Since I was a little girl making mud pies on our backbench, I have been passionate about cooking. Having grown up with home-cooked meals made from scratch; I was lucky to be around good cooks. Pursuing how to use earth and sea plants of the highest quality without sacrificing yummy taste has been a continuous life journey from my early twenties.

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For over 45 years I have been cooking healthy cuisine using fresh, whole, vegetable foods based on macrobiotic concepts and seasonal changes. Having earned a Cooking Teacher Certificate from the Kushi Institute in 1982, I was honored to be head chef at the International Macrobiotic Institute in Kiental, Switzerland. For many years, I cooked at numerous annual summer camps. I became a professional chef/owner of two award-winning restaurants, a culinary instructor, and a caterer through numerous, diverse venues, nationally and abroad. I co-owned Great Life Products with the author, Sensei Noboru Muramoto, producing and distributing sea salt and fermented foods, such as miso, soy sauce, and umeboshi. Also, we conducted residential educational programs under Asinara Institute in Southern California. PBS featured me as a guest chef of my Mary’s Restaurant in the series “Philadelphia Kitchens” and “Flavors of Philly,” returning on their “Best of Series.

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As my husband has passed and my four children are all successful on their own, I now have more time to deepen my understanding of health preservation. This website is a place where I want to share my experiences, experiments, and recipes that have gathered over the years.  I hope to inspire those who want to cook healthy and are looking for new and easy ways to improve their diet and way of life.

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