Brunch #1 – 2012:

Good morning, Happy new year!
This year feels open to infinite possibilities.

It was many years ago when the seeds for Sun In Bloom took root in my consciousness. The year prior to opening Sun In Bloom I was in the process of building a large scale 2 room yoga studio with a small cafe in the middle of Manhattan on 34th Street. Blue prints, building permits, financing, contractors, schedules… everything was in motion and we were just about to start build out when the landlord of this building pulled the plug and reneged on all his promises.

After over a year of pouring my heart, soul, time and money into this project, it was the quintessential jaw-dropping moment. But to my surprise, I experienced an overwhelming sense of peace; I had no doubts that I was being guided.

When the stars align and I feel that ZadaZadaZing electricity, I fall in love quickly and hard. In my experiences of heart break, my body aches and I think for a moment I’ll never fall in love again. But, I know now that not anything or anybody has the power to completely snuff my light. My despair does not usually last long before I wake back up and celebrate life – the constant movement, opportunity and the endless possibilities that exists. So, it did not take much for me to become vulnerable again and decide to invest my heart and soul into the idea of Sun In Bloom.

Here we are 2 years into this project. This weekend marks our 1st brunch of 2012 and our

2nd year anniversary!

It is also a significant personal turning point. With a goal to release my fear of failure and trust this path, I decided to invest all of my salary, sweat, blood and tears from the past two years into remodeling Sun In Bloom so that everyone can experience the kitchen I’ve always imagined us to celebrate life in together.

Moving into a space that had already been set up to serve food was a wonderful opportunity to launch Sun In Bloom and explore my vision, but after two years it became clear to me I was trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.

Resistance became more obvious and on a personal level, I became more aware for how the space was holding me back from reflecting my true spirit and creativity. And in this awareness, I acknowledged my commitment to living a life that embodies balance, health, and happiness. At the end of the day, money is energy; it will come and go. Letting go of this fear and trusting my path with Sun In Bloom was truly a remarkable way to end 2011.
Just 3 weeks ago, Jodie (Sun In Bloom’s manager) and I spent many late nights in our space with a tape measure and yellow pad measuring every inch of the space to prepare for the carpenters who were scheduled to spend just 2 weeks remodeling. The 2 weeks of remodeling was quite busy and I had to make most construction decisions on the fly. But at the end of the day, “winging” this project forced me into a 6th gear – following my intuition.

It is truly remarkable how we succeeded at actualizing my original vision for Sun In Bloom to occupy a space that looks and feels like the beautiful urban, rustic, reflective, clean kitchen I’ve always imagined it to be. It’s uncanny how our space now resembles the vision board I created three years ago for a space I had no idea would today be Sun In Bloom.

And it is the kitchen that is the hearth of our homes – a space in which everyone can relate to and find comfort in. It is my dream that we can recreate our space for the “family dinner” and make it an experience that nourishes us with love, happiness, and joy while supporting our bodies to age with strength, vitality and grace, and our mind to feel comfortable living our truth and always being in full expression.

Although we are still remodeling, we are thrilled to be open and back to work making and serving delicious health conscious food.

In order to open Sun In Bloom, I had to release my natural desire for immediate gratification and perfection. So this project has been about the process, evolution and organic growth of a living breathing conscious company. So please enjoy this process of evolution with us and treat yourself to delicious healthy food. I feel confident in my guarantee that choosing to nourish your body and soul with healthy food will support you in manifesting dreams too!

Cheers to a healthy and fabulous year.

Love, Aimee

Sun In Bloom’s Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Pie

I can’t believe the holidays are here and Sun In Bloom is coming up on its 2 year anniversary, entering into its 3rd year of business, and 2012 is upon us.  Time to take a deep breath and bring my attention right back this very moment!

I want to share with everyone that there is an opportunity to order our most delicious gluten-free vegan apple pie.

Apple pie is my very favorite holiday dessert and brings me back to the days of yore, fantastic innocence of my childhood, and the sweet delicious aromas of “home.”  I always looked forward to being in the kitchen making apple pies with Mom.  I’ll never forget these sweet memories.

