Interview by Dianna Stiles
Famed New York Times food and restaurant critic Craig Claiborne said, “Cooking done with care is an act of love.” It’s a sentiment that local chef and cookbook author Laurel Herman lives every day.
Born and raised on Long Island, N.Y., Herman began her culinary journey working in delis as a teenager. She eventually progressed to the Manhattan restaurant scene working at the famous Joe Allen Restaurant where celebrity chef Bobby Flay got his start.
Marriage and motherhood put her culinary aspirations on hold until her husband’s job took her to London. Despite the demands of two young children and a husband, Herman enrolled in Thames Valley University’s chef program.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” laughs Herman. “It was the most intense training I ever had in my life. I had to learn everything in French and metric…It gave me an ulcer, but I loved it.”
Eventually settling in Richmond, Herman is a chef for the newly opened Good Foods Café in the Gayton Crossing Shopping Center. “To me, feeding people is an act of service. It’s one of the greatest services you can do for people…and it’s not just throwing food at them, [but nourishing them] with the thought that went into it.”
Thus, taking time to prepare a meal from scratch, with high-quality ingredients, is of the utmost importance to her—and a passion she hopes to impart on others. “I want to replace the fear [of cooking] with confidence, with joy. The joy of serving oneself,” she explains.
As a first step toward helping others discover the joy of cooking, Herman has written The Inner Kitchen, a cookbook focused on gluten-free, organic cuisine.
Her easy-to-follow recipes underscore her belief that delicious food doesn’t have to be complicated. “I don’t use a million ingredients because I really want the food to speak for itself,” she says.
The Inner Kitchen also celebrates Herman’s spiritual connection with food. Juxtaposed against each recipe is her interpretation of how a particular ingredient is a metaphor for life. Part cookbook, part self-help book,The Inner Kitchen is meant to feed the stomach and the soul.
In addition to chef and author, Herman is adding health coach to her resume. Working with families with children diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and celiac disease, she transitions them to an organic, gluten-free lifestyle. The process can be difficult and slow. “You have to take baby steps,” she says.
In Her Words
Working with food is like… a moving meditation. You’re concentrating on getting everything ready at the same time. You’re looking at the balance of colors and nutrition. And you’re preparing it with this great love for the people that will be enjoying it. All those things coming together elevates cooking to a higher realm than just throwing a meal on the table.
I discovered I was gluten intolerant… three years ago. I was having a lot of stomach issues. I had severe acid reflux, asthma, respiratory and sinus problems, inflammatory issues. I went to a nutrition counselor who suggested I go gluten-free. Within a month all those issues went away and I stopped the acid reflux medication I had been taking for 15 years. I also lost 55 pounds.
For me, gluten-free is about… the word “free.” Free of disease. Free of pain. Free of what holds us back physically.
Going gluten-free is a good first step, but … the idea is to go as pure as you can. I don’t believe our bodies were built to recognize highly processed foods. Chemicals interact in our bodies in ways we don’t understand.
When people tell me they can’t cook, I say… anybody can cook. It’s preparation and assembly. It’s cutting up the blocks and putting them together.
I really enjoy… cooking for individuals undergoing chemotherapy. I feel that’s when people need the greatest nutrition. It’s about making sure they eat something pure, something made with healing intention and something they can digest. My goal is to produce a meal that will absolutely nourish the mind, body and soul.
My favorite foods are … baked sweet potatoes and roasted red peppers, because you don’t have to add anything. They’re perfect just the way they are.
Going forward I hope to … write more books, coach others and learn more about the healing power of food.
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Age: 56
Occupation: Chef at Good Foods Café in RIchmond and author of The Inner Kitchen
Birthplace: Deer Park, N.Y.
Currently Resides: Richmond, Va.
Family: Single, with a daughter Tracy (26) and son David (20)
Education: Culinary training at Thames Valley University in London
Volunteer Activities: Regularly cooks for individuals undergoing chemotherapy
Professional Associations: Organic Consumers Association
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