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Considerations of a Cook: A Life Spent
I got my first job in à kitchen at 13. It was a large venue, a wedding hall called “The Grand” in Northfield, MN. Labor laws were different back then so my shift started in the evening and went pretty late. My first shift was a 300 person wedding!
What Are You Letting Go?
The trees are turning vibrant colors, even showing off a bit before releasing what is no longer theirs to hold. October is my favorite month, and it is magical here on the land.
What Ten Years on This Land Have Taught Me
There's a particular kind of magic that comes with watching leaves fall — the shift in the air, the silvery webs strung between branches, the dappled light sparkling through the branches one last time before autumn lets them go. It has me feeling reminiscent and resilient, the way this place always does when the seasons turn.
A New Adventure Awaits
Dear Friends of the Whidbey Institute,
I want to share something close to my heart. I've decided to step away from my role as Executive Director of the Whidbey Institute.
Considerations of a Cook: Ownership and Upcycling
I've been considering two concepts that have a significant presence in my life, and very possibly yours. Ownership and Upcycling. The ideas of "owning"something vs. taking ownership of something, and Upcycling vs. recycling.
A Reunion in the High Sierras
The Sierra Nevada mountains of central California are famous for their massive granite peaks, like the iconic landscapes found in Yosemite and Kings Canyon National Parks. I first fell in love with this stunning area four years ago while hiking sections of the Pacific Crest and John Muir Trails. Captivated by the majesty of the mountains, the ancient forests, and rivers, I vowed to return.
Earlier this month, I finally made it back.
Grace for a Smoky Season
There's a particular quality of light that comes with fire season — the sun a golden amber behind a haze that wasn't here a month ago. It's a reminder that we're all breathing something a little heavier right now, in more ways than one
Only The Finest
Love is not knowing,
That the depths of the heart have been pierced until a tear drops as I listen to you breathe.
Kitchen Considerations
In the moments I find myself washing rice, the summer sunshine illuminating the cloudy white liquid (starches from the rice) I find myself asking questions. What does it mean to be a caretaker, a chef, and a cook? What is the difference between a Caretaker and a Caregiver? What am I going to flavor this rice with? (Aromatics, Sesame Oil, and Butter).
Staff Work Party
Whidbey Institute staff held a Work Party on a recent Friday. So much work was done together!
Special Chef's Dinner & Wine Pairingin Thomas Berry Hall
More than twenty lovely people filled Thomas Berry Hall recently while Whidbey Institute Staff held a very special Chef's dinner with wine pairing. Also in abundance: plenty of Gratitude for all present.
August has arrived in all of its abundance
The apple trees are heavy with fruit now, branches bending under the weight of what spring quietly promised. The plums are beginning to ripen, offering flashes of deep purple among the leaves. The meadows have turned gold beneath the summer sun, dry and fragrant, while hawks circle overhead and the forest offers its shade and stillness.
Nature Companionship: an afternoon in the woods with Dr. Jeanette Banashak
“Imagine,” says our guide Dr. Jeanette Banashak, “what it would look like to be attuned, to have attunement, right out of your front door with the land and the trees and the plants in your house or right here at Whidbey Institute? By practicing nature companionship we try and attune with the ancestors in the land who were here before us.”
Forest Medicine
From the Sherwood Forest to the Whidbey Institute
Two years ago, Patricia and I received a package in the mail from a dear friend who had moved from Seattle to Syracuse,NY. Upon opening the box, we were thrilled to find two beautiful acorns, (see pic above)accompanied by a note explaining their incredible pedigree
Summer Asks Something of Us
Summer here isn't a season of rest — it's a season of roots taking hold, of abundant growth, and of a team showing up for the land the same way it shows up for us.
Meet Joe Sendek, our Indomitable Facilities Steward
This week we continue our series to introduce the Whidbey Institute Staff. The Whidbey Institute runs on the fuel and the love of a very dedicated and not-large group (24) of hardworking and whole-hearted people, almost all of whom work part time.
We're so excited for you to meet more of us here!
Chatting with local artist, author, teacher and more: Deborah Koff-Chapin
How to even introduce much-loved local artist Deborah Koff-Chapin, founder of Touch Drawing and the Soul Cards.