Margret Hefner

A passionate forager of ingredients, ideas, and connections—curiosity is my compass, and the natural world is my guide.I'm drawn to opportunities for connection — exploring those cultural threads that bridge us, unconventional ways of living, and the ongoing work of finding purpose, making meaning, and sharing joy in our world."

My Plates

As an itinerant chef, I tend toward plant-forward dishes inspired by local culture and ecology, often led by ingredients I’ve foraged.
I particularly enjoy “chef-in-residence” gigs—short- to medium-term stays in private homes, giving homeowners a holiday from cooking—as well as pop-ups.
Always open to opportunities

Home and petsitting

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."
— Mark Twain

Because I believe strongly in the value of travel, I like to enable others to experience the world by looking after things at home while they're away. I care for pets, keep an eye on the house, and handle the little things that need doing.While I work on completing my manuscript for the novel, Uszka, housesitting gives me the kind of focus I need, and the animals get genuine company, not just a quick check-in. Some clients have become friends, and you'll see a few of their reviews below.I'm particularly interested in longer stays and arrangements that allow me to settle into a place for a while.

Rates are reasonable and tailored to each situation.

Mexico - Frutas y Verduras Project

From 2009 through 2019, I lived and traveled extensively in Mexico, learning about regional produce and its significance to culture and the well-being of communities.
In 2016, I published Frutas y Verduras - A Fresh Food Lover's Guide to Mexico a richly visual guide in English exploring regional produce.

Learn more and get the eBook at frutasyverdurasmex.com

This eventually led to collaborations with chefs in several cities. We presented market tours and cooking classes to foreign residents encouraging them to incorporate unfamiliar local produce into their own cooking.During the pandemic I produced online cooking classes and Q&As with chefs such as Margarita Carrillo Arronte, Alam Mendez Florian and Ruth Alegria, and an online bookclub with Alysha Galvéz, author of Eating NAFTA: Trade, Food Policies and the Destruction of Mexico.

🎧 Listen to my conversations with chefs, food activists and professionals in Mexico on the limited run podcast: Mighty Zapote

Uszka

Once a year, on Christmas Eve, we acknowledged the traditions of my father's homeland of Poland. The first course of the meal was my favorite: a clear briny beetroot borscht (barszsz) with one sweet plum and the petite dough-wrapped parcels of wild mushroom. These were the uszka (little ears) made by my aunt.

As a child of immigrants, the sole Canadian in my family, the concept of "home" has been elusive. My mother's home in Ireland was familiar, but my father's early life was shrouded in questions. After his death in 2005, my aunt told her version of the family's story. She had kept silent about this throughout my father's life. I may recall this incorrectly, but it seemed my dad had asked this of her.My dad was loving and kind to us. He rarely raised his voice, or spoke harshly. What I had felt though, was hidden stories, buried emotions and a disconnection from my father that weighed heavier in grief.

As I moved through the world, with the questions about my paternal side and how this shaped my identity lingering in the background, a story began to shape itself. Surprising threads began weaving together, with little of my own influence. Paths began to reveal themselves, and I followed them — it began to feel very much like ...my destiny, perhaps?

In February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the pieces of the story I had been quietly gathering—little notes, photographs, fragments of family history— and not knowing quite why, suddenly snapped into focus. My father had been born in the eastern borderlands of Poland, where my grandfather had been given land after serving in the Polish Cavalry. That same land, after WWII became Ukraine. Suddenly, the story I had been circling for years felt urgently present, and I knew I had to write it.

Life has its twists and turns, as we all know. Walking the Camino de Santiago is one way I’ve found to get the space I need to reset and move forward with greater clarity. Of course, I’m not alone.

Each year since 2022, I have spent time on the Camino. Along the Way, conversations with strangers tend to be refreshingly open and honest.Grief, doubt, fear — deep questions motivate many people to walk. But we eventually return home, and the “Post-Camino Blues” is not uncommon. I began wondering how we might bring some of the Camino home with us.I came up with two ideas side by side: awareness + creativity.
Not everyone feels creative, but we are, in fact, born creators. Research also suggests that cultivating creativity through small, everyday acts can contribute to a greater sense of well-being. And when you connect with it on the Camino, it becomes the thread that ties you back to the Camino always.Out of my own desire to become more aware of creative moments, I created The Camino Creativity Pathway, a series of 10 short audio prompts. These small, simple, mindful steps lead gently toward a more creative way of being and seeing. Alongside the Camino's many, many small steps, it's the ideal opportunity to awaken any shred of creativity that may lie dormant.This"pay what you wish" offer, invites pilgrims to make the most of the time and spaciousness the Camino offers to explore what creativity can look like in their own lives. 💛

Contact

If something inspires you here and you have thoughts you want to share, please reach out — I'm interested!

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