Schooling?
I am a graduate of the Chef’s Training Program of the Natural Gourmet (NG) Institute for Health and the Culinary Arts. The NG is a small holistic culinary school in New York City devoted to whole foods cookery. I graduated from Prescott College where I studied religion and organic agriculture.

How did you get into herbology and Ayurveda?
I got into herbs and Ayurveda in 2001 while working in the kitchen at the Sivananda Yoga Ashram Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, California. The chef there at the time was an Ayurvedic practitioner. I asked lots and lots of questions and read a bunch of books on Ayurvedic cooking and herbs. I got further into herbs by studying privately with herbalists’ Jon Carlson and then Candis Cantin.

I am fascinated by the energetic properties of foods and herbs. Every food and/or herb has a specific quality that either resonates with us or doesn’t. If it resonates with us we come into greater balance. If it doesn’t we become weaker.

I noticed you eat wheat and gluten free, why?
I choose to eat and cook mostly wheat-gluten free because modernized wheat has some deleterious effects on health. It has been linked to depression, anxiety, bipolar, autism, and is the main culprit in Celiac disease. The mind and the gut are two sides of the same coin. When something is difficult to digest and actually is abrasive to the GI tract it will cause disorders of digestion and of the mind, e.g. depression, bipolar. Avoiding gluten may help one in their quest for health if they suffer from any of the above.

And you teach yoga, tell me about this!?
I am a certified yoga instructor. I taught for about a year at the Sivananda yoga ashram. I currently do not teach, but am open to doing so. I do yoga a few times a week.

What style of cooking do you like best?
After studying Ayurveda for some time it is hard not to see through those lenses when preparing food. This has shaped my own style of doing things. I like to cook simple food. I try to stay away from too many ingredients, too many spices, and try to stick with what is local and in season. If I had to put a label on it would be Macrobiotics meets Ayurveda in the Mediterranean (Macrovedaterranean).

I am most fond of Italian cuisine. My father is 100% Italian and he was my primary influence and inspiration in the kitchen. I have modified his style to best meet my needs.

What is your favorite food to eat?
Pizza! I love thin crust Neapolitan style pizza.

For even more information on Daniel, what he does and his services, go to The Yogi Chef.

He currently teaches cooking classes at Whole Foods Market in Sacramento and the David Food Co-op.