Cutting Board Background 
Kitchen Towel Background
I took these photos outside. For the first photo I used a cutting board as the background and for the second photo I used a kitchen towel. I think the brown background worked better in this case because it gives it a nice contrast. The blue and orange in the first image are both bright so it makes it more distracting.
The outdoor light looks soft and diffused and really pretty.
funny that the class liked the blue and you liked the brown. Remember, you can stick with your preference.