These days, cooking is my full-time job. And that brings its own challenges. The hardest part has been trying to balance everything — my love of the craft, the relentless work, the travel, the business side of things, the creative side, and trying to keep a sense of self through it all.

It’s funny. The feeling that swept over me wasn’t just nostalgia—it was something deeper. A reminder not just of a place, but of a version of myself I once was. Wānaka has that kind of pull. Even now, years later, the mountains, the lake, the stillness—it’s like it’s been holding my place without question.