RSVP
california meets portugal —
a cooking workshop
How do I reconcile being 100% California-born and raised, while also being 100% Portuguese-back-in-the homeland? On a plate, of course! Food and culture are intertwined, and I believe this is where we can explore identity and belonging.
Join me on October 28 at a luxurious quinta in Sintra, north of Lisbon, for hands-on cooking workshop! I will show you how I bring my California cuisine mindset to local Portuguese products and ingredients. It will be a celebration of fall fruits and vegetables.
First we will gather for some pastries and coffee before strolling through the estate for a tour of the farm. Then we will spend the morning in a beautiful, spacious kitchen, preparing a four-course lunchtime feast. We will enjoy our meal on the terrace, paired with local wines.
We will share our favorite food stories, and our tabletop conversation will explore the role of food, ritual, identity, and belonging.
This is an intimate gathering with extremely limited availability. If you’re interested, contact me directly at emily (at) emilyavila.com.
what are sessions?
Sessions are in-person and online gatherings to share some of the topics discussed here — living into and through the in-between.
At some point in our lives we all feel like we are floating somewhere between our past and our future. Not quite here, not really there. Different cultures have named this phenomenon — liminal spaces, thin spaces, passages, transitions, and the bardo.
Sessions will give you an opportunity to occupy this space and learn what it has to teach you.
summer break
I’m taking a page from the most civilized European tradition — the month of August in absentia.
See you September with a slate of new programs, salons, workshops, and gatherings, both in person and online.
The power of habits
A lot has been written about the role of habits in our lives. I will distill some of the most compelling and useful concepts to help you make sense of it all.
the commitment to change
Change is hard. Creating lasting change can feel impossible. This group will explore our resistance to change. We will map the competing commitments we make that keep us stagnant even when we really, really, really want to change.
book club
Good fiction invites us to ask important questions of ourselves. Every month, I invite you to share your reflections on a book or story. Check out my virtual library, with the questions they have inspired me to ponder.
F.A.Q.
common questions about my sessions and groups
Sessions are workshops, facilitated book clubs, and retreats that aim to help you understand identity, how to cultivate a sense of home and belonging, and explore transitions and thresholds.
My monthly email Love Letter is free, as is the content here. I charge for workshops, retreats, and other events or programs. The cost depends on a variety of factors, including duration of the session.
Previously, I have hosted workshops on creating sustainable habits, how to use rituals to mark large and small transitions, and how to design your life’s next chapter.
To protect everyone’s health and safety, sessions are currently held online. This also allows participation from different parts of the world. When public health guidance changes, we hope to have in-person events in Portugal and California.
I try to organize and host once session per quarter. Stay tuned for a schedule!