About
Crafting Multidimensional Nourishment
I’ve spent more than a decade serving the San Francisco Bay Area as a caterer, producing weddings and gatherings celebrating life’s meaningful moments. My work has always centered on nourishment—but for many years, I understood nourishment mostly through food.
In my early 30s, struggling with low energy and high cholesterol, I turned toward nutrition science and conventional wellness habits: what I ate, how I moved, and how I slept. Adopting a whole-food, plant-based way of eating transformed my health and my family’s. With the support of my partner, Ryan,—a professional chef—I wrote my first cookbook, Ay Sus! Whole Food Plant-Based Filipino Cuisine, rooted in the meals we cooked at home.
But life doesn’t move in straight lines. Over time, those habits had to evolve. After the pandemic and a period of profound personal change, it became clear that my inner world needed tending. What I was looking for wasn’t perfection or discipline—it was peace, joy, and a sense of belonging within myself.
As I reshaped my long-standing business to better reflect my values, I began to see how essential mental, emotional, and spiritual nourishment truly are. I turned inward, reconnecting with intuition, compassion, and the understanding that we are not just bodies or minds, but whole, layered beings connected to the living world around us.
The Mount Luntian series grew from this remembering.
Inspired by Philippine landscapes, animist traditions, and my own child’s inner world, Mount Luntian is a living, breathing realm where land, sea, and spirit are in relationship—and where feelings are not problems to solve, but signals to listen to.
Through stories, illustrations, and gentle rhythms, Mount Luntian offers children (and the adults who love them) tools to build inner trust, emotional and sensory awareness, cultivating loving care for both themselves and the world we all inhabit.
This is now the heart of my work.
Whether through food, storytelling, or creative projects, I believe nourishment is multidimensional. It happens when we slow down, listen closely, honor our inner landscapes, and remember that we are part of something alive, intelligent, and deeply interconnected.
Work With Me
Author Visits, Readings & Public Programs
School, library, bookstore, and community events centered on Diwa of Mount Luntian featuring readings, conversations, and family-centered programming around somatic practice, rhythm, and care for the inner world. Available for in-person and virtual engagements.
Press, Interviews, and Media
Author interviews, podcasts, panels, and editorial features focused on Mount Luntian, contemporary Filipino-inspired storytelling, nourishment, creativity, and inner-world literacy.
Licensing and Collaborations
Licensing opportunities for the Mount Luntian universe—including books, educational materials, classroom resources, merchandise, collaborations, and aligned brand partnerships.
Plant-Forward Catering and Experiential Production
Please connect via Midsummer Kitchen.
Roots & Experience
Formal Education
B.S. Economics & Business Administration, Saint Mary’s College of California
Professional Designation in Apparel Manufacturing Management, Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM)
Nutrition, Somatics, and Embodied Study
Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition, T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, Cornell University, eCornell
Certificate in Nutrition and Healthy Living, Cornell University, eCornell
Somatic Experiencing® Training, Beginning I, II, III, Somatic Experiencing International
Coursework and study with Luis Mojica, Holistic Life Navigation
Certificate, The Trauma of Money, Compassionate Pathways to Healing Financial Trauma with Chantel Chapman
Creative Practice, Leadership, and Publishing
Founder, Author, and Creative Director, Midsummer Studio
Co-Founder and Producer, Midsummer Kitchen
Author, Ay Sus! Whole Food Plant-Based Filipino Cuisine
Creator, Mount Luntian series
Author, Diwa of Mount Luntian
Selected Features and Collaborations
Forks Over Knives
VegOut
San Francisco Public Library
Slow Food USA
PAWA (Philippine American Writers & Artists, Inc.)
Philippine Daily Inquirer