If you desire to share one of our hand-made apple pies with your family and friends, call today to place your order.  I guarantee they will just be surprised by the delicious pie made with a lot of love!   Our telephone is 718-622-4303.

Happy Holidays!

Much love, Aimee Follette

Brunch #50… 8 Days until we tear the house down, rebuilding thought patterns, choosing love.

Good morning,

How much fun would it be if we tear down the framework of the titles we box ourselves into to explore pleasure and be more playful in our lives?  

I am so humbled by my experience at Sun In Bloom.  Everyday I receive notes and messages from people who’ve discovered Sun In Bloom and write to share how their experience affected them.

“Sweet Aimee! i just got back from overseas and am craving your amazing #glutenfree chocolate chip cookie sandwich like *crazy* tonight (usually it is your kale salad, sweet lady greens, impossibly delicious raw sauerkraut, etc) … just thought i would let you know, you fuel the desires and dreams of many…..” – Sun In Bloom Guest, Ford

COURAGE

“Hello! This might seem a little odd, but I ate at your restaurant once over the summer, and I fell absolutely, 100% in love with the food — so much so that I almost wanted to skip my plane out of New York that afternoon and just ask to volunteer and help you out for a while 😉 (unfortunately, didn’t have the courage to ask!)” – Sun In Bloom Guest, Sarah

Falling into the traps of my self-limiting belief patterns that focus so intensely on the challenge, sacrifice, long hard road comes very easy to me.  But, life is just too short to succumb to old belief patterns that eclipse possibility.

Releasing these beliefs is my biggest desire and always a work in progress.

But in just 8 days, we are tearing the house down to rebuild.  I am so excited!  This is monumental for me and a symbol for letting go of inhibitions and fear to create space for possibility, growth, love and build a new structure for my personal beliefs.

Sun In Bloom – Brunch #50

Saturday & Sunday, December 17 & 18, 2011

10 AM – 5 PM

This weekend is big… it’s our 50th brunch in 2011!  I am in awe of what Sun In Bloom has brought to the Park Slope community and all of the support and love that you extend to us.  I am deeply grateful for the team we have here who give their all to ensure your experience is amazing.  And, I am thankful that everyday you encourage me to continue because of your deep gratitude for the color we add to your life.

My intention was to create an inviting space that offers people the experience of delicious food – food that is created with the intention to nourish and support a healthy body, mind and spirit, and a space you can just BE in.   

Although I choose to live a vegan lifestyle because this is what feels right for me, I am not here to judge you and say what works for me is right for you.  And what has been most fulfilling in my journey is that 98% of our repeating everyday guests are NOT vegan.  Yes, they eat meat and they LOVE Sun In Bloom’s cuisine!

So, I just want to extend the invitation to you to introduce Sun In Bloom to your friends and family who are ravishing meat eating self-proclaimed carnivores… they might discover that veggies, fruit, bean, and whole grains are quite delicious and satisfying and that they can eat meat and veggies too.   

Shitake Mushroom BLT

The Shitake BLT always wins the “meat-eater” over, as every weekend people tell me it tastes just like bacon.  Even mushroom haters love it!

It might be a fun experiment to spend a day where you tear down the framework of titles to explore pleasure, release judgement, and do things that stretch you to be completely playful.  

Happy holidays!

***Just an important reminder… Because renovations will not affect our kitchen, we want to create the opportunity to support you to jumpstart 2012. We will be here to help you make healthy food choices by offering juice, meal plans and orders to-go. You can either pick up food or we can deliver. Norwalk pressed juices are fresh for 3 days and most food can be packaged and is delicious for 3-5 days. Please stop by to pick up an order form and help support us through this transition.  You can also email us for a copy.  It’s important we know in advance that you will want Sun In Bloom food during these weeks so that we can staff appropriately.
Sending this with so much love,  Aimee

p.s. If you are on Facebook, please support us by LIKING our page. You can also follow Sun In Bloom on Twitter @suninbloom.  

This is where I share everyday news and pictures of our dishes.  I’m having lot of fun connecting with like-minded people and meeting wonderful new friends.  It would be fun to connect with you here too!

