Natacha Stojanovic
Private Chef/ Owner of Cocoon
@my_cocoon_la
mycocoon.la
Where were you raised? Has the landscape of that place influenced your work in any way?
I was born and raised in the suburbs of Paris in a town called Colombes (Which can translate with the English "Doves"). It was at the time a populist town and culturally very diverse. I went to a catholic school but there my friends were of North African origins, Lebanese, Jewish, Eastern European... This diversity has opened me to food as a cultural identity and I gained a knowledge of world's flavors. My family is originally from Bosnia and I have to admit that it took me years to appreciate the enrichment my cultural difference brought me. But today, I have to say that I am proud to be able to make my own phyllo dough from watching my mother making Bureks from scratch.
How do you re-charge your creative battery?
Sometimes I will hit a wall creatively in the kitchen, I am going through this at the moment. I found few ways to re-charge creatively. A big one is travel. I love discovering cultures through food and my last trip to Mexico got me elated for months. Unfortunately, this year has been a bummer for traveling so I turned to cookbooks for the escape.
Another way I re-charge is spend time with friends who bring the best in me. The friends that make me feel so happy, confident and energized after seeing them. Those relationships I cherish.
And finally, I would surrender. Sometimes I don't have new ideas and that is ok. I step out of the kitchen for a few days and wait until an ingredient, a method, or sometimes just a movie inspires me to make something new.
What book are you reading?
At the moment I have the book "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie on my bedside table. This novel is wonderfully written and expanded my consciousness on the history of Nigeria and its Civil War through the stories of its main characters. I will read all the other books of the authors as I got them all as a gift.
I also read cookbooks. This is my morning ritual. I make myself a matcha latte and read through a cookbook that inspires me at the moment. A lot of times I borrow a cookbook I am curious about at the public library and if I like it, I purchase it. This week I am into "the Violet Bakery Cookbook" by Claire Ptak. I love the flavors she brings, and I am working on making GF and dairy versions of her creations.
What was the last thing that you fell in love with?
I went for the first time to Tierra de la Culebra Park and fell in love with it. It is a community park in Highland Park (LA), I would describe it as an outdoor creative space. At any given time, you'll find someone doing reiki on themselves, a musician practicing, friends chatting, kids running there. The park has some sculptures and art installation in it and it is a very vibrant space.
What do you love most about yourself?
It is hard for me to come up with what I love the most about myself. I am very self-critical, and I started practicing self-compassion not very long ago. So what comes to mind right now is that I love that I never lose my sense of humor, even when shit hits the fan.
What do you think is the most important quality in a human?
I believe kindness is the most important quality in a human. I don't believe it is innate, I believe it is a work in progress in all of us.
Do you have a spiritual practice?
I meditate every day as soon as I wake up. It is a practice that comes and goes, and I always feel grateful to come back to it. I also like to do very long walks in the morning. I will easily for 1.5 hr and it gives me time to process. It is my me time.
I sometimes practice Reiki on myself. Lara Elliott is my reiki teacher, and she has brought so much light in my life.
Who are your role models?
My role models change constantly. It depends on what my goals are at the moment.
A lot of my friends are my role models for the different qualities that I find in them. I am always impressed with the people that bring an idea into tangible.
And Samin Nosrat inspires me a lot. There is some part of her story that I recognize myself in (the immigrant family, the working in restaurant,... ) and I love to see a second-generation immigrant female chef succeed.
If you could change one thing about our world, what would it be? Is there a individual or an organization doing work in this area that you want us to know about?
My mother grew up poor and she recalled dreaming about roasted chicken falling from the sky. She was often hungry as a child, and with such trauma she created a value system based on nourishing people and I inherited it. Hunger is a cause that is really dear to my heart and I often donate to the World Central Kitchen. The organization help restaurateurs feed people in need, and they have been very active this past year. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that people go to bed hungry in the USA while we have such a surplus of food that goes to waste.
Before I die I want to…
Before I die I want to live in North Africa.
All photos courtesy of Natacha Stojanovic
