Food drives my curiosity.
There is always something new to discover.
Something new to learn.
A few weeks ago, we gathered with friends to make Biang Biang noodles. Hand-pulled. Slapped on the counter.
They are named after the sound they make when stretched and slapped.
Biang. Biang.
Cooking like this reminds me that the most beautiful things are never perfect. They are made by hand.
Photos: @nathandaisy.lab 🍜
#soulfood #handmade #biangbiangnoodles
Are you ready for a different type of retreat?
Join @janakeen and me for a beautiful Yoga & Ayurveda Retreat by the serene waters of Lake Ohrid, Macedonia, 21st to 25th May 2026.
🧘🏻 Mornings will begin with energizing Kundalini Yoga and pranayama. Evenings will gently wind down with slow-paced Hatha Yoga and meditation. In between, we’ll dive into inspiring workshops on the philosophy and practice of Yoga and Ayurveda, an Ayurvedic cooking class, and deeply relaxing Yoga Nidra.
🥗All meals will be lovingly prepared by our chef Jana, who has many years of experience cooking for hundreds of retreats. Expect playful, dosha-balancing, nourishing plates full of flavour, made with fresh local ingredients, gentle spices, and a whole lot of love.
This retreat is meant to be both restorative and educational: time on the mat to soften and reconnect, time in nature to simply be, and practical workshops so you can take some knowledge back home with you.
You can choose how you want to experience it, whether to enjoy in peaceful solitude and isolation, or connect and share with like-minded people who may become lifelong friends.
🏡Accommodation options:
* Single room
* Double room
* Shared dorm for three
📍 Lake Ohrid, Lagadin, Macedonia.
🗓 21–25 May 2026
DM me for all the details and pricing.
Gratitude of now -
a quiet center of recognition.
What we hold precious here
may be gone tomorrow.
Holding it close in the very moment.
Subtle. Almost imperceptible.
Flickering like a flame in quiet strength,
it sustains us deeply.
In wonder of the seemingly ordinary,
we remember - everything is fleeting.
~~
moments when heart & pen align...
From Field to Plate
The highest quality ingredients, grown with care and full of flavour, are the greatest inspiration there is.
Omu “lemon quinoa” with pungent mustard leaves, nasturtium & strawberry–celery sauce.
Nature knows what the body calls for in spring.
#slowfood #seasonalproduce #farmtotable
Cooking reminds me how to trust. I’m learning to bring that outside of it.
Choosing ingredients, not outcomes.
Doing instead of overthinking.
Letting things unfold.
Trusting the process.
And when it turns out differently than I expected, learning to accept it and begin again.
#seasonalfood #lifelately
Orange everywhere these past months.
The colours of winter slowly leaving the kitchen.
More greens finding their way in.
I can feel the shift.
#orangeisthenewblack #privatechef #seasonalcooking
There is something deeply satisfying about a good hummus.
Fresh ground cumin.
Rich spoonfuls of tahini.
Olive oil finding every curve.
And lemon for the final lift.
A humble dish.
But made with care.
📷 @nathandaisy.lab
#seasonalcooking #hummus #slowcooking #spice
Every layer is flavour and medicine.
Dishes fall into place shaped by the season’s gifts.
There is a quiet play between spices, vegetables, grains, herbs - each one carrying its own intelligence.
Sometimes pickled.
Sometimes roasted.
Sometimes steamed.
Every single step shifts the energy of the food.
It shapes the body.
It deepens the flavor.
And it builds beauty - through texture, colour and contrast.
This is how I build a plate.
From the inside out.
xJ
#seasonalcooking #foodismedicine #intuitivecooking #privatechef #slowfood
Cutting through the veil.
Days like these, when life feels amplified. When deep questions arise from experiences that shake you.
And instead of pulling you down, they bring you closer - closer to yourself and to others.
Re-kindling the passion for life, the fire to create, to play, to grow, to love.
The kitchen reminds me every day that the main ingredient of life is patience. The patience to let things take time. To accept that so much is beyond our control.
That all we can truly control are our actions
and whether we are honest with who we are in each moment.
In the end, we are not remembered for what we have done, but for who we were.
For the heart of our presence.
For the care and kindness we shared.
This is dedicated to a human who inspired me deeply.
A woman now in the last days of her life - with immense courage, strength, love and gentleness.
Someone who appreciated a vibrant, nourishing meal like no other.
To life.
To waking up each morning grateful for another day.
To accepting things as they come.
To finding peace in both the light and the dark moments we find ourselves in.
xJ
How do we keep creating when we feel empty?
I am learning to use what surfaces as fuel.
What if emptiness is not lack - but the beginning of creation?
x J
#emptyplate #reflections
Fennel
A humble sweet seed with a bright, nutty flavour - hiding its real power.
Spices have been igniting my passion and paving my path into cooking. Packed with flavour and honestly… powerful medicine.
For centuries they have supported everyday life. The small ailments. The little imbalances.
The kind of things our grandmothers still knew how to treat. And nature was the first place we went for help.
Fennel has been one of my most trusted friends for half a decade. I observed it to the core, picked it, smelled it, cherished it, toasted it. I brought it into my everyday cooking.
It helped me through bloated bellies, menstruation pain and slow digestive days - while giving my meals this bright, lifted flavour I can’t really explain.
You can boil it into infusions, toast it whole into dishes or grind it into finer notes. And it gets more potent when you toast it.
Fennel shows up in cuisines all over the world for the same reason: its bright aroma, cutting through the heaviness of meals.
The seed is always the most flavourful and potent. It gets lighter as it turns into the green herb and flower.
Fennel seed is humbling with its sweetness, but behind it… it’s packed with power: relieving gas, constipation, swelling, mucus accumulation, a tense nervous system and the list goes on.
Here, fennel in 7 forms: 1. seed (AI visual) 2. pickle 3. dressing 4. chocolate 5. digestive bites 6. porridge 7. flower (AI visual)
A seed I never get tired of.
x Jana
#spices #fennel #seasonalcooking #kitchencreativity