Day 15: HOT Raw and Juicy Adventure – Vote with your dollar, choose your best life possible!

Today marks a quarter of the way to the finish line – 60 days of just juice.

Fountain of a Radiant Life

I have more energy than I know what to do with.  I’ve completed projects that I’ve procrastinated on for the past year and half.  I’ve been practicing Bikram Yoga daily.  I’m  running at the gym.  I’ve even entertained extreme ab exercises with the help of Crunch fitness super-hero, Jake.  (Even when I was in my best shape ever, with a 6 pack, I routinely avoided ALL ab strengthening exercises.)  Oh… And, I continue to work my normal 7-day a week schedule at the restaurant.  Truly… I am doing ALL of this with ease and just juice.

Juice + Weights = HOT

Fasting, juicing, detoxifying… these practices are not new for me.  My body has a lot of experience cleansing and I’ve always had remarkable results.  However, I have not cleansed my body like this since opening Sun In Bloom and frankly, I was terrified. 

How am I going to possibly have the energy to make it through my days at the restaurant and manage all the other balls in the air just drinking juice? 

But, while on this quest to re-align with my true essence, body, and happiness, I followed the calling to just do it.

This past week has been particularly fulfilling for me.  Before juicing, I hid – not just from the world, but from myself.  I had stopped exploring the world, I did not maintain my physical activity, nor did I have any desire to fill my brain any more than I felt it was already full. 

But, I’ve always been a voracious reader and seeker of information on topics that I am passionate about, anything that will support me to live my best life possible.  So, hiding and my lack of curiosity was just part of the deep depression I had allowed myself to fall into.   

A remarkable documentary that will arm you with knowlege and inspire.

This past week was amazing.  I’m in awe of what I’ve accomplished.  A bit taken aback as I write it because I haven’t been keeping track, I’ve just been in action.  

I went to the movies with a friend, took Jodie (Sun In Bloom’s new extraordiary and very special front of the house manager) on a tour of raw food stores in Manhattan during the massive rain storm on Tuesday, read OSHO’s essay on Courage, watched CNN’s program called “The Last Heart Attack” and studied 3 documentaries – Forks Over Knives, Deconstructing Supper, and biography: Ben & Jerry.  And I recommend you watch these too!  Not because I want to tell you what to do, how to live your life, what’s best for your family, but because I think we’ve been grossly misled to believe today’s food practices are normal and yet, our beliefs and attachment or addiction to food is what is killing us.  Yes, it’s the cause of dis-ease and emotional imbalance.  And I just want you to know what your options are.

 Today, there’s heaps of accessible information (books, films, blogs, people’s personal experiences, research, yes… loads of both clinical and laboratory research that show us the effects of all the toxins we are eating every day.)

 And I know for many this feels overwhelming.  But, we all have the power to create change.  Everyday, with every purchase, we vote with our dollar.

Your dollar is your vote. Spend it mindfully.

 The more knowledge I arm myself with regarding non-organic and GMO foods, the more energized I become to get involved in the politics to protect our organic foods and to get real food onto the plates of our children.

 The most exciting news I received this week was when Luria Academyconfirmed they will offer parents the option to have Sun In Bloom’s gluten free, allergen free, vegan school lunches delivered to their children at school.  This is just the first of many schools we plan to work with in creating school lunch programs.  And it was just a dream of mine two years ago.  Now it is reality.  Yes, dreams come true!

Wishing you the strength and courage to make choices that support you to live the life you truly wish to experience!  And always look forward to seeing you at Sun In Bloom.

 Love, Aimee

Day 7: HOT Raw & Juice Adventure… Winds of Change are blowing.

The winds of change are blowing.  I embarked on a 60-day juice feast last week and tomorrow marks my 8^th day of consuming only juice (3 QTS of Sun In Bloom’s Sweet Lady Green & another QT of a creative blend).  The shifts I’m experiencing are profound.

My fridge 😉

I’ve always lived an inspired and charmed life – voraciously following my heart and chasing my passions.  And this approach to life has led to a storybook loaded with over-the-top exciting adventures, and many struggles.

