Wilden.herbals meets/ Interview with Julia Tonkin

It was destiny that Julia’s path would intersect with that of Wilden.herbals. For more than a decade, Julia has been immersed in the food & beverage industry with a special focus on creative transformation projects that can ensure a sustainable future for gastronomy. The key words of Julia’s philosophy match Wilden’s perfectly, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make something good together.

Così nasce il nostro nuovo ricettario: ogni mese troverai nella nostra rubrica Ricette botaniche due nuovi articoli con piatti e bevande firmati da Julia. Noterai subito che questo progetto nasce tenendo bene a mente alcuni dei nostri principi guida: il riutilizzo, perché molte delle ricette iniziano da una bustina di tisana consumata una volta; la creatività nel portare erbe e spezie nella tua cucina in maniera insolita; l’accessibilità grazie a preparazioni super facili e veloci che siano davvero alla portata di tutti; la stagionalità, legando i prodotti Wilden a ingredienti freschi perfetti per primavera, estate e inizio autunno.

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Tell us about your background and education

My background is a bit unusual, I would definitely say outside the box. After graduating with a degree in Art History from my home state of New York, I immediately felt that my path needed a change. I moved to Northern California because I wanted to live in a region where I could cultivate my true passions involving everything revolving around food, plants and sunshine. Here I began to carve out my role in some kitchens and became involved in projects that had organic farming and gardening at their core. I wanted to improve my skills and techniques in the field of gastronomy and sought out experiences that were in line with a more sustainable approach to food, so I traveled a lot in the United States to Central America and then to Hawaii.

After a period of learning and exploration, I returned to California and continued to work in different kitchens but also as a private chef. It was an extremely rewarding but very challenging time: it was not easy to build a career in an industry in crisis. That’s one of the main reasons I’m here in Italy now: I’m attending a master’s program in Design for Food, a collaboration between the Politecnico di Milano and the University of Gastronomic Sciences. Now I’m learning how to use design to rethink the food system as a whole, which is a super interesting and exciting opportunity. I can’t wait to see where it takes me!

How did your collaboration with Wilden come about?

When I moved to Milan last summer, I heard about Wilden. I was intrigued to know that a young company was working with plants in such a genuine, authentic way. I immediately felt very close to their philosophy, contacted them because I wanted to participate in their projects and proposed to create some new original recipes for the blog.

For me, herbs and plants are the undisputed stars of the kitchen, as well as an endless source of creative inspiration. So experimenting with produce and exploring alternative uses of herbal teas has been a really fun challenge.

Tell us how your recipes for Wilden came about.

My recipes are born to amaze: I created foods and beverages from those elements that are usually considered less in the kitchen. I created my recipes with three goals in mind: to break down boundaries in the use of herbal teas, to minimize food waste, and to really follow the principles of seasonality.

Here, my last point might seem a bit strange because we are talking about dried herbs, so an item that has no specific season. But I was inspired by the fact that the recipes will not be shared all at once but scattered across Wilden’s channels (newsletter, blog, social) a little bit at a time over the next few months. So I thought it was a great opportunity to integrate the concept of seasonality, for me this is a really powerful way to make a connection with plants.

Healthy and wild is the motto of wilden.herbals. What does it mean to you?

For me it means living in the moment. Nowadays we have access to so much information and stimulation–which could be great but most of the time proves overwhelming. I prefer to be able to embrace simplicity. I think being outdoors, being active, being surrounded by plants, soaking up the sun’s rays and breathing fresh air are that much-needed break that really makes one feel free. The meaning of healthy and wild to me is being able to return to the concepts of authenticity and purity.