TMH: Here we are, a snowy day before Thanksgiving 2014, speaking with Mountain Hermitage retreat cook Surya...How did you come to cook for The Mountain Hermitage?

Surya: Well, I came to cook because coming out of college I took an interest in spiritual retreats and didn't have the financial resources to pay for them. I was often able to get a work exchange position, prepping vegetables for the kitchen part-time. Over time, the cooks noticed the efficiency of my knife skills and began encouraging me to develop other culinary skills. So I started cooking more and more, and learned how to cook for larger groups with ease. I continued on in that way, and ended up living at the Lama Foundation (a residential community/retreat center in northern NM) where I did a lot of work in the kitchen. Cooking on a daily basis for the 50 or so staff encouraged me to expand my recipe repertoire, as well as to accept the challenge of making a well-balanced meal out of whatever was on hand.

TMH: Wow, that's a lot of people!

Surya: When we had retreats it could be as many as 200 or 250 people. After leaving Lama, I got a job cooking at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in the Bay Area of California, which was a wonderful job. I was able to immerse myself in the Dharma around the cooking edges. However, it required commuting to California from northern New Mexico, which after years became tiresome. I began to look for local cooking work. At about the same time, the previous Mountain Hermitage cook was moving on, and drafted me into cooking for their retreats. That was seven or eight years ago now, and it's been a very positive relationship.

TMH: Why do you cook for the Dharma? I mean, how do you see your work relating to your practice? 

Surya: I've continued cooking for the Dharma because it's right livelihood. It feels good to be supporting the practice of others in my working life. No matter what kind of state I'm in internally, feelings of happiness arise while I'm cooking... feelings of being in a love stream that is much greater than my own being. And at the same time, it's so simple... because all I have to do is chop the vegetables, stir the pot, get the meal on the table at the appropriate time. So much benefit comes from it far beyond the individual little tasks.

TMH: That's a wonderful way to put it.

Surya: In all the places I've cooked with the Dharma, the cooks are supported to participate in the retreat. This has given me a continual access to the Dharma, to many teachers, and the opportunity to really explore what it means for all beings to have happiness and for all beings to be peaceful. My own personal prayer is for all beings to be well nurtured. One level of all that is the food and the nurturance that comes through the food. Another level is in serving as part of the support container for deeper practice to manifest.

TMH: The container of the retreat?

Surya: Yes, of the retreat. So, my practice is supported by both having the teachings available and having people to feed... so I can engage in "may all beings be well nurtured" in a physical and very practical way.

TMH: The last question I have for you is... What do you appreciate about The Mountain Hermitage?

Surya: There's so much I appreciate about The Mountain Hermitage... from the quality of the teachers that come here to the sincerity of the practitioners that it attracts. The retreats are intentionally kept fairly small. This gives people a lot of access to the teachers, which results in a depth of practice that is inspiring. I appreciate the maturity of the retreatants in their practice, in their inner relationships with the kitchen, their willingness to show up and do their yogi jobs. I also really appreciate the long retreats.

TMH: The month long?

Surya: The month long, the two and a half weeks, the longer retreats... these allow me as the cook to attain a stable pacing during the course of the retreat.

TMH: And sink deeper into your own practice, I would think.

Surya: Into my own practice, into the silent environment, into that aspect where you just show up and get on the cushion each day. I just show up and cook lunch each day. This brings a regularity and a rhythm to it.

TMH: Thank you so much Surya for this discussion... and also for letting us include one of your fabulous recipes! 

Mango Coconut Chutney

1 lb frozen mango chunks, thawed and cut into 1/2" x 1/4" pieces

8 oz dried sweetened cranberries 

1 c shredded coconut

1 jalapeno finely diced

1/2 c orange juice

1/2 c lime juice

1/2 t salt

1/8 t-1/4 t cayenne (to taste)

2 t black or brown mustard seeds, dry roasted

1/4 c fresh cilantro, minced

In a medium bowl, toss together mango, cranberries, coconut and jalapeno. In a separate container, combine orange and lime juices with salt and cayenne. Pour this liquid over the fruit and let marinate for 1/2 hour. Add mustard seeds and cilantro just before serving. Enjoy!