Why I created the Retreat Chef Training Programme (and what I wish I’d known starting out)
by Bex Shindler @_themindfulkitchen_
Photo credit: Theo Piper Photography
I’ve always loved food, but it wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I truly considered it as a career. My early journey was as an artist and fundraiser for arts charities. It was fulfilling, but something deeper was calling. Gradually, my passion for food, health and wellbeing took over, and I began to express my creativity in a different way.
It all evolved so naturally, as things often do when you’re on the right path. I started a vegan food blog to explore a healthier way of eating, began studying nutrition, and launched The Mindful Kitchen with a friend, selling vegan and gluten-free treats at market stalls across Manchester and running the occasional pop-up. At that time, there weren’t many options like ours, so we struck a chord.
Soon, people at my local yoga studio started to take notice. Many had recently trained as yoga teachers and were beginning to host their own retreats. They invited me along to cook – and that’s how I became a retreat chef, almost by accident!
For two years, I worked in an office in the week and catered retreats at the weekends. It was exhausting, but something inside me knew I was building towards something meaningful. At the start of 2020, I finally took the leap – I left my job at the Royal Northern College of Music to focus fully on catering.
Then, just three weeks later, the pandemic hit.
Overnight, all the retreat work I’d built up was cancelled. I had no income and little financial support, but I was determined not to give up on my vision. I started teaching simple plant-based recipes over Zoom, wrote my first recipe e-book, completed my nutrition diploma, and volunteered for a food charity in Manchester.
Through that volunteering, I met a fellow private chef, who invited me to assist him on a catering job for some high-profile clients. That opportunity snowballed into something surreal – a few weeks later, we found ourselves catering for The Black Eyed Peas while they recorded their new album during lockdown.
It was a wild twist of fate that taught me an important lesson: anything is possible when you commit to following your passion and purpose.
Despite those glamorous moments, my heart was always with retreat catering – cooking for groups of people on a journey of rest, healing, and self-discovery. I loved the connection, the community, and the chance to cook vibrant, nourishing food that supported wellbeing and transformation.
As a neurodivergent entrepreneur, I thrive when I can work for myself, doing what I love, surrounded by people who “get it.” Cooking for retreats allowed me to be fully myself – in service, creative flow, and alignment.
Yet as I grew more experienced, I also experienced how challenging the work can be. Long days, constant travel, last-minute changes, managing dietary needs, supporting guests’ energy – it takes resilience, adaptability, and a deep understanding of the energetics of food. After catering over 70 retreats, I realised I was ready to pass on what I’d learned.
When I first started out, there was no guidance about how to be a retreat chef. I had to figure everything out myself – from pricing and menu planning to navigating the unique rhythm of retreat life. Retreat catering is completely different from working in a restaurant or commercial kitchen. It requires a different mindset, a different skillset, and a sensitivity to the retreat space itself.
Retreat hosts often told me they appreciated my professional approach and attention to detail, which, they said, was quite rare. That feedback stayed with me. I saw clearly that there was a need for specialist training – to help chefs approach this work with confidence and professionalism.
So, I created the Mindful Kitchen Retreat Chef Training Programme.
My vision was (and still is) to bridge the gap between culinary skill and energetic awareness. To show chefs and aspiring chefs that retreat catering is about so much more than just feeding people – it’s about nourishing transformation! And to help them to feel fully equipped to step into their passion.
A big part of this training is rooted in the wisdom of Ayurveda, which has profoundly influenced both my cooking and my life. Ayurveda teaches that ‘we are not what we eat, we are what we can digest’. When our digestion – or ‘agni’ – is balanced, we can access the full nutrition and energy of our food. It is the foundation of health, and when we serve food that supports that balance, our guests can access the deeper benefits of their retreat experience.
It’s a simple concept, but one that’s often overlooked. Many retreat chefs unknowingly serve foods that dampen digestion – cold smoothies in winter, heavy meals too late at night, or combinations that challenge the gut and cause inflammation. By learning to align ingredients, preparation methods and timing with Ayurvedic principles, we can make food that is not only delicious and plant-based, but energetically supportive too.
Ayurveda and yoga are deeply connected. Both aim to create harmony between body, mind, and spirit. So when we bring Ayurvedic awareness into retreat catering, we elevate the entire experience. The food becomes an extension of the healing work happening in the yoga or meditation practice.
Through the Training, I help chefs bring that awareness into modern plant-based cooking, using seasonal, whole, natural ingredients to create meals that are nourishing, inspiring, and easy to digest. I love seeing the transformation in my students as they begin to cook with this new sense of purpose and intuition. For me, this is where everything comes full circle. What began as a personal passion has become a way to empower others – to build a community of retreat chefs who are conscious, skilled, and confident in their craft.
When I see my graduates thriving, I’m reminded that food really can be a force for transformation for both the guests who eat it and the chefs who create it.
If you’re a chef or retreat host interested in learning more about The Mindful Kitchen Retreat Chef Training Programme, or simply curious about bringing more consciousness into your cooking, I’d love to connect!
Thank you Bex for your fabulous guest post and for giving us an insight into your journey.
To find out more about Bex, her retreat chef services and her retreat chef training programme, please contact her via her website, Instagram or her RetreatChef.co.uk listing:
