Real food comes from the earth…the earth is Mother…and Mother is love. To me, cooking for someone is one of the highest forms of love we can show.
When you take the time to plan, purchase, prepare, and serve a healthy meal for loved ones, you engage all their senses—creating an experience filled with rich conversation and wonderful colors, aromas, textures and flavors. I start planning days in advance—always keeping my loved ones’ preferences at the forefront and creating an artful menu to delight them. The food is carefully selected too, from the farm-grown, organic produce, to the antibiotic-free, responsibly raised meats, to the desserts that are both satisfying and nourishing. All of this can be considered lots of work….or lots of love.
I believe that it’s love…a celebration of what we hold dear…our health, our relationships, our joy in eating the incredible bounty that comes from Mother Earth!
This month especially, I’m thinking about the way we eat and how it expresses love for others, and for ourselves. The quality of the food, the creativity and care of preparation are all important. But there’s more to it than that. Whether we are dining together or alone, we can treat mealtime as sacred time—an opportunity to cherish relationships and feed our soul.
I often remind my chefs at ANEU that once we bring together all the healthy ingredients, it’s time to infuse love into every step of the preparation. When the energy of love is stirred into each recipe, the result is always better—and more deeply enjoyed.
If you’re someone who doesn’t love to cook, or you don’t have the time, you can still make choices that show love. Purchase from or dine at a place that values health, quality, consistency and commitment to customers and community. I love to eat out all the time, and when I do, I make it a priority to know the origin of the food, how it is prepared and the care that is used in serving it up.
I am incredibly blessed that my love of food is woven into every part of my life, personally and professionally. It is with deep humility that I get to provide food for your families and friends, and I thank all of those who raise or grow our food, making this work possible.
The energy of love is always around us—but perhaps it is just a bit stronger this month. My greatest hope is that no matter who you choose to cherish and how, love and laughter surround you always.
And of course—eat well and enjoy. 💛
