Santa Barbara Life & Style Magazine
26 | EAT QUOKKA
Meal delivery compliments of your personal chef and nutritionist
Three steps to receiving healthy, satisfying meals on your doorstep.
Food choices, for myself and many of my friends most of life in 2020 has revolved around food. What to eat, where to eat it, and of course how much to consume? Instead of treating COVID-19 as a plot against all sense of normalcy, I have leaned into the opportunity to step outside of my routine to try new things. It was under this guise that I undertook a two week trial of local ready-to-eat food service Quokka.
They have a simple three-step process to get started, which begins with selecting the number of meals you want each week, I decide on 10 as I want the full gamut of their menu. The second step is a 30 minute phone call with Christine Ramirez, my personal nutritionist for this process. She is über friendly and relates to my eating habits and activity level. She asks focused questions and offers professional insights that guide me through meal selections, our phone call is painless and by the time we say our goodbyes I’m feeling enthusiastic about the trial. Within 48 hours I receive my personalized nutrition plan. Which outlines each meal, reinforces my goals, and also provides meal suggestions for my non-Quokka meals.
The next afternoon my first bag arrives, I open it immediately to find a set of meals and a personalized note from Quokka Chef Julian Martinez. Julian is not only the Executive Chef of Barbareño but also holds an ISSA certification in sports nutrition. His passion for fitness and food has helped him design a menu that promotes clean eating, highlights unique flavors, and most importantly is delicious.
My first impression, as I organize them in my fridge, is they feel heavy, not what I expected. Later that night I pack my first dinner and drive up East Camino Cielo for sunset. I walk out on an isolated rock bluff with a city view, bringing my Quokka meal. Greek Chicken Skewers are ready to enjoy. The lemon chicken is flavorful and light, with quinoa, baba ganoush, and a refreshing cucumber tzatziki. I’m not able to finish the entire dish and feel completely full, my first meal is a good one and the sunset isn’t half bad either.
In the morning after a high intensity circuit workout, I return home and skip my usual protein shake and reach for the Quokka parfait—home-made muesli with protein-rich Greek yogurt, fresh berries, and spiced pecans. I love this dish, a subtly flavored Greek yogurt is complemented with a wide variety of fruit and spice flavors and it packs 40 grams of protein. After much failed research on proteinpacked yogurts, Julian lets me know that they add protein supplements to the yogurt so each client gets the exact protein portion they need. At exactly 10 a.m., usually when I reach for a mid-morning snack, I still feel full. I’m pretty sure the parfait is going to become a new staple for my nutrition plan.
For lunch I enjoy Santa Maria BBQ Tofu. Since childhood I’ve had a mixed relationship with tofu, or toad food as my siblings and I referred to it, but this is a dish I thoroughly appreciate. Southwesternseasoned tofu with braised pinto beans, brown rice, and seared Mexican squash, served with pico de gallo and a cilantro chimichurri. Julian has outdone himself; after less than 5 minutes of reheating and plating I have the most flavorful office lunch I’ve enjoyed in months. The tofu is cooked to perfection and tastes like authentic BBQ, as always Julian’s sauces accentuate the wide flavor profile in the dish.
Over the next two weeks I enjoy dishes such as Quokka Mole, Banh Mi Noodle Salad, Pork Tenderloin Al Pastor, Bulgogi Bowl, Creole Cod Croquetas, Basil Tofu, and so many more. In the 14 day period I only had one dish more than once, the parfait and that was by special request. There was never a single meal that I finished feeling hungry, in complete honesty I rarely finished the entire meals. And the real kicker? The flavors were always unique, inspiring, and delicious. I sustained my food goals even when preparing my own dishes and found that I had fewer snack cravings and more energy during my workouts. I couldn’t have asked for a more thorough and well planned out food experience.
I came into this wondering if meal kits are worth it. I can give a positive affirmation that Quokka Kitchen is doing everything right, for me the only downside was attempting to recreate Chef Julian’s quality of meals when cooking for myself. If your personal chef and local nutritionist made a love child it would be Quokka, I read this on the Quokka website before I began and was a bit skeptical, but after two weeks I couldn’t agree more with their self-assessment. This year has brought on many challenges but has also brought about some muchneeded change. As simple as it might be for me, that now includes being okay with outsourcing some of my food routine, relying on and trusting a tried and true chef with an authentic and friendly team. *