1. What is your favorite tool in the kitchen and why?

My hands are my favorite tool!  I love using my hands whenever I can to play with my food, at some point in the process of making a special treat I get my hands in there to mold and shape, or mix.  This is our most important tool for making food, that can be forgotten at times.  

2. What's in your pantry?

My pantry is stocked with superfoods like mesquite pod meal, maca powder, goji berries and medicinal herbs along with fresh and local fruits and veggies.  I also love finding special products like heirloom gluten-free grains and lentils, which have been a recent addition to my whole foods pantry.  What we are seeking here is health, and the foods I choose to consume shift seasonally and attend to my nutritional requirements at the time.

3. What's your favorite meal comprised of?

Favorite meal?  That's a tough one, but I would have to say that on the sweet side I love huckleberries or any seasonal berry, and making a fruit cream with these berries is the ultimate tasty treat.  For savory dishes, I like dill or caraway sauerkraut with dulse, raw black aji olives and tomato over greens, very simple.

4. Who are some of your favorite chefs and why?

I love watching the food network and cooking tv, so many creative ideas and techniques to learn.  I have to admit, it's a bit addicting, and I don't even own a TV.  The innovation that these personalities bring to the table is amazing, like Nigella, Giada, and the Barefoot Contessa being some of my favorites.  They all bring their realness to the camera, and I think that is what makes them so easy to watch and learn from.  And even though they are not even focusing on healthy foods much of the time, I continuously learn from their creativity and ways of working with food.