60: Part I Baking Beyond Boundaries: RocksNDirt Bakery's Alternative Healthy Lifestyle

Michael Dugan: 0:52

My next guest was born on Vancouver Island, which is about 60 miles west of Vancouver, Canada. She now lives on Camino Island which is about an hour and a half north and west of Seattle, Washington. Her love for food was always there, but became her focus again when she was diagnosed with multiple chronic and autoimmune illnesses, including celiac disease. Her goal is to create nourishing food using seasonal local ingredients that just happen to be gluten, dairy and refined sugar free and allergen friendly. Please welcome to our show. Kimberly Pierson of rocks and dirt bakery.

Kimberly Pearson: 1:37

Thanks so much Michael. Really nice to be here.

Michael Dugan: 1:39

You know this this episode is actually dedicated to my aunt Nancy. I love that struggle with celiac disease but she doesn't struggle she's such a positive force one of my favorite people in the world. Yes. I'm really excited to talk to you about this and what it was like growing up in your family and how were the originally connected to food and I know you have a great story to share.

Kimberly Pearson: 2:01

Yeah, so really my earliest memories in the kitchen baking alongside my my my mom and my grandma my older sisters we made everything was baked from scratch, including bread, we never had store bought bread. So everything from that my mom made from pies to savory soup plays and a lot of our the food that we made the recipes were family recipes that originated in the British Isles, especially in Scotland where my family is from, though from a very young age around six or seven I could make our family Scottish shortbread idoe Different Canadian classics, butter tarts, chocolate, haystacks, you know, with assistance, but from a young age I was I was cranking out the baking it's always I've had a really strong connection to food from a young age and my dad was an avid fisherman and also a bush pilot. Oh my gosh, fish that we ate was either what my dad caught or his friends had caught, whether it was king salmon, or halibut. And so in my what was cool as I as a kid, I witnessed my dad, he would make salmon prepare salmon cooked salmon, the way that the First Nation is people that prepared it so he would dig he would dig a pit in the sand. This is spent much of my childhood in Hornby Island. That's pretty cool. The coast of Vancouver Island and so he'd cook it in that pit on the rocks. And he smoked his own Sam and according to recipes that his friends who were first nations you had shared with him. So it was just this real connection to food and also food that was intrinsically Vancouver Island and West Coast and yeah, and having also aunties who were foragers, you know, we go foraging for nettles, and then we'd make things out of nettles.

Michael Dugan: 3:47

My gosh, I've heard about nettle soup yet. That's something somebody told me about one time but I've never forged for nettles mushroom.

Kimberly Pearson: 3:55

You definitely need good gloves for nettles. Otherwise you'll be regretting it. Okay. Pretty when I tell people like Yeah, I used to go with my dad and we'd fly into, you know, in his boat plane, he was a businessman, he would fly people as well kind of on this. His work present as a businessman is that he would go to remote community communities that some that were only accessible by float plane or boat to bring them necessary goods or, you know, different companies that he worked with, I'd go with him we'd go with him or we would fly into remote areas. Sometimes he loved the caribou for Colton Reed region of British Columbia, and kind of in a little bit in the interior and we'd fly in there, up to Anaheim Lake and go fishing basically kind of almost like off the pontoons of the of the float plane we go fishing for, you know, Dolly Varden trout and, and he would always say, Okay, stay right on the beach. And this usually it was like, I think me and my brother went with him. He's like, because this is grizzly country, and you need to be hyper aware of. So we'd be like, oh, and we've frying, you know, pan frying up some some trout on the beach there before we flew back out and like, you know, okay, am I going to have a big, you know, boar grizzly, approaching me from the rear or so. Yeah. So it was really cool. And we got to because my dad had such great love for the First Nations people and the cultures and he knew so many of these. He knew, you know, different chiefs and tribal elders and they knew my dad and had great relationships with them and and so it was, it was just really cool to visit these these communities and He, that he, he just loved going and, you know, being able to bring them what they needed. And it was just that deep affection that he had for. For the people. It's really cool.

