This conversation is about food.

Delicious, mouth-watering, energizing, imaginative food.

But it’s about much more than that.

It’s about connection.

It’s about our exchange of energy with the world, which is just another way of saying, food.

Input. Output. Fuel, Creation.

Food is the way we eat the world.

It’s this incessant reminder that we are part of a network of ongoing exchange. That we’re dependent beings, dependent on air, water, energy, and fuel for both body and spirit.

This is the second episode unpacking the surprises of an adventure I took to Bali for two weeks that unexpectedly turned into 2 months.

I knew Simon and I would have a lot to talk about when he answered my questions about how he’s reimagining a vegan gathering place with a wink and a shrug and ‘it all started with pork ribs.’

Both/and, people.

Flesh and spirit.

Radical hospitality.

Food philosophy that encompasses our connection to everything.

I’ve been shaping an experience around food, nutrition, body love, and community called WEIGHTY. If your relationship to food is something you struggle with or have questions around, I cannot wait to journey through it with you. It’s launching soon, and you can find out more at nicolemeline.com/mentorship.

Welcome to the conversation with Simon Jongenotter (@newearthcooking), executive chef of Zest and founder of the New Earth Cooking School.