Today we’d like to introduce you to Cara-Lee Langston.
Hi Cara-Lee, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. My parents worked in healthcare and are also avid nature lovers. They instilled in us a deep appreciation for the outdoors. Weekends were often spent exploring trails in the forest, on the mountain, or along the coast. From a young age, I learned the value of spending time in nature for health and well-being. When we immigrated to the United States, I was terribly homesick and found myself in an unfamiliar botanical landscape. I quickly realized that getting to know the plants and wildlife of a place is just as important as getting to know the people. This helped me to acclimate and feel more at home.
At that time, I was living in Atlanta – the city in a forest. I turned to nature for healing and sought out as many opportunities to learn about my natural surroundings as possible. I became fascinated by the biodiversity of my new region, the Southern Appalachians, and the indigenous wisdom that teaches us how plants and fungi can be used for food or medicine. That led me to the BotanoLogos School of Herbal Studies (now enrolling for its 30th year!) and my mentor, Patricia Kyritsi Howell, based in Rabun County in Northeast Georgia. I studied with Patricia for several years and received a Certificate in Medical Herbalism before pursuing a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Integrative Health from the Maryland University of Integrative Health with a focus on community nutrition education, traditional foods for healing, and cooking for chronic health conditions.
For my thesis, I created a food and nature-based nutrition education curriculum called Wildcraft Kitchen which became the namesake for our small family business. Now based in the Northeast Georgia Mountains where we operate, we offer food and nature-based educational experiences through Wildcraft Kitchen including wild foods foraging tours, herbalism workshops, wild and local cooking classes, botanical property surveys, summer camps and forest school programs.
Learn more at www.wildcraftkitchenga.com
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Starting a small business from scratch certainly has many learning curves but with these challenges come new teachings and growth! There is branding and marketing, strategic planning, website and online systems, customer service, outreach, daily operations, and the list goes on and on. Since we had just begun operations in 2019, like many others, we have felt the effects of covid-19 greatly. However, the love and support that we have received from our local and online community has been so uplifting and fills us with gratitude.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Wildcraft Kitchen?
Wildcraft Kitchen is a unique outfitter company specializing in food and nature-based educational experiences including wild foods foraging tours, herbalism workshops, local and wild foods cooking classes, botanical property surveys, summer camps and forest school programs.
From our home base in the Northeast Georgia Mountains, we aim to inspire healthy connections to food and nature – to connect people to the natural environment and promote health and wellness through local and wild foods. We hope to create programs for our community that foster stewardship and honor indigenous wisdom.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
Go for it! Volunteer with and become a member of leading organizations in your field, research local schools, attend conferences and continuing education workshops, and approach established professionals about internship or apprenticeship opportunities. Don’t hold back whenever you are ready!
Pricing:
- Private foraging tours start at $200 per group
- Public events range from $20-$100 per ticket
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wildcraftkitchenga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wildcraft_kitchen/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wildcraftkitchenga/
Image Credits
Andrew Linker Laura Claire Grass Cara-Lee Langston