Life is a duality.

“You have the option to focus on what you want or the absence of what you want. You can tell what choice you are making by the way you are feeling.  And you can constantly change your choice.”  – Ester Hicks

Jumping into this juice feast was not a quick, unplanned or irrational reaction to my struggles.  It is something I’ve had the desire to do with integrity for a couple years.  The calling just intensified when I lost my balance in the latest chapter – Girl takes leap of faith to follow dream and opens off-the-grid restaurant in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Sun In Bloom - 460 Bergen Street, Park Slope, Brooklyn

I’ve attempted to make the commitment to an extended juice feast several times this past year.  Yet, each time I backed out with “very good” reason.  Although I’ve consciously been making healthier choices for myself to achieve balance, I’ve felt trapped in a body that does not feel like mine, my energy levels continue to decline, and I’ve succumbed to feelings of depression.  On my worst days, I felt dead.

So, why do some of us have to fall down  (really, really hard)… possibly even face death before we decide to scrape ourselves from the floor to make a significant life change that will completely alter how we look, feel and interact with the world? 

The story we tell ourselves is the basis of our lives.  And, if I continued to focus on how much my body hurt, exhausted I am, or imbalanced my life is, I realize I will continue to be unsuccessful in living the life I desire to experience.

Unhappiness does not align with the essence of who I am.  When I became aware that thoughts of self-doubt and fear are misaligned with my inner being, the idea of embarking on a 60-day juice feast became a very exciting fun opportunity, surrounded by light.  With alignment there are endless possibilities!  So, during these past 8 days, I wake up and consciously choose to face my day with courage and do the work I must do to live the extraordinary life I deserve to experience.

I share my experience with the hope that maybe one person will connect with my story and realize you are not alone.  We all deserve to live healthy, happy, joyful lives.

Brunch at Sun In Bloom - Delicous Gluten Free Vegan Pancakes!

Hope to see you for brunch!  I dreamed up a spiced cream of cauliflower soup that Byron made today.  I tasted a teaspoon to offer feedback and I was overjoyed by how it took on the flavors of the stock I imagined it would.  We are going to have a very creative Fall at Sun In Bloom!  Also, stay tuned – I am hoping to reopen on Tuesdays this month.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Love, Aimee

Day 4: HOT Raw & Juicy – A new story… An astounding shift.

An extraordinary shift happened today, the 4^th day of my HOT Raw and Juicy Adventure.

Every Monday I’m at the restaurant for 15 hours on my feet.  By 9 PM, I feel as though a 16-wheeler hit me multiple times.  Aches, pains, sheer exhaustion… I collapse.

Tuesday is a full day of recovery.  I wake up in a fog, my body aches, and I’m always extremely fatigued.  I never feel like myself and I’m unproductive (according to my baseline of productivity).

Waking up in the FOG.

The fog of fatigue carries over to Wednesday morning and it’s not until Thursday that I feel like myself again.

However, this week, I’ve written a new story. Sun In Bloom had one of its busiest Mondays.  I felt happy and breezy, swimmingly moving through the day.  I checked things off my ‘to do’ list that have been looming on it for months.  And, I enjoyed being of service to all of our guests.

For someone who has never worked in the food industry or in service, I do not expect you to understand all of the demands and long hours we endure.  I also feel cooks are grossly underpaid.  So, with all these variables against us, it’s imperative that we LOVE food and service.  And even though opening Sun In Bloom by myself has been a particularly emotional challenge for me, I do feel immense gratitude that I can be of service sharing the most nourishing food with my community.  I feel heart tugs every time a guest shares with me how Sun In Bloom has changed their life.  These accounts are worth all the struggles.

So, Monday was a very long day… And I walked home energized!  I even felt so energized that I continued to be productive until about midnight.

And waking up this morning is when I felt really excited… 7:30 AM, I sprang out of bed, bright eyed, happy, and excited to start my day.

