Earth Kitchen

Retreat Catering ~ Private Chef ~ Community Events

From nature to your bowl – Earth Kitchen transforms your table into a place of remembrance, sharing food as a living prayer of connection

As the heart and hands of Earth Kitchen, Linda infuses ancient principles and culinary wisdom with contemporary global cuisine to inspire delicious and nutritious food crafting and promote the pleasure and presence of eating. Her wholesome plant-rich dishes are consciously sourced – honouring fresh, wild, seasonal, and organically grown ingredients and supporting local growers/Artisans that uphold clean, sustainable, and regenerative practices.

A bespoke catering service with your greatest well-being in heart

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Retreat Catering

Serving the needs of those journeying within with presence and care, Linda holds the kitchen altar to complement and amplify your event design. She alchemises the taste, beauty, quality, and frequency of each meal to align with your gathering's intention and daily flow, offering a hearth for all who come to share a bowl of food. From luxury retreat spaces to rustic community events, the container of nourishment is held in its entirety, freeing your time and energy to tend fully to the people and purpose of your gathering.

Private Chef

For those seeking an elevated culinary experience, Linda offers private chef services that bring the heart of Earth Kitchen into a more intimate setting. Ideal for wellbeing-conscious individuals, private households, and those requiring professional dietary care and restoration. Each menu is thoughtfully designed to meet your unique needs - seasonal, intentional & deeply nourishing. From rustic yet elegant plated fare to heartfelt home meals or abundant shared-table feasts, Linda curates a seamless eating experience, tending every detail so you can slow down and receive.

Download Sample Menu & Info

MEET LINDA

Mentor * Facilitator * Earth Keeper * Chef

Honouring the nourishing traditions of our ancestors, Linda brings over 20 years’ experience as a Wholefood Chef and Caterer supporting transformative journeys. Her innate capacity to nurture community and connection, woven with her deep reverence for the earth, has shaped her path of contribution to Regenerative Stewardship. Weaving her training and experience in Functional Nutrition, Food Alchemy, Mindfulness, Connection Medicine, Trauma Integration, and Embodied Psychology, Linda has co-created an abundance of retreats, trainings, immersions, ceremonies, and community gatherings. Together with the guidance of many great teachers and her own personal healing journey, she curates individual and group mentoring and education experiences on ‘The Art of Nourishment’ globally.

>> LEARN MORE ABOUT LINDA

Eating nourishing food is one of the most intimate communions we have with ourselves and with the earth. It is a pure expression of love in action, and sharing in the experience is a gift that deeply heals.
- Linda

Reflections

from clients & collaborators…

Linda brings deep medicine to her work and to the people that she tends to. She creates a potent space where we can feel nourished and supported. I have a complex food intolerance and often feel that it’s a burden on retreats. Linda not only accommodated that and made me feel at ease but she also taught me how to eat in a way that is supportive for me. She teaches about the medicine in foods and the medicine in the earth. I highly recommend her for any retreat, she brings such a beautiful energy that supports healing and transformation.

Rebecca Natasha, Deep Ecology & Trauma Release Retreat Facilitator

Linda’s work is exceptional on all levels. The passion and joy in which she creates and offers her art of wholesome food, connection to planet, people and produce and the heart is inspiring and contagious. I have loved working with Linda, supporting her on retreat, learning from her teachings, and especially loved eating her delicious healthy creations.Her wisdom and experience is a lifetime’s worth, she has so much depth, beauty and wellness on all levels to share and i am so deeply grateful to know her, grow from her and laugh with her. Linda’s offering is abundant, holistic and encapsulates the nourishment of food and lifestyle in a way that truly honours life.

Amy Devani, Hearts Wide Open Retreat Angel and Participant

I had the pleasure of being on the receiving end of Linda’s delicious, heart-warming and life-giving meals on 2 retreats now. In terms of meal planning, she’s very intuitive, she knows what the group needs and my body really responds to the intentionality and love which is always present and felt within her offerings. Highly recommend.