Michael Dugan: 6:04

That's awesome. And it reminds me of something. I had an episode that I recorded a while back. And we do a food talk show on clubhouse, which is an audio only app. And the very first one was a chef that I was really wanting to interview and so excited about her name was Andrea Murdock. And she's out of Colorado, and she's an indigenous chef. And she cooks indigenous food. And she's an advocate for indigenous people. And it just reminded me of that. So if you're listening check out and I will, I would love it. It's epic. For anyone, you and for anyone that's listening, because her story is incredible. She was like a TEDx Mile High speaker, and, and a chef, and she's just incredible advocate. And she just does amazing things. And it just it, she created an awareness for me of the struggles of indigenous people. So I really resonate with our conversation. I just wanted to share that with you and everyone.

Kimberly Pearson: 7:10

Oh, yeah, I will definitely check that out.

Michael Dugan: 7:12

So interesting. Oh my gosh, you know, this is the thing I love about podcasting is the people that I meet and the stories that they have, they need to be told, you know, and like I was telling you just just enjoy the journey, because we get to learn about you. And you get to learn a little bit through your life, you know, in this conversation, so. So tell me a little bit more about like, as you were growing up, we kind of have an idea now how you're connected to the land, how you're connected to food. And what happened is you were going through, you know, teenage years.

Kimberly Pearson: 7:51

Kind of trying to decide what I wanted to go to school for. And so I ended up, you know, I had a great passion for language. So I studied language and and so to this day, I, I speak a number of languages. So I love languages and culture and people. So I was like thinking about that. But then I ended up that strong love of food. And it kind of an opportunity arose that for me to apprentice at the chef and actually in my hometown. And I was like, I've really been thinking about this and with the goal of being a hopefully a pastry chef.

Michael Dugan: 8:30

I know not in in anymore. So let's talk about it for other people that understand. Yeah, I do want to go down this path. I mean, the show is about chef's but if you decide you want to go down this path, do it right, and do it with your eyes open.

Kimberly Pearson: 8:44

So I remember coming home from school or culinary school every day and I would just be balling the instructors. A lot of them demanded perfection in here, you're just learning. And then there was a I found at least for me, there was it was incredibly competitive kind of a bit cutthroat. And I was like, This is not me. I can't if this is you know what I mean? And, and then back in the kitchen as I was apprenticing. Wow, if you if you made a little little error, I mean, you just got whether you got chewed up by the line cook or the chef.

Michael Dugan: 9:15

That's the environment of the restaurant business really is I don't know about the pastry side, I believe it's a little bit like that. But it's very much as a coach, as a line cook, as a grill cook as a chef as a sous chef. It's brutal. And it's tough. And some people really love it and other people get into it. And they're like, Yeah, I don't know, what am I going to do? We're going to move through this story because you're doing amazing things.

Kimberly Pearson: 9:39

Took away so much from my culinary background, my education and the apprenticeship. And I took that with me and that the skills that I learned the knowledge that I acquired has really, you know, pushed me forward to where I'm at now, but kind of how I got started in the culinary world. And then I went back to school for teaching. And I ended up teaching both in my native Canada and then I actually ended up moving to Estonia in what used to be part of the Soviet Union in Northern Europe along the Baltic. Yeah, I actually had lived in Sweden when I was kind of in my late teens and early 20s. So yeah. That also shaped my culinary journey to which I can talk about definitely, yeah, in Estonia, and I taught before and five year olds at the International School and I always made throughout my whole teaching career. I made part of the curriculum, teaching the kids the culinary world. So baking and cooking. And, and that was for many of them. It was their favorite. It was their favorite part of the week was like, Oh, what do we get to create and yeah, so that was wonderful. That's cool. Wow. So I taught and then I came, came back to Canada and I ended up moving out to the East Coast. to Toronto, Ontario, Toronto for the non Canadian.

Michael Dugan: 10:57

like me.

