My name is Isciane, a nomadic plant-based cook with a commitment to my values. My cooking is alive, local, fermented, wild, instinctive and intuitive (mystical, perhaps?). Each collaboration brings very different challenges. I like to do things my own way, even if that takes me through chaos — I always land on my feet.

The women around me, the world of sound, the bubbles escaping from jars, the diversity of colours: all of this inspires me. For me, cooking means connecting with the living world, cherishing plants as gifts from the earth and bringing out their best through unexpected transformations. I love creating a joyful, convivial atmosphere at work while staying meticulous in preparing my dishes. My cooking is constantly evolving. With gratitude, I gather wild plants in step with the seasons.

I grew up in a forward-thinking family immersed in organic food. A year studying naturopathy in 2019 deepened my belief that food can be therapeutic and deserves a holistic approach. Fascinated by the magic of the living world, I teach myself and experiment — sprouting, inoculating, fermenting. Relationships with the people who work the land have become central to my practice. Cooking and eating their produce is a political act, an act of resistance, joy and creativity. At a time when the living world is too often sacrificed for profit, it is a way to resist the logic of the market and, through my everyday choices, bring other ways of growing, nourishing and living together into being. I work on and contribute to all kinds of projects: festivals, exhibition openings, weddings and birthdays. I love joining forces with other artists to imagine unusual installations, suspended buffets and other delights that awaken all five senses.

A photographer and maker of natural cosmetics and soaps, I’m also studying dance, aromatherapy and astrology. Through my cooking, I seek balance and meaning in what nourishes us, connecting my explorations of the living world with my practice.

Photography · Floriane Ribière