Before you drop your panties, drop into your pantry for a delicious collaborative meal that tells the story of your relationship!
It’s a custom gift, a fun activity AND a romantic meal for less than what you’d spend for a night out as a couple on the 14th.
Nice to meet you, I’m Sonja! My friends lovingly call me a ‘kitchen witch.’ The potential for alchemy in the kitchen is abundant, and I have dedicated my life to exploring how food heals, bonds, tells stories and offers a way in to my own heart and the hearts of others. What better way to get to the heart of what really matters than feeding the one(s) you love?
This Valentine’s Day, I’ve designed a menu I love, inspired by love, and I’d love for you to cook it alongside me in celebration of YOUR love.
Getting to the heart of something is often more effective (and more fun!) when accessed in an unconventional way.
When you sign up for My Nurture Valentine, you fill out a questionnaire that gathers cute details about your partnership. I’ll design certain menu elements around your answers for each course.
Join me in our drop-in style ‘live prep kitchen’ via Zoom on Sunday, February 12th from 2pm-4pm, should you wish to prepare any of the make-ahead elements together or ask me any questions.
Make new friends, be in community, learn a few cooking tricks!
‘Getting to the Heart’ questionnaire
Bespoke 3 course menu PDF and custom grocery list (custom cocktail, starter, main with side and dessert)
Prompts to set the scene (and table)
2hr live ‘virtual prep kitchen’ on Sunday, February 12th from 2-4pm
Groceries purchased separately
My cooking skills are not advanced. Is this offering suitable for me?
Absolutely! While the flavours are complex, the prep tasks are not. If you can chop, stir and follow a recipe, you’re good! Need more support? Feel free to join our live virtual prep kitchen session where I can answer questions and guide you through any prep steps in real time.
What if I (or people in my household) have food allergies or sensitivities?
Working with (instead of around) food allergies and sensitivities is a Nurture value I hold dear. I like to reframe any restrictions as creative restrictions – this is part of the fun!
How much are the groceries, exactly?
While this number will fluctuate slightly depending on your unique menu design, what you already have in your pantry and which store(s) you get the ingredients from, my aim is to keep your costs as low as possible. Unless you wish to splurge on organic or specialty items, or can only shop at a super expensive grocery store, your grocery bill is going to be around the same or less than your ticket price. Best part? Your groceries, custom menu and live workshop are still less than a typical prix fixe for two on the 14th!
I can’t make the live virtual prep kitchen session. Do you offer another form of support if I have a question?
Indeed! My email inbox or Instagram DMs @nurtureretreats are always open. I’m happy to answer any questions there via text or voice memo, outside of the hours where we’ll be live, leading up to the 14th.
Will I need any specialized cooking equipment?
As long as you have something that blends (blender, food processor, immersion blender, NutriBullet, etc.) and a safely sharp kitchen knife, you’re all set.
Is there a deadline for the questionnaire answers?
As the custom elements of your menu take significant time to research and design, I would sincerely appreciate you filling out your questionnaire as soon as possible! If you do not submit your questionnaire by Wednesday, February 8th, I cannot guarantee that your menu will be completed on time for our virtual prep session.
When will I receive the “My Nurture Valentine” custom PDF?
Your custom PDF will be emailed to you as soon as it’s ready, or by end of day on Friday, February 10th.
I already have Valentine’s Day plans. Can I book this type of meal as a gift for after Valentine’s Day?
While I may do more “same base menu, different story” offerings for future holidays or special occasions, there are only so many (6) spots for our Valentine’s Day offering. Here’s a few alternatives:
First off, have you scrolled down to see that you can cook MY Nurture Valentine menu, based on my own relationship with my love, Josh, anytime? Choose from three accessible tiered pricing options to suit your budget and get the recipes, ingredients list and table setting prompts. You can view the full menu in advance below.
I also have an evergreen option that’s even more specialized and high touch as the entire menu is designed from scratch with you in mind, with me virtually by your side throughout. It’s called “Cook Your Own Nurture Story” – a fully customized multi-course menu for up to 12 people, telling any story personal to you, with full live text support as you prepare it. Perfect for milestone birthdays, graduations, retirements, honouring beginnings and endings and other rites of passage that merit marking. Want me to cook it for you? That’s possible too.
Two and a half years later, I still tell people about the day Sonja … made magic in our kitchen. From start to finish, this process with Sonja was a delight. Not only did she create the perfect menu for us, but she showed us that we (with minimal cooking skills) in our kitchen (with minimal counter space) could turn out a truly spectacular brunch (our favourite meal)! Sonja’s love for food shines through in everything she does. She left us with full bellies, amazing leftovers, and big smiles.
What was the most fun was the cooking lesson with Sonja! I loved hearing the stories that inspired each dip and treating the whole experience as a sacred act of self-care.
My favourite meal was the (custom) strata, partly the taste, but mostly because it was made with me in mind. I loved that.
‘Getting to the Heart’ questionnaire
Bespoke 3 course menu PDF and custom grocery list (custom cocktail, starter, main with side and dessert)
Prompts to set the scene (and table)
2hr live ‘virtual prep kitchen’ on Sunday, February 12th from 2-4pm
Groceries purchased separately
Smoky Side-By-Sidecar – Road trips through the evergreens, windows open, smelling wood fires. Cedar smoke, pine needle simple syrup, lemon, cointreau & smoky bourbon.
Champ-oignons for Life – The iconic duo that graced many breakfasts and burgers when Josh started cooking for me. “You nurture everyone else. Let me nurture YOU.” Mushroom medley, caramelized onion, shallot, and maple herb drizzle topping a creamy white bean dip, served with local sourdough crostini from that bakery we love.
Never Going to Galette you Go – The first “Nurture Sonja” main dish I ever made for Josh. Flaky, buttery pastry hugging roasted butternut squash, sweet onion and Gruyere, with a kiss of thyme.
Pecan’t Get Enough of You – Pilgrimages to source pecan pies and butter tarts that cause exclamations normally reserved for the bedroom. Lacinato kale, lardons, bourbon raisins, Sonja’s maple house dressing, toasted pecan crumble.
Pie Lover Pavlova – Josh loves blueberry (and once drove an extra 40 min to bring me one during early lockdown). I love key lime. Meringue, vanilla bean whip, key lime curd, local blueberry preserves, fresh blueberry, toasted coconut.
If this sounds tasty to you, you can cook my love story! A deliciously accessible way to call in the love you desire or nurture the love you have.
Includes: Nurture menu PDF with recipes, instructions, grocery list and prompts for setting the table and the mood.
Fun fact: when I was single and getting clear on the kind of partner I wanted to spend my life with, I cooked an elaborate meal and set a fancy table for two – for me and my future love. Candles, the good china, wine, real linen napkins, my Oma’s special embroidered tablecloth, everything. It was the kind of creative act that had a lasting impact on me, as it became so clear how I wanted to be loved, I didn’t settle for anything less until I ‘recognized’ my imaginary dinner guest in Josh when I met him.