Plant-Based Cooking Educator & Wellness Speaker

I’m a plant-forward cooking educator, gardener, author, and speaker who believes vegetables can be the most delicious part of the plate, and that cooking with them doesn't have to be complicated.

My love of gardening began at 15, when I got my first job at a local plant nursery and fell in love with watching something grow from seed to harvest. Over the years, gardening became a constant in my life, from growing food in the city to creating the garden and emerging food forest I have today.

My journey into plant-based cooking began with my own health. After a period of struggling with blood-sugar symptoms and gaining weight quickly, I started researching what I could change. I eventually went plant-based, and the changes I experienced became a turning point in how I thought about food.

Years later, a breast cancer diagnosis gave me another reason to look more closely at how I was eating and living. I went on to study plant-based culinary arts and health coaching, adding formal training to years of learning in my own kitchen and garden.

But here's the thing: I didn't grow up plant-based.

I've had to learn how to make food that's not just good for you, but good. Period. Food that even the most loyal meat-eaters in my life genuinely enjoy.

Through plenty of trial, error, and kitchen experiments, I've learned how to coax big flavor from simple ingredients, make vegetables exciting, and turn what comes out of the garden into food people actually look forward to eating.

That's what Harvesting Flavor is all about.

Today, I bring that experience to hands-on cooking experiences, seasonal talks and workshops, workplace wellness programs, garden-inspired recipes, and my first cookbook, The Garden Pesto Project.

Whether you're looking to cook more with plants, make the most of your garden harvest, bring an engaging food experience to your community or workplace, or simply find a new way to make vegetables delicious, I'm glad you're here.

Grow. Cook. Savor.

Warmly,
Jill 🌱