from chore to ceremony: rewriting the cooking narrative
It’s easy to categorize cooking as a chore, a necessary means to an end wedged between folding the laundry and watering the lawn. It takes time, creates a mess and requires a fair amount of our attention. But is cooking actually a daily to-do list item on the same plane as scrubbing the bathtub or taking out the trash? What if the act of cooking was less about completing a task and more about savoring the process itself? Can we shift our focus from the “cooked” to the “cooking”, from the product to the process?
When we enter the kitchen, we are greeted with an invitation. Just the deliberate act of pulling out a cutting board invites us into a space of courage, playful experimentation and the quiet joy of creating something wonderful by combining simple ingredients. Each night, we start with a blank canvas. What we create is both entirely up to us & beautifully unscripted. We are the creators, we are the authors, we are the casual home chefs with a knife in hand. In the warm glow of our kitchens, we are invited to slow down and be present as we mix, stir, season, and sauté. By tuning in, we notice the sharpness of lemon, the warmth of spice, the sizzle of onions in a hot skillet. By reflecting, we might be drawn into the memory of a beloved family recipe or slip into playful curiosity as we try something new. Where other chores may lull us into numbness, cooking offers us the opportunity to anchor into the moment.
The simple act of cooking nourishes our minds by inviting us to be fully present and abundantly grateful for the gift of food itself. It deeply engages our humanity and invites a sense of calm, coziness and intentionality into our homes. The kitchen is considered the “heart of the home” because it’s where life is nourished, devotion is displayed, where people (or pets!) gather to be fed, heard & seen. Over time, the ritual of cooking becomes stitched into the fabric of the home, a sacred rhythm in itself.
But the ceremony of cooking doesn’t just nourish our mind & soul, it nourishes our body too. Before we even take a bite, the process of cooking initiates digestion. The smells, anticipation and hands-on work all signal to the brain and body that food is coming, encouraging enzyme secretion to support digestion and absorption once we actually begin eating. Unlike any other task, cooking engages our body in a truly physiological way.
Yes, cooking takes time, patience, and attention. Yes, it can be messy. But if we never fully engage in the process and everything that comes with it (the play, the mistakes, the effort), we miss out on something far more nourishing than the meal itself. We miss the ceremony. And just like any creative act, it builds more than a skill. It builds tradition, trust, discipline & celebration.
So the next time you cook, try approaching it with a different perspective. Let it be less of a chore and more of a ceremony by shifting your focus toward the process, not the product. Allow your hands to lead, your senses to engage, and your mind to tune into the art & invitation that is cooking. The meal will come, but the true nourishment begins when you turn on the kitchen light.