Igor Kreyman

My Wairua, my entire being is so deeply grateful to have journeyed with this amazing soul. Learning from Linda… being nourished by her amazing kai full of so much aroha, can’t wait to connect again! – nga mihi aroha ki a koe e te Wahine Toa

Hinewai Waitoa

Linda is a fundamental facet of our team, within which she caters at our bi-monthly retreats. The goodness Linda gathers into her nourishing bowls is potent and healing, and key to the success of our retreats. Besides her deeply nourishing foods, Linda offers a solid, heart felt and clear presence we all find restorative and grounding. When in need of nourishing connection Linda is ever available and open to attune to the needs of the wider group, caring for us all from her deep earth mumma soul. Whether it’s through her nourishing bowls, emotional presence, poetry or song (which she lovingly shares), Linda’s commitment to nourishing people is deeply felt. Working with Linda feels seamless: she is organised, clear in her communication, able to ascertain and pre-empt our needs, and a fun being to co-create menus with. Highly recommended!

Pedro Campiao, Deep Ecology & Trauma Release Retreat

“Lahla is hands-down the best caterer I’ve come across. She meets the retreat experience with a range of understanding and mastery I haven’t yet found in any other caterer on the East Coast. The meals she curates are not only crazy delicious, but you can also actually feel the love and reverence as you eat them! Clear eyes, tingling taste buds and happy digestive systems are GO. Lahla’s nutritional expertise is next-level, which she generously shares with participants to expand their wellness journey; she deeply understands the needs of facilitators and plays a beautifully supportive role in the smooth running of the retreat. AND, she’s a delight to be around! She adds this gorgeous warm quality that is a balm to everyone who comes into her presence in the kitchen. Whenever I book Lahla in for a retreat my nervous system relaxes, knowing participants are in for a premier catering experience – she’s basically a foodie slam-dunk. I can’t recommend her enough!”

Petra Lane, Wild Heart Retreat Facilitator

Taste is just one element of food, and when it comes to Linda’s meals, she delivers deeply in many elements. The nourishment, taste, textures, and the love behind every meal, is beyond belief. I’ve had the privilege to eat (eat doesn’t even come close to the experience) Linda’s food, and every time, I’m blown away by the effort and love in all of the preparation. I’ve heard that the energy from those who are preparing your meal impacts the food. I’ve never really had a tangible experience of this, but after eating Linda’s food, I now understand what that means. You can taste the care put into every ingredient. 

Love her food (and her)!

Luke Kennedy, Sachamama Sound Retreat Participant

Linda’s nourishing cooking is a gift from her heart.  The consciously crafted meals are delicious and balanced, but more than that, she creates an appreciation of mother nature and a beautiful celebration of life with each meal shared

Dani

The cornerstone values of Earth Kitchen’s alchemy:

  • Earth Kitchen values quality local ingredients in alignment and celebration of the seasons and growing practices that are regenerative for our planet
  • Supporting local growers, artisans, and businesses, Earth Kitchen prioritizes organic, spray-free, wild foraged, and home-grown food/products that are produced in harmony with natural ecosystems and with the intent to sustain and nurture life
  • Earth Kitchen sources ingredients/products cultivated without perpetuating oppression of any kind or suffering for the creatures, humans, or the earth
  • Meals are crafted with respect for the ingredients, treating them in a way that their highest potential is expressed
  • All meals are shared with healing intention. In one way, this means food that supports - calming the nervous system, aiding in detoxification, supporting gut health and low inflammation, boosting immunity, and fortifying your entire being
  • Earth Kitchen offers simple, beautiful, nutrient-dense dishes prepared from scratch. To prioritize wholefoods and wellbeing, my foundational menus are free from ingredients such as gluten, dairy, refined sugar, and seed oils

I wish to extend my deepest thanks to all artisans, growers, and producers who share these values – for tending the earth, nurturing her bounty, and serving the well-being of the people.

It is an honor to show off Mother Nature's abundance in my kitchen

Real food is natural and life-giving. It is medicine of the earth, created with the elements of earth, air, fire & water and nurtured by nature. Real food carries the imprint of the ancient ways.

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The Language of Food - An Embodied Session

Food speaks - through the body, the nervous system, and our relationship with life.

