I’m Aura: a Community Herbalist, Cooking Teacher and Industrial Maintenance Planner whose mission is to bring Crunchy Plant-Based Cooking to the masses. When I’m not playing in the kitchen, knitting, gardening, or getting tattooed, I feel privileged to share my life with a loving partner and energetic young person.

If it actually matters to you, I have completed a Whole Foods Plant-Based Culinary Training with the School of Natural Cookery in Boulder, Colorado.  I’ve also done Rouxbe’s on-line Plant-Based Pro and Culinary RX certificates.  I’ve also done courses in Ayurvedic and Herbal nutrition.  In short, I can actually make something yummy if you give me a knife and some salt.

What matters more (to me!) is the love that goes into growing food and the respect for Nature it brings.  The desire it spurs not to waste any morsel of what the earth so selflessly provides.  To prepare fresh fare with joy and creativity so it nourishes body and soul completely.  And getting to share that passion for taking and making the time to cook for ourselves and cultivate the foods that will sustain our health and bodies.

In case you care, the chefs that inspire me, have shaped my cooking (and that I really hope to meet one day) include Julianaa Saatie, Amy Chaplin, Madhur Jaffrey and the Sarno brothers Chad & Derek.  Edward Espe Brown and Sandor Katz also make the list along with Kirsten and Christopher Shockey.