Crafting the Future of Food

Growing up in a small town on the coast of Maine, I was as unlikely a candidate to become a plant-based chef as anyone. But my earliest memories are of devouring blackberries off the vine along the path we walked to the rocky shore and tiny wild strawberries that grew in the field just outside my bedroom. In an environment with four distinct seasons and rapidly changing climates, one learns to read nature carefully, and I developed a sharp sense of smell and can still, to this day, recall the scent of Hspring as mud replaces snow and the frozen earth begins to stretch its arms, preparing for spring’s music. Looking back, I now see that this upbringing gave me the tools and sensitivities to connect my relationship with the planet to what goes on our plates in a meaningful, artistic way. It took me twenty years to understand how to manifest that synergy, but once I did, there was no turning back.