In The Kitchen with Noot Seear

As a model, Noot felt great pressure to look a certain way in order to fit industry standards. In an effort to educate herself around food and nutrition, she studied culinary arts both at the Academy of Culinary Education in LA and the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC, and also interned with Ayurvedic Chef Divya Altar. Currently, in addition to working as a private event chef, Noot is focused on further developing her brand ‘Nootritious’, where she creates online content related to self-empowerment, nutrition and cooking.Through her site and her Instagram, she whips up delicious meals that are oh so good for you too, making heading to the kitchen with a smiley Noot by your side a delight.

Q&A

When did you know you wanted to be a chef?
That’s a great question.  My journey as a chef actually began with me just wanting a better relationship with food and nutrition.  I started modeling when I was very young, and I was under constant pressure to be skinny, but I had no tools to embrace healthy nutrition so I just viewed food as the enemy.  I took baby steps to start learning about nutrition, and I fell in love with the vast culinary and food world.  The culinary world weaves together so many interesting topics - family traditions, cultural norms, nutrition, body image, health and wellness, economics, environmental issues,  food preservation, waste, business… I’ve devoted years to learning the craft and I got two culinary degrees along the way….One of the great things about being a chef is the ongoing journey.  No matter how talented you are, you can always look to improve and expand.

When you are alone, do you always cook for yourself or PB&J it?
Well… even PB&J’ing it can count as cooking for yourself!  My number 1 nutritional rule that I give myself and that I share for others is to avoid processed food as much as possible and to know what you are consuming.  So I definitely don’t always cook myself a masterpiece of a feast, but I really do try to cook myself my meals (or eat raw foods that don’t require preparation) as often as possible.  One of the key tricks to following this lifestyle is to have some simple meals you can make in a few minutes OR prepare large dishes that you can put in the fridge and reheat when you need them.

Do you come from a family of cooks?
Definitely not. I was always jealous of the people who came from these families that seemed to have “grandma’s secret recipe.” I’m living proof that you can learn how to cook, from being hopelessly scared in the kitchen to becoming a professional. In fact, one of my biggest inspirations with Nootritious is helping other people embrace the adventure of learning how to cook. Check out some of my videos - I guarantee that you (no matter who you are) can do it!

Recipe: Pink Salad

Ingredients: 

For Salad:
2 beets, boiled and roughly chopped
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 head radicchio, rosa
1 head radicchio
1 head fennel, shaved
Vegan cheese
3 blood oranges, segmented
5 figs, quartered
½ pomegranate, seeded
1 head radicchio tardivo

For Toppings:
1 tsp sumac
2 tbsp crushed cashews
2 dried rosebuds, crushed

For Salad Dressing:
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons cranberry vinegar (or balsamic)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey (maple syrup)
½ squeezed lemon
Juice from the blood oranges (optional)
Salt + pepper, to taste

To Made: Boil the beats until fork tender, let cool and remove the skin under running cold water, it will slip off easily.Rough chop the beats into interesting bite-size shapes and mix with the cooked quinoa until the quinoa turns bright pink.In a small bowl, mix the salad dressing ingredients together. Layer together the rest of the ingredients on a serving plate, drizzling on dressing in between until the salad comes together. I topped mine off with sumac, crushed nuts and dried rosebuds. Enjoy!! 

PORTA offers a uniquely honed edit of homewares from Europe bringing unique character and thoughtful design to your table and home in a way that simultaneously celebrates tradition while embracing contemporary style. Through our travels, interests and obsessions we bring storied traditions and histories to light so they can be engaged with in new ways. Many chefs explore and play with similar interests and ideas through food, and in our seriesIn The Kitchen With…we hope to highlight the joy and creativity that happens from stove to table by inviting chefs to whip up something wonderful on (or accessorized by) PORTA products. Each chef is generously sharing their recipe with us so that we can all recreate the magic at home, and answering a few questions about their love of food and approach to bringing people together around the table.