There was once a girl who loved bread and cheese

Food brings me great joy, it brings my community together, strengthens my relationships and allows space for artistic expression. I find that the creation and sensory experience of food can be sublime.

I am a therapist by day and a foodie by evening, weekend and any other golden pocket of time. Food is my medium, and the textures, tastes and alchemical processes my messy, transient and tasty art. Sometimes the art falls flat, the fanciful idea to create a grain free pizza with nuts comes out with much more in common to a cardboard box than a chewy, cheesy pizza pie. Sometimes one ingredient opens up a whole new world of possibilities and fantasies of buckwheat muffins, scones and breads fill my days as I add, shift and measure until it comes out right. This blog is my love letter to the world. Food is the way I return to myself over and over. I hope you find a piece of home here.

Growing up I was the pickiest of picky eaters. I remember having showdowns with my mom over oatmeal and  the moment I caught the smallest whiff of a sautéing leek, loudly proclaiming my undying hate for potato leek soup. As I grew older I realized that my pickiness was rooted in the fact that my body just couldn’t process certain foods. In my late 20s I began the process of delving deeper into how certain foods affected me. I found, much to the horror of my Italian soul, that I function much better when I eliminate all gluten from my diet. I will be honest, the prospect of never ever, ever eating crusty sourdough bread again seemed like a small death. I am not someone who thrives within an absolute structure, so to make up for the lack of wheat I gave myself free reign to create. I have created some great recipes, some inspired and perfectly balanced masterpieces, and quite a few dismal disasters. But magically, through all of this playing and experimenting my relationship with food deepened and food became my medicine.

I often think about what it means to ‘take care of myself’. It's a phrase I often hear in the self-help and therapy world. We go around and around figuring out how to "get our needs met." As a therapist by day I run into people who are struggling to meet the most basic needs of shelter, safety and sustenance. But even though food is one of the most basic needs, and eating is something we all do with dependable regularity, this journey has taught me that playing with my food can be transcendent. It is fun and teaches me about myself about others and connects me with the world.

There are so many talented cooks who have traveled this path before me. I learned countless things by following other gluten-free and Paleo food blogs. I believe wholeheartedly that food can heal our bodies and our souls. Sharing the process of cooking and eating together can create the foundation for friendships and love to flourish. Food, like love, is exponentially more powerful when it is shared so let’s make food together!