Living from a place of contentment

Looking back on the creative process of Vital Foods, I see how miraculously and effortlessly everything came together.

Contentment truly has the ability to transform situations!

Esther Otis and I would plan out our photoshoots, and I would prepare six or seven recipes at a time in my tiny studio apartment. I often laughed about how little space I had - one tiny prep table on wheels, a broken oven, and a few cast iron skillets.

While cooking, I would move everything around just to make space for what I was preparing next. Sometimes I would even bake cakes and muffins in my air fryer oven or use my neighbor’s oven upstairs.

It was a constant game of food Jenga. Yet, all I remember is how much fun we had taste testing and using our creative brains. Vital Foods really is a “functional” cookbook haha. I promise it doesn’t take much space or equipment to whip up a delicious meal.

This process revealed to me that we can do much with very little. We have an opportunity to make the most of our circumstances. Everyday offers the chance to steward what we’re given, and we can rejoice or remain frustrated. I think of this in the context of food as well. We can creatively use what’s around us or complain that we don’t have enough.

I think American culture is the driving factor that convinces us we need more to be content. More resources, more material goods, etc… But this is so far from true.

Embracing what I had also allowed me to lean into my community, live from faith, and enjoy new experiences with loved ones around me. Everything I prayed for was given in right timing. I even received the most perfect gifts - a new stand mixer from a dear friend and my dream camera from a divine FB marketplace deal.

Friends,

My encouragement to you is this — everything you need will be taken care, from your smallest desires to your greatest dreams. Rest in the process and find stillness.

Blessings,

Kamryn Corine

Photography by Esther Otis