Kimberly Pearson: 10:59

Yeah, I mean, and so I taught in a wonderfully diverse school and kids from just so many, you know, they're first generation Canadians and some were, you know, we're born, you know, outside of Canada. So it was just really rich and diverse. And I started actually learning Chinese to help one of my one of our students then so that that got started. But um, yeah, so I came back, started teaching and then ended up getting married. And I ended up moving to Michigan, where my husband is from because of some circumstances, I need to change my, my, my occupation again. And so I got into healthcare and working for a local health care system, hospital and did a bunch of coursework for that. And then so that's what I did, and up until a certain point, and then my health brought me back to the culinary world. And that that first love that I had, was actually my health brought me back to the culinary world again, I guess.

Michael Dugan: 12:02

And that's like a defining moment in your life, I think, yeah,

Kimberly Pearson: 12:05

it's kind of brought me to where I am now.

Michael Dugan: 12:08

So because of your health and what was going on there. You pivoted. And what did what did you do then,

Kimberly Pearson: 12:15

We had moved back out, out west. So we moved to Washington State where I am now my husband got work out here. And my health really took a major dive. And basically, my doctor at the time, she's like, Yeah, you need to make some huge changes, you're going to be hospitalized. So you need to change and you need to not work a traditional job, you need to think about things that you love doing and what you have a passion for. And, and go in that direction got me thinking again, and I'm like, Okay, I'm going to work with doing what I love and what I have a passion for. And that was, again, brought me back to food. And so I started developing recipes that were you know, allergen friendly, gluten free, dairy free, refined, sugar free, you know, many eggs free, all kinds of different things. And so it kind of got me started again, and I wanted to recreate so many of those family recipes. And even some of the recipes that I learned. Like I said, I lived in Sweden, when I was younger, and the family that I lived with, they were foragers, we used to forage for, you know, wild blueberries, mushrooms, I go out with a dad and we put out next and he and I, because his kids weren't interested in all these things. And I was totally interested. So I was like his, his second daughter, and he was just so excited that I loved I mean, I love being outdoors.

Michael Dugan: 13:38

Then you're kind of moving in this direction. It sounds like of, of cooking healthy and thinking differently. And then and that pushed you in a direction with your career itself.

Kimberly Pearson: 13:50

It did it kind of and also I took all those things from my mind growing up, also my living in, in Sweden, and that whole idea of of eating, seasonally, eating, making food from what was available. I mean, my mom, I mean, that's how my mom cooked is what was available seasonally. And we I mean most kids weren't eating, you know, turnips and rutabaga and things like that, that I grew up that those were staples, my mom made a incredible savory souffle that was a turnip souffle. I mean, you know, like, that

Michael Dugan: 14:24

sounds amazing. I love turnips.

Kimberly Pearson: 14:25

I do too. But so kind of that really had me thinking and then I did read some pretty incredible book like the 100 mile diet, and it got me really focusing like what's what's available locally, what's available, seasonally, kind of been on my radar, and I've really kind of gone in that direction. And I have I haven't gotten modest garden and my my focus on what the recipes that I that I created, were became more and more seasonally based more and more. Okay, what's, what's available? What can I create out of this? Whether it be savory or sweet, or? Yeah, it was just kind of organic, organically just kind of happened.

Michael Dugan: 15:09

That's really cool. And then you started a business.

Kimberly Pearson: 15:12

Well, I started I started a blog. I started Yeah, I started a blog to share my recipes. And you know, to help others who were dealing with multiple, whether it be food allergies, or celiac disease, or health challenges where they had to eat a certain way and had to alter the way that they ate, which I had to do. I had to make some huge changes. It probably started in 2007. And so I had to eliminate a number of things out of my diet that were affecting me and I'm like, Well, this is something I can control. So let's, let's work with that and eliminate ate these things that were making me feel just awful. You know, gluten aside, so I wanted to Yeah, document that and share that still working on cookbooks and have started doing some teaching and wow, got me thinking, like, I need to really document this and, and share this and collaborate with different companies and which is exciting because they're like, hey, you know, if it's a company that I believe in, or that offers, they create something that I can actually eat, then I'm like, wow, I'm really excited. What can I they'd like me to create a recipe for them using this this flour or, or this product. And so it's pretty exciting to just, you know, from scratch, like just get get the creative juices flowing and okay, what can I What can I make from this?

