My Ethos

The Wholefood Kitchen is a space for exploration and growth in our relationship with cooking, as a way to connect more deeply with ourselves, with the Earth, and with community. My ethos is summed up by the acronym ‘Hearth.’



H stands for ‘Harmony,’

The first H stands for ‘Harmony,’ as expressed in the concept of Kotahitanga, which can also be interpreted as ‘one-ness,’ or ‘wholeness.’ In this context, ‘wholeness’ refers not only to a commitment to using the best available seasonal produce and ingredients which are are in their natural state; but also to the benefits of stepping into the kitchen with a sense of what is available when we engage, consciously, with food and cooking. Within ‘wholeness’ we can also hear ‘holiness,’ and though very much bound to the the earth, cooking is a way to bring us in connection with the sacred, the divine.

E stands for ‘expansion.’

The benefits which come from engaging with cooking consciously, are an expansion in one’s very Being. An expansion in sensitivity, sensuality, awareness, intuition, confidence. Enhanced sovereignty and agency of our health, our wellbeing, and our relationship with food. When we enter the kitchen with this understanding, we often gain a sense of ourselves which we may not have been aware of, or capable of accessing. When we cook we transform our food into something that is nourishing, enriching. But In the process of doing so, we transform ourselves.

A stands for ‘arrival.’

A coming home, to our body, our Being. There is a slowing down, a grounding that takes place. We return to an experience of the world (and ourselves within it) which is connected with the present moment. We connect with ourselves, we tune into what is present, and what it is that we need. We can be of service. We can be grateful.

 We feel at home, and at peace.

R stands for ‘remember.’

Cooking offers an opportunity to remember our connection to the Earth. To connect with the natural rhythms of life, to the fluctuations of the seasons. To remember that we are part of the biosphere, part of a larger, organic natural system which goes beyond the Earth and our natural world, out to the cosmos that surrounds us. Time spent in the Kitchen is time spent coming back into natural rhythms of the earth, and of life.



T stand for ‘togetherness.’

It is in the kitchen that we come to together to prepare and share food. It is a place where we can step out of our solitary lives, where we access connection and community. Where we can step momentarily out of our personal circumstances, access connect and a sense of the abundance which occurs naturally around us. The act of cooking allows us to ground, connect, and transform our emotional state.

 And finally,

H, stands for ‘hearth’

The hearth, or kitchen, is the heart of any home. It provides warmth, light, food and protection. It represents new life. It is where fire burns – a fire that allows for transformation of food through cooking, into energy that nourishes our body and spirit. In connecting with cooking, consciously, we continue upon the path we set out on millions of years ago, the harnessing of fire being a crucial part of our our evolution as human beings. When we return to this path, we become active participants in the process of our own evolution.