Love, Light, and Food at the Beach

There’s a strange belief many of us carry without even realizing it.

If something is good for us, it probably won’t taste very good.

And if something tastes incredible, it must not be healthy.

As if it can’t be both.

But that hasn’t been my experience with food.

And it certainly hasn’t been my experience of Heaven.

Heaven, in my experience, is abundance without painful toil. The blessing that “maketh rich without sorrow added to it.”

Beauty, joy, and goodness that don’t come with hidden costs.

And that same principle shows up in something as simple — and wonderful — as food.

Delicious food can also nourish us.

Food can be both beautiful and good for our bodies.

My First Creative Love

I’ve been cooking since I was about eight years old.

Before I knew anything about recipes or techniques, I was in the kitchen experimenting — mixing whatever I could find in the house just to see what would happen.

Some experiments went better than others.

I loved it all.

Cooking was my first creative outlet.

Two years earlier, I had drowned and had an experience of Heaven that shaped the rest of my life.

Coming back from that experience, I was learning again how to love life — and even how to love myself.

Cooking became part of that journey.

I cooked for my little sisters.

I learned from my great-grandmother Rose.

My dad was a great cook too, and I picked up pointers from him along the way.

My first official recognition came when I earned my Cub Scout cooking badge — which, looking back, felt like a pretty big moment for eight-year-old me.

The Joy of Feeding People

By the time I reached college and graduate school, I had become the friend who cooked for everyone.

If there was a gathering, I was probably in the kitchen.

I loved the challenge of going to a great restaurant and thinking:

I can make something like this at home!

Food Network was on constantly. Cooking shows, restaurant inspiration, new techniques — I soaked it all up.

Later, when my children were very young, we cooked together. Little aprons, flour everywhere, laughter in the kitchen.

Those are some of my favorite memories.

The Challenge of “Healthy Food”

When I became vegetarian as I was entering the military, I ran straight into a familiar assumption:

Plant-based food might be healthy…

…but it probably isn’t delicious.

That belief became a challenge.

I didn’t want to choose between food that tasted amazing and food that nourished my body.

I wanted both.

So I started experimenting again — just like when I was eight years old in the kitchen.

Discovering ingredients, techniques, spices, combinations that created meals that were deeply satisfying and deeply nourishing at the same time.

Food, Travel, and Love

Traveling the world expanded that discovery even more.

Different cultures understand something we often forget:

Food can be simple, vibrant, delicious, and healing all at once.

Meals become moments of connection.

Food becomes a celebration of life.

Then I met my wife, Heidi.

We both loved cooking, hosting, and gathering people around the table.

So much so that our first collaborative creation together — before we were even married — was writing a cookbook.

Her son even became our photographer.

Now the book is ready to launch:

That’s What Love Tastes Like.

A collection of meals that reflect the way we cook, travel, and live.

A symphony of flavors, ingredients, and creativity that God somehow brought into our lives through the gift of partnership.

“Wine Taste with Beer Money”

Growing up, my mom used to joke with me:

“You have wine taste with beer money.”

Looking back, she was probably right.

What I realized over time is that delicious, nourishing food doesn’t have to come with painful sacrifice or scarcity thinking.

Food can honor both beauty and stewardship.

Meals can be vibrant, nourishing, joyful, and accessible.

Just like so many other things in life, when we release the belief that good things must come with suffering, we open ourselves to receive more than we imagined.

A New Space for Joy

This post is the beginning of a new space in my writing:

Love, Light, and Food at the Beach.

Here I’ll share lighter reflections about food, travel, beauty, creativity, and joy.

You might see:

• favorite meals
• recipes from our kitchen
• restaurants we discover around the world
• reflections from travel
• moments around the table with friends and family
• glimpses into our upcoming cookbook

Food, at its best, is more than nourishment.

It’s connection.

It’s creativity.

It’s celebration.

It’s love made visible.

Here’s to food that blows your socks off and nourishes your body at the same time!

And here’s to the joy of sharing it with people we love.

Infinite love and blessings,

Nicholas