Michael Dugan: 16:45

That's amazing. I was I was looking at some of the information you shared with me. So you have this apple scone, yeah, Bordeaux Blanc, California grape nectar glaze. I mean, oh, wow. And the photograph.

Kimberly Pearson: 16:57

That's so sweet. Because I'm not a photographer, I've just kind of had to learn and teach. And it's like, my good friend don't try and oh, she's like, you know, because I always, you know, want to, oh, you know, that isn't a great photo. And she's like, No, all your she said, You make all of your food look so appealing. And she said, and that's the goal. She said it doesn't it's you do that's kind of my goal. And of course, yeah, and and I should say that you asked about the blog, and it's called the rocks in dirt bakery. And which is kind of a, you know, people I think sometimes I tell them they're like what, like I could have named it like Amy's Kim because I also go by Kimmy my dad Ollie always called me Kimmy and a lot of my good friends call me Kimmy. So it's either Kimberly or Kimmy. Okay? I could have called it Kimberly's gluten free kitchen or something like that. But I'm like, No, I, I really want to be authentic. So the rocks and dirt bakery. So this is actually a term that my brother in law, so one of my older sisters, her husband coined. So being from Vancouver Island, it's kind of culturally you're you're often brought up and more of a earthy kind of, I would say Kiki ish kind of way of thinking. Like, it's because it's, it's very much. I mean, that's just how it is, you know, on Vancouver Island and on the all the different Gulf Islands. And it's, yeah, it's just more kind of granola II kind of earthy. And so my sisters and I always were trying to, like, make healthier versions of this or that, you know, using, you know, alternative flours and different sweeteners and so that I did that for years. But, um, so my brother in law, he used to, you know, because we're always doing that, he's like, Okay, wait, so it was this rocks and dirt, for example, rocks and dirt, shortbread cookies, or is this traditional? So the rocks and dirt is like, you know, sometimes stuff that healthy can literally take like sawdust, yeah, these cookies are made, you know, with this, you know, kind of sugar and this kind of flour, which is non traditional, and it can be, you know, tastes pretty, pretty rough. And so the rocks and dirt is, is kind of a homage to kind of the, the sort of healthier versions of things that that he refers to as rocks and dirt. Like are they your, your healthier hippie, hippie ish kind of cook is shortbread? Are they traditional made with you know, white flour and white sugar? And so he actually coined the rocks and dirt and and so it kind of became a family kind of term. Oh, are you can you rocks and dirt this recipe of mine, I've got this recipe for the scones. And can you walk some dirt that and so that means me entirely alternative ingredients to make them healthier. And also that, you know, I could eat and other people could eat. It's so that's what it comes from. And it's very much kind of goes back also to my my upbringing and my roots. And also, if you look at my logo, it's actually it's a Arbutus tree, which in America here in Washington state they call Madrona. But in Canada, we call them our beautiful trees. And that's actually my favorite tree. And it's coming out of a pie and it's the rock Cinder bakery rooted in the Pacific Northwest. If that makes sense kind of where that rock star bakery and yeah, I just I thought it was kind of humorous. So people that get it. They're like, someone someone on Instagram she's in she's in the UK. She's an outside London she just sent me a message when she said you know what, I absolutely love the name of your bakery that or your your blog and your Instagram and and I said oh she goes I'm actually from Victoria on Vancouver Island, and it reminds me of home. So it was kind of cool. You know, not everybody's gonna get it. But I want it to be true to myself and also just true to my roots. And so I'm like, No, I'm gonna, I'm gonna call it the rocks and dirt bakery. You know, I kind of pulled people and they're like, oh, it should be this and other people like, No, you need to be authentic. And you know, people that get it, get it.

Michael Dugan: 21:14

So what do you find most rewarding about this, this kind of work?

