Hi, I'm Mary!

Since I was a little girl making mud pies on our backbench, I've been passionate about cooking. Growing up with home-cooked meals made from scratch, I was lucky to be around good cooks. Pursuing how to use earth and sea plants of the highest quality without sacrificing yummy taste has been a continuous life journey from my early twenties.

I've been cooking healthy cuisine using fresh, whole-vegetable foods based on macrobiotic concepts and seasonal changes for nearly half a century.

Having earned a Cooking Teacher Certificate from the Kushi Institute in 1982, I was honored to be head chef at the International Macrobiotic Institute in Kiental, Switzerland, in 1986. I worked with author and teacher Cornelia Aihara for many years at numerous annual summer camps at French Meadows in California.

I became a professional chef/owner of two award-winning restaurants, Mary's Restaurant in Philadelphia and Bridges Restaurant in Ocean City, NJ. I became a culinary instructor and a caterer through numerous diverse venues, nationally and abroad. I co-owned Great Life Products with the author, Sensei Noboru Muramoto. We produced and distributed sea salt and fermented foods like miso, soy sauce, and umeboshi. Also, we conducted residential educational programs under the Asinara Institute in Southern California. PBS featured me as a guest chef of my Mary’s Restaurant in the series “Philadelphia Kitchens” and “Flavors of Philly,” returning on their “Best of Series."

As my husband has passed and my four children are successful on their own, I now have more time to deepen my understanding of health preservation. This website is where I want to share the experiences, experiments, and recipes I have gathered over the years. I hope to inspire those who want to cook healthy and are looking for new and easy ways to improve their diet and way of life. As I live alone, cooking is difficult, especially when making various dishes for myself. I have found many ways around this hurdle and will share weekly tasks that make life simpler and still get a balanced diet (disclaimer} - most of the time.

"I cook as if this is the only food I have."

I have developed ways to use everything fully, leaving no waste. I compost all scraps and clean all veggies so there are no scars or the slightest beginning of rot. If I have leftovers that are too old or desirable to eat, I give them to the squirrels and birds as long as they are safe. I have a table outside my bathroom window and watch them in pure entertainment.