This session invites a deeper way of listening

This workshop is an optional addition to any Earth Kitchen catering package

Each “The Language of Food” embodied session is designed to align with the unique intention, rhythm and energetic tone of your retreat

Ideally offered after lunch or dinner, when participants are already gathered and nourished

An additional fee applies to integrate this session into your retreat design

>> INTEGRATE THIS SESSION

This 2-hour workshop builds upon the nourishing wisdom and food inspiration naturally shared through the kitchen space. It explores not only what we eat, but how we eat — and the state of awareness and connection that profoundly influences our health, healing, and happiness.

Offering a more integrative and embodied experience than a traditional cooking class, this session invites participants to look beyond food choices alone and into their habits, beliefs, and relationship with nourishment from a truly wholistic perspective.

Drawing from functional nutrition, food alchemy, mindfulness, embodied psychology, trauma-integration, and regenerative stewardship, the session gently supports participants to reconnect with their body, the earth, and the living intelligence of real food.

This time together is designed to complement and deepen the retreat experience, supporting participants to return home with greater clarity, confidence, and care in their everyday nourishment practices.

We explore themes such as:

  • Mindful cooking and eating
  • Food as medicine and nourishment psychology
  • Making peace with food & self inquiry
  • Listening to the language of your body
  • Wholefood foundations and balanced meals
  • Traditional and seasonal food wisdom
  • The energetics of food, herbs, and spices
  • Nourishment for gut health, stress, and inflammation
  • Kitchen flow, confidence, and simplicity
  • Regenerative stewardship through everyday food choices
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HerStory

I was born and raised in Aotearoa, NZ – a dairy farmer’s daughter. There was a lot of love and a lot of hard work. Despite the rise of environmental toxins, prescription drugs like birth control medications, and junk foods of the 80s – our family was wholesome, ate relatively well, and in connection to the land.

I was a highly sensitive and expressive little girl who was deeply connected to the natural world. My parents taught me many good things to guide my way, yet my soul’s experience in this life and the journey of coming back home to my body would not be the easiest road to walk.  It is only years later that I understand and trust that the hardships of my lived experience were to be the medicine and wisdom to offer back to others.

At age 7 I developed Epilepsy and was heavily medicated for 10 years. At that time, we didn’t understand anything about how Epilepsy affects the rest of the body let alone the damaging effect of the medications on my health or the emotional/spiritual understanding of such an illness.

The years that followed carved an arduous road of inner turmoil, insecurity, and physical symptoms. Through my pre-teens and up till my early 20’s I struggled with a very negative sense of self and of my body. I experienced a cascade of symptoms like depression, fatigue, PMS, digestive issues, headaches, and weight gain. I never felt like I fit in and believed I was not good enough. For many many years, I didn’t know how to access the knowledge, support, and courage to overcome – I felt overwhelmed, alone, and scared, so I chose to numb out in various unhealthy ways to escape my reality – seeking to feel worthy, validated and good in my body.

At 22 I had hit rock bottom and wanted to end my life. I was 120kg, sick, and very sad.

I remember the day it all changed. I was sitting on the beach contemplating my purpose, praying for a better life, wondering if existence was meant to be this way – when I felt (consciously) for the first time – an energy and presence beyond my disassociated physical prison. I sensed a shimmering light in the heart of my being emerging – a light of hope, of choice, of remembering. This was my awakening and I am eternally grateful beyond measure.

While my course had been redirected I still had to start walking the path of unravelling deeply ingrained patterns and mental, emotional & physical imbalance. Yet as each day passed my whole perspective began to realign, offering my body and being what it needed to flourish. I was being shown the parts that needed my love and attention to heal. My heart and inner compass were guiding me, and all aspects of my life began to transform. All the beauty of my being that I had abandoned at such a young age began to seep into all the darkened places.

Over the next 6 years, I let go of 60 kg (130lbs) and numerous layers of discomfort and dissonance. It began with obvious simple changes to my diet and lifestyle. I brought more intention and connection into my life and began to inhabit myself once again. I embarked on a passion-filled journey of learning about the body, food, alternative therapies, self-care and spiritual connection – teachings and tools I carry with me today.

When I was 30, I was diagnosed with Hashi Moto’s Thyroiditis (an autoimmune disease). I believe this had been going on for a long while, driving many of the symptoms I had been traversing. I felt deeply knocked down by this diagnosis as I had given so much time and energy to “fixing” what I deemed broken.

