Leonardo Grasso

Vegetarian/vegan Chef

I first connected with Mirjam in the role of student, as I joined my first Level One Tantra training. This experience and the consequent practices supported a deep transformational process, which eventually led me to join the House of Being as a team member. Today cooking has become my main act of service and practice, and I feel immensely grateful to provide nourishing and delightful meals for the practitioners.

I grew up spending most afternoons with my grandma, helping out in the kitchen and familiarizing my senses with the herbs of the garden and the wilderness of the Italian Alps. At the age of 17 I boycotted my family’s custom of hunting and turned vegetarian. Then I started studying the basics of vegan nutrition and experimenting with vegetarian cuisine.

In 2019 I completed a graduate degree in Food Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Gastronomic Sciences, in Pollenzo, Italy. After a few years working at the World Fair Trade Organization, I followed an inner call to re-connect with beauty and with all the activities that spark raw excitement in me – gastronomy in particular.

In 2022 I started my career as a professional chef at the Veldkeuken, an organic, vegetarian and Slow Food restaurant in the lush estate of Amelisweerd. Happily, I am still part of the Veldkeuken kitchen, where we keep exploring new flavors and recipes.

Today my creativity finds new expression and purpose at the House of Being. My passion for foraging, herbalism and fermentation infuses my cuisine, often surprising and amusing the palates of the practitioners. Working with organic, seasonal and local products, I put my heart in the creation of each meal.