30-day intensive in-person
Raw Food Chef
Residency Program
Raw Food Chef Certification Program & Holistic Healing Retreat
30 Day Intensive in-person
Raw Food Chef Residency Program
Raw Food Chef Certification Program & Holistic Healing Retreat
Raw Food Chef
Immersive Raw Food Chef Certification Program.
Master Plant-Based Culinary Arts and Holistic Wellness
Transform your culinary skills and your relationship with food in this comprehensive 4-week residency program.
Dive deep into raw, plant-based cuisine while experiencing personal growth, healing, and transformation.
Located on the stunning island of Ometepe, Nicaragua, the Pachavega Plant-Based Culinary School offers an unparalleled hands-on training experience. This program goes beyond traditional culinary education, integrating nutritional science, detoxification practices, and holistic healing for body, mind, and spirit. Become a certified Raw Food Chef while embracing the power of plants to inspire health and vitality in every aspect of life.
Tuition Rising - save $500 until November 30th
Register by November 30th to Secure your 2024 Tuition and Accommodation Packages
Jan. 26 - Feb. 25, 2025 (Sold Out)
Nov. 2 - Dec. 2, 2025 (Only 2 Spots Left)
Jan. 4 - Feb. 3, 2026
What You Will Learn
- Foundation Staple Foods
- Nutrient Dense Plant-Based Nutrition
- Knife Skills
- Flavor Balancing
- How to Stock your Kitchen
- Soaking and Sprouting
- Cultured and Fermented Foods, Kimchi and Kraut
- Sustainability and Ethical Choices
- Nut-Free Cuisine and Food Sensitivities
- Detoxification and Your pH
- Healthy Digestion and your Gut Microbiome
- Foods the Promote Digestion
- Tips and Tricks for Healthy Detoxification
- Healing Spices from Around the World
- Gourmet Raw Vegan Meals
- Healing Foods for Fertility, Pregnancy and All Life Stages
- Healing Herbal Soups and Adaptogens
- Raw Desserts and Superfoods
- Raw Food and Essential Oils that Heal
- Dehydrated Foods
- Gourmet Cultured Foods
- Medicinal Mushrooms
- Vegan Cheese Making
- Plating Presentation and Food Photography
Through our curriculum, you’ll delve deep into the intricacies of taste balancing, learning to harmonize flavors and textures to create truly exceptional dishes. Beyond mere cooking techniques, you’ll cultivate your own culinary identity, crafting signature dishes that reflect your unique creativity and passion.
But our program is more than just a culinary school—it’s a transformative experience that touches every aspect of your being. You’ll explore a diverse range of culinary themes, from fundamental principles of plant-based nutrition to advanced methods for addressing specific health concerns. Whether you’re an avid food enthusiast, aspiring entrepreneur, or dedicated advocate of plant-based living, our immersive program is designed to ignite your passion and equip you with the knowledge and skills to thrive in the world of holistic cuisine.
Join us in embracing the plant-based revolution and become a catalyst for positive change in your community and beyond. Together, let’s harness the transformative power of plant-based living to cultivate a brighter, healthier future for all.
Para el bien de todos!
Register Today!
30-DAY INTENSIVE IN-PERSON TRAINING
Jan. 26 - Feb. 25, 2025 (Sold Out)
Nov. 2 - Dec. 2, 2025 (Only 2 Spots Left)
Jan. 4 - Feb. 3, 2026
Retreat – Raw Food Chef Residency Program
What's Included in Your Experience?
- Airport Transfer (complimentary, a $150 value)
- 30 nights accommodation in a private resort (valued at $3500)
- All meals included, meticulously curated for your culinary journey (valued at $2550)
- Embroidered Personalized Apron (valued at $75)
- Culinary Project Support for hands-on application (valued at $900)
- Holistic Nutrition Classes to deepen your understanding (valued at $2000)
- Daily morning yoga, movement, and meditation facilitated by Special Guests for holistic well-being (valued at $750)
- Instructional Plant labs for practical learning (valued at $1800)
- Chocolate Tour and Tasting for a delightful experience (valued at $75)
- One-on-One Holistic Business Coaching (2 hours) for personalized guidance (valued at $400)
- Breathwork Experience for holistic wellness (valued at $100)
- and so much more. We take care of you
Our trainings are for...
the stay-at-home mom
the nutritionist
the Chinese medicine doctor
the new retiree
the red seal chef
the professional athlete
those looking for a new career
those looking to enhance their nutrition intake
the fresh out of high school
The seasoned entrepreneur
… and many more. All these types of people have taken Pachavega’s Raw Food Chef Certification Course.
