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). 

As head chef of the Whidbey Institute kitchen, resident co-caretaker, alongside resident host and co-caretaker Michelle Brock, I am challenged, humbled, and enlivened daily. I work alongside cooks who show up with positive attitudes in an increasingly disconcerting world, I assist in feeding people who are doing dynamic and extraordinary work, and the Chef's who have come before me in the WI kitchen were not only talented, but created deep and lasting relationships with our facilitators and guests that I aspire to.

Among this confluence of excellence is a cycle I've come to familiarize myself with; one of nourishment, effort, and intention. The facilitators and participants on the retreats pour their intentions into their work and on their breaks and mealtimes, into the land. They meditate, laugh, cry, nap, stretch, play, rest, and amble across the lawns of the heartland. A definite feeling of those efforts being held is tangible here. The trees stand sentinel and bear witness to our genius and hilarity. The plantains underfoot, a mattress of wild edibles, as our guests rest and digest. 

Garden tender and cabin steward dee elle has begun the herculean task of reviving the West Garden. This last week our kitchen team used mustard greens, chard, kale, and squash all from the plots dee has tended to. We nourished the bodies who, in turn, nourished our land. 

I have the great honor of living here on-site in the Caretakers Cabin. Nightly rounds include turning on/off lights, checking and double-checking locks, tucking our buildings in so they too can have respite from constant use. A caretaker is understood as someone who looks after spaces and buildings. A caregiver is understood to be someone who looks after the well-being of other beings. It is a distinct and marvelous gift that I find my position to evoke both the giving and taking of Care. My efforts and intentions feed into a cycle that feeds back into me, cyclical and reciprocal. 

I endeavor to give, and take, my care with Grace and Compassion. This land has seen warriors, Elders, healers, misfits, dancers, creators, The Lost and The Found. I most sincerely intend to be part of a historical matrix that tends to the beauty of the WI, and plant trees under whose shade I never intend to sit.