We spoke to Moon Bedeaux, about her new venture Kult Kitchen, how modern alchemy has influenced her work and her life, and some of the lessons she's learnt this year that have impacted her practices.
How did you first get into modern alchemy?
I see the practice of creating food as alchemy; the art of transforming ingredients into new creations. I've been creating edible matter for as long as I can remember. Since I was small, I've been obsessed with the tantalising flavours food has to offer. My practice has adapted and continues to grow as time goes on and I continue to learn new ways to incorporate the medicinal qualities of certain foods into my recipes. As well as find inspiration from traditional systems, such as Ayurveda, Ital, Macrobiotic, functional medicine and so on, I learn through experimenting with ingredients native to other countries, other dishes, and fusing these with traditional recipes to create new. Sometimes recipes I experiment with don't go as planned and in turn something new and better is born...
What is one of the most important steps you believe people should take when seeking to rebalance their bodies and lives?
Approach rebalancing yourself holistically— what I mean by this is take both an internal and external approach. Dig deeper than the surface... With my clients I have for personal training, I have a holistic approach in order for them to get the most out of their training and feeling good. It's not just about what sits on the surface—the aesthetic result, it's about getting under the skin to really restore balance, looking at their hormones, diet, habitual patterns, the quality of food consumed, down to the quality of the supplements they intake.
For instance, you may be experiencing stress from external forces, such as work overload, however, in order to manage this one has to try and get their hormones back in check. It is important to sleep consistently, consume the right nutrients and adaptogens that can support their cortisol levels, as well bringing new practices into their life to combat stress; adopting new strategies to manage their stress levels more efficiently and so on.
What are some of your current favourite functional ingredients to work with?
At the moment I'm really into triphala. Widely used in Ayurvedic medicine, this herbal remedy is employed as a body tonic. It can be effective in assisting cleansing, detoxifying, regulating bowel movement, and reducing sluggishness. I've also recently gotten into using Amla fruit powder as a vitamin C supplement as its content is superior to lemons and oranges. Amla is anti-inflammatory and regulates blood sugar, as well as known as being anti-aging.
How do you like to incorporate our drinks into the practice of alchemic nutrition?
As we all know excessive drinking isn’t good for us, yet many of us love a drink. And I love a drink, but not really the feeling of being out of control when you drink too much, and I certainly don’t live for the hangovers. I like to choose Three Spirit on a social evening, over spirits. It’s got a great herbal taste that is reminiscent of alcohol and is not too sweet. It mixes great with other elixirs, fizzy waters of choice usually paired with alcohol, and contains wonderful adaptogens that can make you feel better after a night out and not worse. And the best part is it looks like alcohol so you don’t get peer-pressured. I like to salvage an alcoholic drink for having when I really feel like it, and not heading out for a big night. This can really reduce the units you drink and if you don’t drink at all, it helps you feel included.
Can you talk a little bit about Kult Kitchen and your vision for it?
Kult Kitchen is more than a cafe, it’s a way of life. The motivations behind the name is that the food is so good you want to join the health ‘Kult’. Kult Kitchen is already garnering a healthy following with people travelling for our Kult Klassics – cornbread topped with guac, kimchi and furikake, cordyceps snickers bars, black bean and baobab brownie, choc chip banana bread, Saturday’s buckwheat pancakes dripping in homemade matcha butter, cacao sauce and much more!
But it’s not just about the food – I am also a qualified L3 trainer and hold private consultations for weight training and nutritional advice at the cafe space. As well as events such as Luna Manifestation Rituals; an edible masterclass in which I teach you how to make my delicious adaptogenic moon balls. Through this ritual you are able to set and consume your intentions deeply within!
There are many different programs which I am developing, which aim to educate and heal. My ethos is to bring you healthy eating without compromising flavour, (which people often complain is lacking in healthy alternatives), in the shape of artisanal high vibrational whole foods. I aim to elevate your tastebuds and educate you along the way through my delicious, yet healthy recipes that are never processed, naturally gluten free, and contain no refined sugars, yet filled with unusual superfoods, adaptogens and unexpected alternatives.
Kult Kitchen has just joined Big night which is Nationwide delivery gourmet food platform so very soon you'll be able to enjoy Kult Kitchen from your home anywhere in the UK, starting with our Ultimate Kult Kristmas hamper which is available to pre order from 24th November 2021.
What were some of the biggest lessons you learnt this year and how has it impacted your day to day practices?
1. You can't have a strict life plan - surprises and serendipity is beautiful. I would have never envisioned being where I am now running Kult Kitchen at the beginning of the year.
2. No dream is ever too big - this I already knew, but I feel these moments of enchantment unfold before my very eyes as I push forward everyday with my life's mission.
3. The importance of prioritising self-care and learning to love spending time with myself. Running a business non-stop where I typically work 7 days a week means I cherish moments to myself.
4. Being organised is really the make or break of running a business.
