About Katie
I was raised among the chaparral forests, redwoods, bay laurels, deer, lizards, turkey vultures and wild spiders of Northern California. Hot summer sun and fragrant winter rains carried me through the seasons.
My mother's family hails from Calabria and Abruzzo, in Southern Italy. My biological father's family are Ashkenazi Jews. I grew up with privilege, in a wealthy and predominately white neighborhood that was somewhat insular. Even though we would cut out coupons on Sunday mornings, we always had access to good quality food. As with any dynamic, our household had our ups and downs, but we prioritized gathering with loved ones, cooking and eating together, playing games, tending the hearth, and being outdoors. Today, how I contribute, share, learn and receive is heavily informed by nature, cultivating meaningful relationships, my embodiment practices, and spirituality.
I identify as a multidisciplinary artist, cooking being one of my favorite mediums. The kitchen is my studio space, where I bring living ingredients together-- seasonal, foraged, local, color-rich, flavorful, to invoke heightened states of aliveness and nourishment. I create art and ritual through food, to let my inner child play, to uplift the spirit, to bring deeper connection with our bodies and the earth.
We all need to eat. Yet so many times we find ourselves eating in a rush, eating alone, eating with a screen as our meal companion, eating until we are stuffed, or eating something we don't actually want to consume. I create room to slow down and let the body actually receive a meal, to commune with the senses as a way of enjoying pleasure, satiation and whole body-spirit health.
I chose to work with local, seasonal, organic, ingredients in addition to foraged fare from the forests, oceans and trails of Northern California. Higher quality ingredients can be more expensive, though I know my work is contributing to the wellbeing of my local farms and purveyors, just as they support me and my clients. Partnering with small businesses, I get to know exactly where my food is coming from, increasing transparency and community health.
While I have received formal and informal trainings within and outside of institutions, my most influential learning has come directly from life experience, practicing how to be in relationship with myself, with my human family, and the earth.
I hold formal and informal certifications as a Natural Chef (Bauman College 2014), Western Herbalism (Sage Maurer, Gaia School of Healing, 2015), Early Childhood & Nature-Based Educator (Trainings in Waldorf, Reggio-Emilia, Montessori, & nature-based learning), Kundalini Yoga Teacher (KRI 200hr), Somatic Attachment Therapies (The Embody Lab, 60 hr), and Western Astrology Mentorship (Fern Vuchinich, 2020-2021). Informally, I've studied or trained in Plant Spirit Medicine, Botanical Dying, Biodynamic Gardening, Ayurvedic Medicine (currently studying), Lymphatic Bodywork, Voice Coaching, Authentic Relating, Inner Child Healing Work, Expressive Arts Therapy, Community-centered healing, Contact Improv, Qigong, Body-Mind Centering, various styles of Afro & Latin dance, Kink Education, and Power Play Dynamics. How I contribute, share, and receive is heavily informed by my embodiment & ritual practices.
My mother's family hails from Calabria and Abruzzo, in Southern Italy. My biological father's family are Ashkenazi Jews. I grew up with privilege, in a wealthy and predominately white neighborhood that was somewhat insular. Even though we would cut out coupons on Sunday mornings, we always had access to good quality food. As with any dynamic, our household had our ups and downs, but we prioritized gathering with loved ones, cooking and eating together, playing games, tending the hearth, and being outdoors. Today, how I contribute, share, learn and receive is heavily informed by nature, cultivating meaningful relationships, my embodiment practices, and spirituality.
I identify as a multidisciplinary artist, cooking being one of my favorite mediums. The kitchen is my studio space, where I bring living ingredients together-- seasonal, foraged, local, color-rich, flavorful, to invoke heightened states of aliveness and nourishment. I create art and ritual through food, to let my inner child play, to uplift the spirit, to bring deeper connection with our bodies and the earth.
We all need to eat. Yet so many times we find ourselves eating in a rush, eating alone, eating with a screen as our meal companion, eating until we are stuffed, or eating something we don't actually want to consume. I create room to slow down and let the body actually receive a meal, to commune with the senses as a way of enjoying pleasure, satiation and whole body-spirit health.
I chose to work with local, seasonal, organic, ingredients in addition to foraged fare from the forests, oceans and trails of Northern California. Higher quality ingredients can be more expensive, though I know my work is contributing to the wellbeing of my local farms and purveyors, just as they support me and my clients. Partnering with small businesses, I get to know exactly where my food is coming from, increasing transparency and community health.
While I have received formal and informal trainings within and outside of institutions, my most influential learning has come directly from life experience, practicing how to be in relationship with myself, with my human family, and the earth.
I hold formal and informal certifications as a Natural Chef (Bauman College 2014), Western Herbalism (Sage Maurer, Gaia School of Healing, 2015), Early Childhood & Nature-Based Educator (Trainings in Waldorf, Reggio-Emilia, Montessori, & nature-based learning), Kundalini Yoga Teacher (KRI 200hr), Somatic Attachment Therapies (The Embody Lab, 60 hr), and Western Astrology Mentorship (Fern Vuchinich, 2020-2021). Informally, I've studied or trained in Plant Spirit Medicine, Botanical Dying, Biodynamic Gardening, Ayurvedic Medicine (currently studying), Lymphatic Bodywork, Voice Coaching, Authentic Relating, Inner Child Healing Work, Expressive Arts Therapy, Community-centered healing, Contact Improv, Qigong, Body-Mind Centering, various styles of Afro & Latin dance, Kink Education, and Power Play Dynamics. How I contribute, share, and receive is heavily informed by my embodiment & ritual practices.
Contact me at chefkatiering@gmail.com to inquire about working together
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