Why I Chose Gastronomy As a Healing Path
I didn’t choose gastronomy because I wanted to be a chef. I chose it because I wanted to be whole again.
For years, my life was about holding everything together for everyone else. I was a survivor, a fixer. a caregiver. I got really good at adapting, but not necessarily at living. And somewhere in all of that, I lost my connection to pleasure, nourishment, ritual, and creativity. I felt like I had lost my mind completely.
Food brought it back.
How I Knew I Needed a Change
Burnout wasn’t a buzzword for me. It was my daily reality. My nervous system was always in overdrive. I was constantly pushing through trauma, exhaustion, and silence. Eventually, I realized that what I needed wasn’t just a new job.
I needed a new way of being.
And for me, that meant slowing down, honoring my senses, and getting curious again. Food became my portal. Travel became my inspiration.
Why Gastronomy?
Gastronomy is about more than eating. It’s about understanding the relationship between food, people, land, history, and healing. It’s academic and emotional. It’s political and personal. And it’s where I found myself again. Where I found inspiration again for the first time in a long time.
I chose the Master’s in Gastronomic Sciences at the Basque Culinary Center because it brings all of those pieces together:
Food justice and sustainability;
Cultural identity and storytelling;
Innovation and systemic change;
Community, tradition, and sensory experience; and
Technology and Inspiration.
It felt like someone designed a program for everything I care about. For my future and for everything I needed to re-learn.
The Role of Food in My Healing
Cooking became a way to reconnect with my body. Eating healthy became a reflection of my own mental health. After some time, grocery shopping became a ritual. Sharing a meal became enjoyable again, and not an obsessive thought. And learning about global food systems helped me see where I was still hungry myself. Not for calories, but for connection, agency, and meaning.
This isn’t about fixing myself. It’s about remembering myself. About living my purpose.
Looking Ahead
I don’t know exactly where this path will lead. But I know it’s mine. I’m choosing this life not because it looks good on paper, but because it feels like home in my bones. And if food can be my compass? I’ll keep following it.
If you’ve ever felt like you needed to start over, not just with your job or your location, but with your relationship to life itself, I see you.
This is my path. Maybe some part of it is yours, too.
If you want to know more about how I decided to move abroad at 35, check out my post HERE!
For more information on Food Systems and Sustainability efforts, check out the following links. UN Food Systems Summit Initiative and Slow Food International. You will find a plethora of information on their sites.
Bye for now!