What we have in common is a desire to create healthy whole food recipes for our families, loved ones, clients and ourselves. We want to know how to help our body do what is designed to do, heal itself.
This course offers an in-depth study into a whole foods, plant-based lifestyle as a means to heal your body and ignite your spirit of adventure and passion to get you into the kitchen and experiment and in turn, improve your health and wellbeing for life.
You will Make Simple as well as Gourmet Recipes
All of our recipes are made with gluten-free, plant-based ingredients that are designed by nature to build health
What's it like to be a Raw Food Chef with Pachavega?
PACHAVEGA PLANT-BASED CULINARY SCHOOL NICARAGUA
- Dive into the health benefits of the food that fuels us
- Train in valuable basic, intermediate, and advanced kitchen skills
- Master the art and intricacies of flavor balancing
- Discover how to creatively sauce, plate and present striking dishes
- Create nutritional powerhouse meals and culinary masterpieces that anyone from age 0 to 99 is bound to enjoy and benefit from
- Learn the art of effective menu construction and design
- Acquire a compassion-centered approach to nutrition that supports individual needs and goals
- Utilize your nutrition and culinary knowledge and skills as the foundation of a holistic wellness lifestyle
- Turn your newfound-insights and mastery into a revenue-generating venture
- Have an encouraging feedback and support system from Pachavega educators and students
Retreat – Raw Food Chef Residency Program
Jan. 26 - Feb. 25, 2025 (Sold Out)
Nov. 2 - Dec. 2, 2025 (Only 2 Spots Left)
Jan. 4 - Feb. 3, 2026
Kind Words about our Courses
What our graduates are saying about us!
Pachavega's Raw Food Chef Certification Course dispelled the myths of living foods prep and lifestyle. It’s not just what you eat, but how nutrition can influence your physical and emotional state that truly matters. Danielle Arsenault is a passionate and inspiring teacher who has infused this desire to live life to its fullest in me and many others.
This is a practical course that teaches you not only how to make amazing healthful food, but teaches you the science of why we would eat this way. The way the course is structured really heps to maximize the time for optimum absorption of the information. I have learned skills here that I will use for the rest of my life. Thank you Danielle for creating this inspirational course!
Before coming to Pachavega I had been transitioning to plant-based of life. It was a slow process because I wanted to do it responsibly, nutritionally. Taking this course not only jump started the process, it accelerated the process by giving me tools and education to know how to eat a nutrient dense menu. Totally worth every penny and an investment in myself from a health perspective!
Previous
Next
Introducing Your Teacher...
Danielle Arsenault, founder of Pachavega Living Foods Education, is a passionate Raw Food Chef and Plant Based Nutrition Educator. In 2011 a near-death rock climbing accident changed her relationship with the world and life as she knew it. It gave her the realization that we are truly blessed to be alive. After she healed her body with food, she made it her life’s purpose to educate the world about the healing power of plant-based whole foods and a healthy lifestyle rooted in compassion for the planet.
Danielle is a professional educator, internationally renowned chef, published author of 7 cookbooks and an award-winning vegan influencer. She is a best-selling co-author and has been on the TedX stage. She has also been featured in over 40 podcasts, 50+ magazine articles, several online summit series and catered over 50 retreats, including almost 30 in-person Raw Food Chef Certification Trainings.
Her professional career includes a stint as a college professor, a Raw Food Chef and Nutrition Consultant at a tropical wellness resort and designing and teaching over 350 students, online and in-person, through her Online Culinary Arts Institute and in-person Holistic Wellness Retreats. She lives on the island of Ometepe, Nicaragua and frequently donates her time and passion to teach healthy cooking skills within her local community.
As Seen In:
Location and Accommodation
Ometepe island. nicaragua
Our January & November 2025 Programs will be held at Om Island Retreats.
Our Raw Food Chef School Nicaragua is based on the Island of Ometepe, Nicaragua at a place called La Vida Bonita. It’s a brand new farm, circa 2022 where in fact, we are still in the middle of building our dream kitchen! We will be ready to host Pachavega in-person programs in 2027.
You enjoy what we do and wanna stay up to date with our new products, contents & promotions?
We encourage you to follow us on Instagram by clicking this link here.
By following this link, You can also find our new E-book Tropical Treats & Savory Eats, it contains 3 days of nourishing raw vegan meals from the tropics.