3 QTS of Sweet Lady Green Juice for Day 4!

I juiced, went to the gym, attended to some work, hit up a Bikram yoga class, ran errands, completed payroll, updated bookkeeping and took the most relaxing shower.   I then put myself together to visit a friend and her 2 yr old son in the city – a friend I’ve not seen in 2 years… yes, I met her son for the first time today!

Tuesdays… I usually hide.  Today, I felt alive and excited to interact with the world.  In fact, several people at yoga commented on how great I looked today.  Truly amazing how quickly the juice has affected me.  I have the GLOW!  (think the carrots are helping with this!)

Beauty Juice - rich in carotenoids (the vitamin A rich compound)

Green juice is life – so rich in live enzymes, nutrients and minerals.  I hope to witness in my lifetime fresh pressed organic green juice go mainstream.  I am so grateful this juice is supporting me to wake up to feel connected and alive again.  This is what being HOT is all about!

 

Day 2: The Art of Allowing… Power of Thought.

Day 2:  HOT Raw and Juicy Adventure

I fell in love with my sweet lady green juice all over again.  It’s like a relationship.  I go really strong, appreciating her for all her nourishing qualities, and then I take her for granted, spiral into my day forgetting to drink the sweet lady green.  New goal!  I desire juice to be part of my daily traditions.  Ideally, 2 sweet lady green’s a day (post juice feast).

Today, I gave myself permission to relax, nap, move through the day with ease, and listen to Learning to Attract Wealth, Health and Happiness with Ester and Jerry Hicks.  I did multi-task – I couldn’t help but try to catch up with bookkeeping while listening to my audio-book.  Have yet to allow myself to cozy up on the sofa with my favorite books.

Home Office

Abraham’s teachings are wonderful reminders for the powerful role our thoughts play.  Going into this juice feast, I made a commitment – to tune into all of my thoughts, choose positive thoughts, and deliberately speak thoughts that reflect the life I want to live.

Although I absolutely desire to shed LBS on this adventure and slip back into my fantastic wardrobe, I am most interested in putting new habits into practice that will allow me to experience the life I truly desire to live.

 

Freedom, Pleasure, Happiness

I live a vegan lifestyle, low fat diet (in fact one of my challenges is I often forget to create time to eat, and then when I do, it’s at the end of the day when famished, which leads to consuming food without chewing).  Although I do crave sugar, I only treat myself to dates and agave.  I also reintegrated exercise back into my lifestyle in January – not as hard core as I once was with a daily yoga practice and running 25 miles a week, but I’m definitely creating time for 3-4 hard work outs a week.

So, why am I retaining an extra 20 pounds and suffering from hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, and the general feeling of SPENT?  It has not felt easy facing my reflection in the mirror and my body just feels uncomfortable all the time.

I might just be the quintessential example for how our thoughts create our reality, determine our health, and then manifest very quickly into dis-ease.  I’ve spent this past year and half sinking deep into my despair.  Sacrificing my yoga practice and gaining a couple pounds led to unhappiness, negative emotions, and eventually dark depression.  Isolation in the start-up of my business led to feelings of loneliness and further inflated the negative emotions.  Anxiety and panic took over like a storm and eventually I was hanging myself every day with fear.  Honestly, looking back at this journey, I am in awe of my survival skills and grateful for my strength to live through so much fear.  Today, I am definitely in a better space – I see the light.

We all have the option to either focus on what we want or the absence of what we want.  And Abraham says that resistance is caused by focusing on the lack of what is wanted.  Where as allowing is caused by focusing on what we do want.  And the result of our focus on the lack of what we want leads to negative emotions, creates resistance in the body, and ultimately leads to pain, illness, dis-ease.

I believe part of being HOT is stepping into my power of positive thinking, being an example for what is possible, living an inspired life, manifesting my dreams.  I am so excited to continue on my HOT Raw and Juicy journey to live this story of healing my body through allowing.  I know the juice is creating space for the river to flow and ultimately bring me back into alignment with my true essence.

Art of Allowing - Aligning with your true essance.

If you decide to pursue a 1 day, 3 day, 5 day or more juice feast… please let me know.  It would be so fun to have everyone join me on this journey!  Here’s to being HOT Raw and Juicy!

Love, Aimee