When we think of food, we often stop at nutrition or flavor. But for retreat chef Kate Munroe Boot, cooking is ceremony: an act of connection, creativity, and healing that goes far beyond calories or recipes.
I first met Kate at Cabilla Retreat Center in Cornwall, England, where she cooked three meals a day for our group over the span of a week. Her food was vibrant and nourishing, yes, but it was also an invitation. Each plate carried a story, a splash of color, and a grounding presence that held us through the retreat. Ever since, I’ve been imprinted with the sense that meals can be medicine in more ways than one.
In our recent conversation, Kate shared her philosophy of food, her path as a private chef turned retreat cook, and the ways she invites presence into the kitchen and onto the plate. What follows are some of the key insights for anyone who wants to bring more depth, gentleness, and joy into their relationship with food.
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Cooking with Intention
Kate believes that every ingredient carries an energetic imprint, whether a root pulled from the soil, a tomato ripened in the sun, or meat sourced with care. When we cook, we are layering intention onto those imprints: through our hands, our breath, our mindset, and the way we prepare and serve the meal.
Cooking with intention doesn’t mean perfection. Sometimes seasonal or local food isn’t available, and that’s okay. For Kate, what matters is the reverence we bring to the process. Even supermarket produce can be blessed, touched with gratitude, and transformed into nourishment when approached with care.
Food and the Nervous System
So much of the wellness world focuses on what we eat. But Kate reminds us that how we eat is just as important.
When we approach a meal with anxiety- policing ingredients, or rushing- we activate the sympathetic nervous system, the body’s “fight or flight” mode. In that state, digestion slows down. But when we soften into gentleness, joy, and presence, we slip into parasympathetic mode, rest and digest.
This means that the same food can be digested very differently depending on our state of mind. A fast-food burger eaten with delight and ease may actually nourish us more fully than a “perfect” meal consumed under stress. The invitation is to eat slowly, with reverence, and to let the nervous system become a partner in nourishment.
Chakras on the Plate
One of Kate’s most unique frameworks for retreat cooking is her use of the chakra system as inspiration for meals.
Each chakra carries a color and an energetic theme, and Kate translates these qualities into the food she prepares:
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Root (red): grounding meals, often with root vegetables, rich red colors, to help guests land at the retreat.
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Sacral (orange): foods that support creativity and flow- think squashes, sweet potatoes, carrots, or bright orange dishes.
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Solar Plexus (yellow): warming, spiced meals like golden dhal to strengthen courage and digestion.
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Heart (green and rose): dishes bursting with herbs, leafy greens, and sometimes rose to support love and openness.
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Throat (blue): soothing broths, teas, and gentle foods that ease expression.
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Third Eye & Crown (indigo, violet, white): more intuitive, often subtle or ceremonial elements, like butterfly blue pea flower or blue lotus, to encourage expansion and connection.
Even for those who don’t regularly work with chakras, this framework is a reminder to play with color, symbolism, and intention in the kitchen. Food can mirror the inner landscape we want to cultivate.
Gentleness Over Perfection
Kate spoke openly about the inner critic that so many of us encounter around food- whether it’s “I should only eat organic” or “I should never use supermarket ingredients.” Over the years, she has learned to approach cooking with more gentleness.
We are all doing the best we can with the resources we have. Sometimes meals will be spectacular, sometimes simple. What matters is consistency of care, not flawless execution. This gentleness with ourselves extends outward, helping us also become more compassionate toward others and the earth.
Building Relationships with Plants
Another theme that runs through Kate’s work is relationship. Beyond nutritional profiles or trendy diets, she encourages curiosity and personal connection with ingredients, especially plants.
This might mean foraging nettles in spring, brewing mugwort tea, or simply pausing to notice the scent and feel of herbs while chopping. Kate herself is in a season of learning, approaching plants like a beginner with wonder, and letting them reveal their teachings slowly.
For those of us who want to connect more deeply with food, the takeaway is simple: slow down, taste, touch, and listen. Knowledge is valuable, but wisdom comes from experience.
Food as Ceremony
At retreats, meals aren’t just about eating, they are containers of connection. Sitting across a table, sharing food, and telling stories can be as healing as any workshop or practice.
Kate sees herself as a part of the retreat ecosystem: supporting facilitators by offering food that grounds, opens, and nurtures participants at just the right moments. The same can be true at home. A shared dinner, infused with intention, can be a ceremony that nourishes body, mind, and spirit.
Bringing It Home
For those who want to integrate Kate’s wisdom into daily life, here are a few simple practices:
- Cook with presence: turn on music, take a deep breath, and bring joy into the process.
- Eat slowly: allow your body to rest and digest by softening your nervous system before meals.
- Play with color: let the chakras or the vibrancy of seasonal produce inspire your plate.
- Release perfection: remember that “good enough” food, cooked with love, is often more nourishing than rigid ideals.
- Connect with plants: choose one herb, root, or vegetable to pay extra attention to this week- smell it, taste it, and notice its effect on you.
Kate’s work is a reminder that nourishment is never just about the food- it’s about the relationship, the intention, and the story that weaves it all together. Whether at a retreat or in your own kitchen, food can be ceremony.
Connect with Kate
If you’d like to connect with Kate and follow more of her mindful food journey, you can find her on Instagram at @themindfulchefette, where she shares glimpses of her kitchen creations, foraging adventures, and grounding practices. Her upcoming cookbook is also in the works- a weaving of stories, recipes, and practices to bring intention and joy into your own meals. To stay tuned, visit her website https://www.themindfulchefette.com/.