Q3
THE NOCTURNAL ISSUE
79
A SEAT AT THE TABLE: A CONVERSATION WITH CHEF RYAN ROSS By: Connor Duszynski Chef Ryan Ross, the founder of Lovage & Co., is a private chef and culinary artist who has flourished in the realm of bespoke dining and food-centric events over the past decade. Born and raised in Warrenton, Virginia, Ryan returned to her Hunt Country roots just a few short years ago, after a journey that took her around the world, honing her skills and developing her unique culinary style. She most recently relocated back to Hunt Country from Bow, a quaint town in Washington state’s Skagit Valley overlooking the picturesque Samish Bay. She continues to occasionally fly out to Washington and throughout the United States to serve clients for gatherings of all kinds and sizes. Ryan’s journey into the world of food began at a very young age. Her mother owns and operates The Natural Marketplace in Old Town Warrenton for over thirty years, a local organic health food store, which undoubtedly influenced her approach to ‘food as medicine.’ Ryan went on to attend the Natural Gourmet Institute of NYC and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, further solidifying her commitment to health-supportive, festive, organic, sustainable, foraged, and local food. “I went to New York straight from dancing for years. I always knew that I needed to do something outside of dance as art. I had always had an interest in food and health and wellness. Of course, health and wellness starts with food; food is medicine. It was there that I was learning how to integrate food into every kind of lifestyle. I was having the best time,” she mentions.
