaia Gourmet Culinary Training manual
- 20 nights in luxury accommodations in shared room with shared bathroom (options for private room available at extra cost)
- 3 incredible, organic Gaia Gourmet vegetarian or vegan meals each on-site day (excluding arrival, departure, and excursion days)
- Unlimited coffee, an assortment of teas, and fresh fruit for snacks
- Weekly laundry service or access to a machine and weekly towel & linen changes (depending on location)
- Full access to magical private properties—including gardens, trails, swimming pools, and more
- Options to participate in organized group excursions (at additional cost)
- Access to exceptional wine tastings, pairings, and producers (at additional cost)
- Morning yoga & meditation classes
- 3 weeks making friends for life with beautiful souls from around the world!
Let’s Do This
Easy As 1-2-3
Step 1 - Pick
Choose an amazing location!
Step 2 - Purchase
Pay-in-full up to 3 months before start date and save $300 or make a $500 deposit to secure your spot!
Step 3 - Plan
Secure flights and start packing! We’ll provide the apron!!