Kimberly Pearson: 21:18

Most rewarding is being able to one create food that that I can enjoy that I don't have to worry about that it's going to have this health impact on me, but also food that people that don't have to avoid all these things that they can say, hey, this is not Oh, this is good for gluten free. This is just good, really good. It's like just recently I had I started I just started doing teaching gluten free sourdough and doing some zoom classes. And I had a student in Nashville. And she, no one has to eat a gluten free. But she has a best friend who celiac. And she said I want to learn how to make these breads like focaccia for her. And so she made it and her teenage sons who do not have to avoid gluten. She made it made that it was still a little bit warm, but it was ready to you know, eat so her two sons. She said those boys busted into that. And they devoured it wasn't like, Oh, this is gluten free bread. No, it was like this is just good bread. And then her friend and her children tried the focaccia that she made for them. And they just they were so happy to actually be able to enjoy real bread again. And she said they were they were blown away. It was like it was it was just awesome to be able to create food that other people who who you can eat certain things like me that they can enjoy and love and that people in their family who don't have to avoid it and certain allergens or certain foods that they eat too. And go oh, this is just this is just good. Yeah, that's pretty incredible. I don't use any ingredients in in my kitchen that aren't gluten free. So my husband eats anything I make for people is 100% gluten free, whether they have to avoid it or not.

Michael Dugan: 23:08

Aligned with that. Do you have any advice for someone that's newly diagnosed with celiac disease who's just starting to navigate this gluten free cooking and dining journey?

Kimberly Pearson: 23:18

Go to my blog, the rocks and dirt bakery and you can find hundreds of recipes. No, just kidding. But seriously, not kidding. But rather than looking. So you've been diagnosed with celiac disease, or your diagnosis ncgs non celiac gluten sensitivity or intolerance. Don't Don't look at what you can no longer eat. Look at what you can eat, don't focus on what you can eat. And the door will just fly open as to all kinds of foods that you can discover that it's it doesn't have to be limiting. And I would also say learn how to cook. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, but just learn how to cook. Because it it's really interesting because this is the pre pandemic statistic. And it was this statistic was that the cost of for celiac and I believe it was North America was of food. So groceries was 192% more expensive. As a celiac versus non celiac, you know, food costs 192% more expensive. So nowadays, there's tons of packaged gluten free, celiac safe foods, and it's totally fine. But if you're if you're relying on that, as your as your meals, not only is it economically, you know, astronomically expensive, but also the you know, the nourishment that you're not going to be getting and, you know, it's just for enjoyment. So I would just say you know, learn how to cook. And also look at what you can eat or what you can do. So

Michael Dugan: 25:04

are you going to be offering any of these classes coming up? Tell us a little bit about that

Kimberly Pearson: 25:08

Zoom. I'm kind of offering it on because I'm working with different availability of people in different time zones. I'm just I'm doing on a one on one basis and trying to you know, I've been kind of putting it out there on Instagram. And on Facebook a little I need to do it a little bit more but I'm kind of putting it out there. And so people if they're interested in starting that sourdough journey through sourdough journey to get in touch with me and we can start with a really brief zoom class that just gets them started creating a starter, a sourdough starter and then we do the first class which is learning how to make gluten free falcata also a teach them also to make crackers in that thing class. I love it. I will on a case by case basis, do local as well just you know, to the greater Puget Sound or you know, Camino island so it just it just depends on the situation. So yeah, but primarily I'm doing starting that on Zoom. So people just need to reach out to me on my Facebook or email.

Michael Dugan: 26:10

There you have it. It has an amazing blog, it has some incredible pictures of dishes that just make you just really really well done. I really felt connected to it. So I I would definitely go out and check it out. As we wrap up, how do we find you?

Kimberly Pearson: 26:26

So you can find me my email is, therocksanddirtbakery@gmail.com actually more important is my website is is what I meant to say is the

https: 26:36

//therocksanddirtbakery.com. Or I also have Facebook and Instagram both titled therocksanddirtbakery. I do have

Michael Dugan: 26:41

And just so everyone knows her websites threads as well. The same name. But yeah, primarily I would say Instagram or Facebook or my website. I will be having a section on my website regarding you know, the increase our classes. beautiful. Kimberly, thank you for being a guest on our show. You are truly a Voice4Chefs, but not only that you are a voice for healthy cooking, and we really appreciate you.

Kimberly Pearson: 27:14

Thank you so much, Michael. It's been a tremendous honor to be included on your podcast. Thank you so so much. You're welcome.