While so much healing and transformation had taken place, I was now being asked to journey deep within and explore the origins of my suffering. The more curious and compassionate I became, the more I opened to the messages and call the fragmented parts of myself home. I started to understand that I was never broken to begin with – wholeness was always there. 

This diagnosis was an opportunity and a gift.

The decade that followed was all about coming into right relationship with myself, with others, and with the world around me. It was a deep dive into trauma, limiting beliefs, root cause medicine, and the systemic nature of chronic stress. I was shown that I still had much work to do around my inner narratives and the lack of trust I held for my body. As each season of healing unfurled I came to understand that the source of my suffering was disconnection and my quest was to return home to myself.

I know what it is like to live in a body that doesn’t seem to work properly, that doesn’t seem to match your heart’s desires. I understand what it’s like to feel trapped in symptoms you don’t know how to shift and spend much of your precious time and energy trying to fix what feels broken. I know what self-abandonment feels like.

 

Yet through it all, somehow I still sit here – grounded, vital, present – feeling immense gratitude for the abundance of beautiful blessings that have graced my days. The many landscapes I have traversed have not always been easy but they have always and in all ways supported my reconnection.  I am grateful for this opportunity to participate in the evolution of our collective consciousness.

So here we are – learning, growing, and healing together.

… And the journey continues …

To life…

Linda xo

After leaving high school at 16 to pursue her dream; at that time, of becoming a Chef – Linda graduated with a distinction from culinary school and additional hospitality/customer services-based trainings in Canterbury, NZ. Over the next 10 years, the diversity of her work within these sectors evolved to roles focused on health food, wellbeing, and support services.

In 2007, after some years upon European soil remembering the nourishing ways of her ancestral roots, she explored Asia and India, immersing herself in the Healing Arts of the East – Traditional Medicine, Yoga, Philosophy and Spirituality. From there she journeyed to the Americas and opened to the teachings of Native American and Shamanic Medicine Ways.

Heeding the call, her walk led her to Colorado to begin studies with the Seven Bowls School of Nutrition, Nourishment and Healing, diving deep into many modalities of healing and completing her training as an Integrative Nutrition Practitioner specialising in Food, Energy and Earth Medicine.

In 2010 and after being away from her islands of birth for almost a decade she returned to Aotearoa, NZ to reconnect to the medicine of Polynesia and Rongoa (indigenous plant medicine) for what was to be a majestical commune with the Ngahere (Forest) and wild places, guided by her teacher, Pa Ropata.

With a yearning to find stillness and grow deep roots into the earth, Linda poured her love and energy into growing food, living simply and regeneratively and building community. Crystallising in 2012, from her humble bush shack in the rural coastal paradise of Golden Bay – Nourishing Ways was born.

Mirroring the evolution of her work and research as well as her own personal healing journey, Linda returned to study at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating in the USA, delving into teachings of Eating and Nourishment Psychology and Body Mind Nutrition.

In 2019 she relocated to the Northern Rivers of NSW Australia, Bundjalung Country.  Alongside the flourishing of Nourishing Ways’ many expressions, Earth Kitchen was established to hold the bespoke Catering and Food Medicine Education branch of Nourishing Ways’ tree.

Linda has offered workshops and talks on many subjects ranging from mental health to mindful eating, from autoimmunity to positive body image. She created the popular 21-day cleanse programme “Rejuvenate”, ran healing food cooking classes, and co-created retreats offering wisdom on nutrition, nourishment, plant medicine and spirituality. Linda has mentored people around the world, created in-home wellbeing programmes, consulted cafes on menu development & eco initiatives, offered wholefood catering and workshops for young women’s rites of passage programmes, conscious festivals, yoga retreats/trainings and other wellbeing and transformational events.

Linda has worked in treatment facilities for addiction and disordered eating and has been recruited to cook and teach nutrition, eating psychology, body/mind nutrition and mindfulness to the Sydney Roosters NRL team. She has presented at “The Real Food Revolution”, Mental Health Awareness week, has been featured in newspapers throughout New Zealand, as well as Australia’s “That’s Life” magazine. She has written for Happyzine and Healthpost sharing her story and nourishing wisdom.

Having been a teacher and guide to many over the years, it is not till now, in 2023 that a readiness to fully step into the online world has aligned.