yoga graduation dinner at rise above

Thank you for all of your congratulations about our yoga teacher training on Facebook and Twitter! I highly recommend anyone embark on a yoga teacher training program, not only if they have a passion to teach yoga, but also if they want to deepen their own practice and understanding of the tradition and cultivate inner stillness and self-awareness. I assure you it will be a life-changing experience.

Our graduation ceremony was a vibrant celebration complete with family, friends, music, love, and flowers. Above are the fantastic teachers in the Yoga By Sarah teacher training program; Amanda, Allison, Tony Murdock, Sarah, and Angela.

After the ceremony, we headed to Rise Above for our graduation dinner. I have written about Rise Above (the only vegan restaurant in Niagara) here on the blog before; since my last post, they have changed locations and expanded from a bakery to a larger restaurant.

We were in for quite the dining experience; Kyle and his staff went above and beyond what we could have desired for our celebration dinner - a five course, fine dining vegan experience (completely allergen free and with three raw options).

For our first course, we started with a Vanilla Pear and Berry Puree. This was an interesting starter; a raw and chilled berry soup with the perfect balance of sweetness and vanilla.

Our second course was a fantastic Potato Ravioli with Onion and Smoked Pepper on Cashew Cream. These 'ravioli' were made out of pan-fried, thinly sliced potato, and I marveled in the unique creativity behind this dish.The cashew cream was a perfect compliment to the steamed greens and ravioli filling.

The third course was a raw Beet and Strawberries with Coriander and Lemon Maple Dressing; I had never thought to combine beets and berries in a salad like this before - a winning combination if you ask me (I love beets and berries!). The coriander was also a nice compliment to the subtle flavours in the lemon maple dressing.

The fourth course was a Spring Vegetable Ragout with White Bean Cassoulet and Parsley Salad; a hearty warmed dish that won everybody over. I was very impressed with the flavours and texture of the ragout and cassoulet together.

And finally, dessert. Here, we were treated to a Fig and Date Tart with Custard and Coconut Cream. This was a very tasty treat, but I had hoped for a little more creativity in the presentation. I really enjoyed the crust (interesting preparation - it was quite thin, almost like dried fruit leather) and coconut cream, but felt the banana filling and garnish could have been complimented better with a drizzle of chocolate sauce or sifted cacao powder on the plate - my only slight comment on an otherwise phenomenal meal.

Overall, this was one of the best dining experiences I have ever had, and our gathering at Rise Above was a beautiful way to end an already beautiful day. Some of us were sad to say goodbye, but were reminded of Sarah's quote from earlier in the day:

"Everything that has a beginning, has an ending. Make your peace with that, and all will be well" - Buddha.  

Thank you again to everyone who enriched my life during the past few months in our teacher training program - I will never forget the time and transformations we shared together. Namaste my friends.