Chef Kim is renowned for her expertise in Mindful Leadership within the food and beverage industry. She recently discussed her unique journey with Dr. Amy Sapola in a podcast.
Unlike many chefs who attribute their love for cooking to their grandmothers, Chef Kim’s path was different. After a brief stint at a university studying sports training, she realized that university life was not for her. Following a conversation with her high school guidance counselor, she decided to attend culinary school, a suggestion that took her by surprise. The counselor assured her that it would be enjoyable and that she would excel at it. These factors motivated Kim to give it a try.
1. Monica Geller, on the television show Friends, was a chef, which made it a cool thing to do.
2. Kim thought that if she could cook for a boyfriend, she’d have a boyfriend.
She discovered that she loved the adrenaline in a chef’s kitchen and the camaraderie that exists. So, twenty-five years later, Kim is still in the industry. Her story, though, still had more twists and turns. She studied yoga because she wanted to get better at the positions. Falling in love with the ancient practice, she started to share info about yoga and its benefits to other people.
Now mix in one more ingredient to Kim’s story: the world-class chocolate chip cookies she makes. She considers those cookies to be her love language and currency, and she starts to wonder what life would be like if someone would pause while eating that cookie. If they would just relax during this experience, how would that change their day?
This caused Kim to realize how people often simply shove food into their mouths without even being aware of the flavors—which led her experiences as a corporate chef and a yoga and meditation practitioner to merge into the concept of teaching mindfulness. World-class culinary teams that she has guided and empowered include those for the World Figure Skating Championships, MLS All-Star Soccer Game, CHL Memorial Cup, and Canadian Scouts Jamboree.
You can listen to the rest of her story in her own words in our Farming for Health podcast Episode 11.
Past Episodes of our Farming for Health Podcast
If you’ve missed any of our previous episodes, you can find them here:
- Episode One: Keto, Cruciferous Vegetables, Salt and Your Mindset
- Episode Two: Cooking, Conviviality, and Preserving the Harvest
- Episode Three: Ferments, Food Insecurity, and Wasted Food.
- Episode Four: Anti-Cancer Diet, Food as Medicine, and Vegetables.
- Episode Five: Plants, Happiness, and Mindful Neglect.
- Episode Six: Whole 30, Sustainable Habits, and Loving Vegetables.
- Episode Seven: Iodine, Egg Yolk Enzymes, and Miso
- Episode Eight: Fungi, Bitter Foods, and Food Extinction
- Episode Nine: Understanding Food, Nutritional Healing and Farming
- Episode Ten: Enjoying the Process, Connection and Soup
Stay tuned for more!