Healthy Chicks

Happy Friday, lovies! I’m getting ready to head to the Cape for my sister’s Bachelorette Party and couldn’t be more excited for a weekend of beaching, wine tasting and festivities.

I’m thrilled to bring you this week’s spotlight on Healthy Chicks in the Community, a weekly series celebrating badass women doing their thang in the community. Every once in a while, you meet a woman so beautiful (on the inside & out) and so sure of herself, that it kind of takes you aback. That’s how I feel about my dear friend Atara, who I recently discovered has a secret talent for food photography and is now utilizing it in her business. Seriously, how cool is that?

Prepare to be dazzled (and for your tummy to growl)! 😉

NAME/AGE: Atara, 26

BLOG: The Fennel Frond

CURRENT CITY: Washington, DC

PHOTO TAKEN: In Pittsburgh at my favorite contemporary art museum, The Mattress Factory.

WHAT YOU DO FOR WORK: Freelance photography, and creative projects like The Wandering – an intimate plant based gathering series that I co-founded with Alexandra Dawson.

NUMBER ONE PASSION: food, duh!

I FEEL MY HEALTHIEST SELF WHEN I AM… exercising regularly, eating nourishing food, creating, and investing in my friendships wholeheartedly.

BUT I AM ALSO A REAL GIRL & SOMETIMES: I treat myself to ice cold, and painfully bubbly fountain soda.

TOP THREE KITCHEN STAPLES: Olive oil, smoked salt, fennel seeds

FAVORITE COMFORT FOOD: cornbread

SONG THAT MOVES YOU: Pink Moon, Nick drake

FOUR FAB THINGS ABOUT YOU:
1. My second passion after food is music. I love lots of different genres, and believe that any musical style in its mastered form is transcendent (hip hop, pop, rock, jazz, folk). Some of my favorite bands include The Talking Heads, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Dave Brubeck, Real Estate, and Frank Ocean, which should prove my diversity in interest and how much I covet great music. In high school I was really into jam bands and I followed Phish around the Northeast and saw them 19 times! I’m totally obsessive…

2. I got my first degree in photography and design and I’m a total stickler for well designed everything as a result- even emails. It definitely makes me come across as a pretentious idiot, but oh well. I’m also a sucker for beautiful packaging, and can be tricked into buying pretty much any product so long as it has dazzling packaging. Secret’s out…

3. I am a huge cheese lover and put cheese on everything. In high school I went vegan for a few months and crumbled (no pun intended) due to severe cheese longing. Needless to say, I am no longer a vegan.

4. I spent three years working at sweetgreen, managing their sweetgreen in schools program – a nutrition education initiative for kids in elementary schools. During my tenure there, I spent my time teaching children to love real food. Raw, plant-based, wholesome deliciousness.  I had the opportunity to convert thousands of picky eaters into herbivores. My background has taught me a lot about the way people interact with food. The first, is that coupling food with a positive and fun experience has the power to challenge a picky eater instead of scaring them into a shell of anxiety. Second is that most people want to eat healthfully. Our very broken food system has made it nearly impossible for many to embrace a healthful lifestyle. Lastly – food does not need to be so complicated. Creating satisfying, affordable, ethical and delicious meals start by simply leveraging the best available ingredients to create an inspired dish. That’s what inspired me to start my food blog, The Fennel Frond.

FAVORITE BODY PART: my chataranga arms

EXERCISE THAT MAKES YOU SHINE: jivamukti yoga with ample chanting

MESSAGE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OTHER HEALTHY CHICKS:

My knee jerk reaction when others compliment me or my work is to respond with a self deprecating joke. I think this is a result of decades of the patriarchy telling us that we are not allowed to be proud of our work, that we need to apologize, that we need to bring ourselves down when others are bringing us up — tip toeing our way around the world all so that we don’t come across as a bitchy, corporate caricature of ourselves. It’s hard being a woman in this age, it’s hard to know how to be. We can’t be too meek, or we’ll be taken advantage of, but we also can’t be too forward. We’re forced to toe the line. I think it’s time to just be ourselves — completely and unabashedly, and eff the haters.

Big thank you to Atara for taking part in this week’s Healthy Chicks in the Community! If you’d like to nominate yourself or a friend in the future, just email me at rachelAThealthy-chicksDOTcom