Chef Emily Meijaard

I am a self-taught cook who developed my passion for cooking from my parents who encouraged me from a young age to love food and where it comes from. My grandmother also played a huge role in teaching me the basics of cooking and baking. After leaving school, where I swam at a national level for 6 years, I became interested in how food can support health. This interest grew as I completed my BSc in Biomedicine and three consecutive post-graduate degrees in Epidemiology, Global Health, and One Health. My interest in food goes beyond cooking, as my background in health and sustainability has taught me to champion zero-waste, seasonal cooking that prioritizes local ingredients and plant-based diets to support the health of people and the environment. I have lived internationally my whole life, including 16 years in Indonesia and 5 in Greece. I understand the historical significance of such diets across cultures and am passionate about cooking traditional dishes that emphasize preservation methods, waste reduction, and using seasonal produce. Therefore, my home cooking is vegetarian and low-waste and includes homemade yoghurt, kefir, Sourdough bread, preserves, pickles, and ferments, which I find to be very rewarding.