Eating Is Art
Celebrating our commonality, learning from our individuality, experiencing our stories: everybody eats.
I like to make my own birthday cake.
The kitchen is where I practice alchemy—through tarts, soups, stir frys, cakes, and pies, I am constantly amazed by the transformative power of a few simple ingredients. I especially have a soft spot and knack for baking. I’ve been told I was born with a wooden spoon (or was it a whisk?) in my hand, with my memories of first helping in the kitchen going back to the age of four.
It wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I realized why the kitchen was important for me. I had moved clear across the country by myself for grad school to pursue a Master in Fine Arts and Design. After long days in the studio working on traditional graphic design concepts, I would find myself in the kitchen releasing pent up passion that could only be expressed through something as simple as a cookie or grand as a sacher torte. I was making up for the disconnect I was feeling in my studies with another form of communication: food.
This was how my concept of Eating Design evolved. I found myself problem solving all sorts of issues and ideas while I measured and dipped, stirred and tasted. I was applying design-thinking in the kitchen and to a larger extent, through events. Interested in seeing if others related to food in this way, I started projects like Pietopia and the Favorite Meal series—connecting people with themselves and with others through the action of eating and food.
Becoming certified as a Health Coach seemed like such a natural segue I actually had a physical reaction when I found out about the program. My heart jumped in my chest and I felt like the spot in the center of my forehead had just been hit with lightning. I almost fell out of my chair! This felt like the missing link. I had been working with people with the favorite meals in connecting with themselves on an emotional and creative level. Now I would have the expertise and nutritional background to empower them with and be able to support them with a holistic and creative approach. Eureka!
And yes, I have been known to make my own birthday cake. Is this really so strange? Because for me, it’s all about the baking—I love it, I love to challenge myself, and this last time around I knew exactly what I wanted—a three tiered Mary Todd Lincoln white cake with Italian buttercream frosting and covered in nasturtiums. It was beautiful, it was delicious, and it was a total celebration-bomb. Yes!
The reasons I blog and began Eating Is Art in the first place have evolved over time. It started as a simple place to be able to document my work and eating design events. But I realized that people were actually interested in what I was doing. The blog itself became an expression of myself and yet another way to connect to others via food! I’ve made some wonderful friends and connections these past few years; I never anticipated the far-reaching effects of my blog both deep inside myself and thousands of miles around the world. It’s been an incredible journey!
I live in Portland, Oregon with my boyfriend Andrew. We want a dog (or two—that’s my idea, hehe) and are looking. I teach yoga five times a week, ride my bike, curse the rain, and of course bake. I also love to read Diane Ackerman, MFK Fisher, Ruth Reichl and the Food Day section of the Oregonian.
Press
La Vie Magazine, Taiwan, Summer 2009
