Hi there. I'll say this right away - cooking and baking are a path that somehow found me on their own. So I definitely have a story or two to tell.
''Fate has a great sense of humor'', as I once heard in a Hollywood movie. Especially considering that I used to avoid the kitchen at all costs - and genuinely saw every minute spent cooking as a wasted time.
Just like you can't make love today and expect a child to appear a month later, you also can't truly succeed at something without going through a shift in your values first.
It's always a long journey.
Going into veganism is a story of mine for another time (time is money;)). And since eating plant-based I found out that it's often becoming accepting limitations - giving up desserts tied to your childhood, because they supposedly can't exist outside their traditional form. That idea never sat right with me. So I began experimenting with ingredients, learning how they interact, how they texture, flavor, and balance can be rebuilt in a different way. The beautiful part is that the experiments worked. And now, no matter where I am in the world, I know I can recreate the taste my soul longs for.
You'll probably agree that it's surprisingly difficult to find a vegan cheesecake that still captures the feeling of the traditional one we all grew up with. So, eventually, I decided to create it myself.

"Where do you get your protein" - this boring topic over and over. And when I used to avoid this topic on purpose. Deep down, I was afraid of finding out that I wasn't getting enough protein from the foods I was eating every day.
The second thought that terrified me just as much was the possibility that I would actually have to track all of it.. - Kitchen Scales, Nutrition Calculators, Endless Numbers, Counting Calories, Tracking Protein... Oh my God..:( I imagined spending hours measuring, calculating, and obsessing over every meal. The most boring task on Earth.

It was easier not to know. Pretend this protein "case" never crossed your mind - was my magic mantra ;)

As I write this post, I'm reminded once again that life is an incredible thing, which has a way of surprising us. And maybe miracles aren't as rare as we think, maybe they happen right in front of us every single day. All that's required is learning how to notice them.

''Electric car'' story.
One day, after a climbing session, a friend of mine drove me home. I used to be quite sceptical against electric cars. I asked him about his opinion on that, while we were driving in one of them. His answer was simple: "For me it's never way back, electric driving is so smooth.."
And then it hit me.
I've been asked this question countless times: "What do you think about a vegan diet? And do you miss any of the foods you used to eat?"

The simple answer was there: "No way back. Everything feels lighter. Smoother. More intuitive. More enjoyable."


Eating Plant-Based is like driving an electric car.

We all cary a longing for childhood.
To have another slice of our mother's favourite pie.
To taste that pastry from the neighborhood bakery just one more time.
But the truth is, we're no longer the people we were back then.
Even if our favourite treat from the past were placed right in front of us today, we wouldn't experience it the same way. We know now what goes into it. We understand the consequences of our choices and the responsibility that comes with them.
As children, ignorance gave us peace of mind. And with that peace came joy.
But things are different now.
Yet remember when I said that life is a magical thing?
Because this is where the miracle happens.
Take your mother's cherry pie recipe and start experimenting. Replace what no longer aligns with your values with ingredients that fit the person you aspire to be.
Something remarkable happens.
You don't just recreate a dessert - you travel back through your memories.
And then imagine the feeling of seeing that cherry pie in front of you once again. The same inspiration from childhood. The same warmth. The same connection.
Except now it's fully balanced, made entirely from wholesome plant-based ingredients, and aligned with the life you've chosen to live.
That's the real reward.
That's real magic.

What is a human being?

You’d be surprised by how many different answers people can give to a single question.

A human is an animal.
A human is a unique intellectual being.
A human is a collection of habits and patterns.
A human is what they eat.

Which answer is the most accurate?

Perhaps all of them.

Sometimes the same truth can be viewed from different angles.

And speaking of which…

“We are what we eat.”

Does that statement leave any room for doubt?

Not for me.

As a kid, whenever sweets weren’t involved, I could eat the pizza my mother brought home from work every single day.

So what changed?

Why does that same pizza leave me completely indifferent today?

Because it’s no longer just a source of pleasure.

At some point, I started seeing it differently. I learned what goes into it. I learned the nutritional value of its ingredients.

Now, when I look at that slice, a different phrase comes to mind:

Junk food.

Can I still have it once in a while?

Of course.

But the same question always appears in my mind:

“Maybe I can. But… why would I?”

That’s what happens when your awareness changes.

A transformation of consciousness.

"Why bother? It's all going down the toilet anyway."
Ten years ago, I would have kissed the person who said that from pure happiness.
But let's look at it differently.
What else do you gain from learning the art of combining ingredients?
I'll help you out.
1. Confidence.
You know that food will never become a problem, no matter where life takes you.
You know how to walk into a grocery store with almost nothing available and still put together a satisfying, nutritious meal.
You know how to turn a simple head of cabbage into something genuinely enjoyable.
That's a superpower.
2. Endless opportunities for connection.
Conversations that would never have happened otherwise.
Recipes.
Shopping tips.
Dinner parties.
Work events.
Wherever food is involved, you always have something to contribute.
"Do you know which type of lentil has the best nutritional profile?"
"Hmm... interesting texture. Do you think they used aquafaba or a plant-based egg substitute?"
Food is one of the most universal topics on Earth.
And the more you understand it, the easier it becomes to connect with people.
For me, those two reasons alone are enough to justify spending time in the kitchen.
Not because food is everything.
But because food touches almost everything.

Years ago, I found myself talking to a stranger on the street. He had clearly had a few drinks and was more than happy to chat with someone.

During that conversation, he said a phrase that stayed with me for years, quietly waiting for the right moment to resurface:

“Selective morality.”

We were talking about veganism.

“I know it’s not ideal,” he said. “I know there are better ways to live. But I don’t want the hassle. So I choose to believe whatever allows me to keep living the way I already do.”

That thought never left me.

Then there’s another conversation I’ve had many times:

“You know, I used to be vegan too.”

Whenever I hear that, I’m always curious about the same thing:

“What made you go back?”

The answer is often some variation of:

“Iron.”
“Protein.”
“Vitamins.”

And then, just a few days ago, at the beginning of summer, I learned from an acquaintance that it’s the perfect season to make nettle soup because nettles are rich in iron.

No search engine.
No AI.
No hours of research.

Just a conversation.

Moments like that remind me how much of our worldview is shaped by the information we happen to encounter, the people we listen to, and the stories we choose to trust.

Perhaps we all believe what makes the most sense to us at a particular moment in our lives.

Whether that’s good or bad, I’m not sure.

And maybe there isn’t a universal answer to that question.

“One who is in love is fearless.”

Those were the words of my Kung Fu teacher many years ago.

An ancient piece of ancient Eastern wisdom.

Love what you do.
Let it into your heart.

And then there is no need to fight.
No need to resist.

From childhood, we are taught to live a certain way, eat certain foods, follow familiar paths: “It’s been done this way for generations", or “It’s been tested by time.”

And that is often where we first encounter fear when we hear that there may be another way to live. A different way to eat. A different way to think.

Something unfamiliar.
Unusual.
Foreign.

Meet it with curiosity. Meet it with openness. Meet it with love.

And perhaps, in that moment, you have already won.

Or perhaps not.

But if fear makes the decision for us, we may spend years convincing ourselves that the obstacle was something else entirely.
Sometimes it was iron.
Sometimes protein.
Sometimes B12.

And sometimes it was simply the discomfort of stepping into the unknown...