The Wholefood Kitchen

The Wholefood Kitchen Cooking in the Spirit of Kotahitanga A place to gain insights from practitioners, and share experiences.

An opportunity to connect with a growing community of people who approach food within an integral context. Above all, it is for people who would like food to support them to fulfill their potential. This site is run by Kevin Helas and other practitioners of wholefood cooking. Kevin is greatly indebted to the Concord Institute, which has provided the bulk of training of cooking within this context, and a developing understanding of the art of ‘cooking with awareness.’

29/07/2026

So it begins… arriving in My spiritual home of Raglan to join the Poutama team for a powerful weekend of initiation

23/07/2026

A snapshot of a recent Home Cooking Clinic with Livvy, this time putting together a menu/meal plan based around some dishes she wanted to try and/or master. In this case, a request to learn how to panfry steak led to a meal made up of a few complementary dishes: celeriac purée, Rocket and pear salad with a warm vinaigrette, and a couple of dressing options in the form of a Salsa Verde and a made from scratch Béarnaise sauce. These sessions are such a joy to create, designed as ‘Trojan horse’ classes to tackle common barriers around enjoyment of cooking, developing skills and increasing confidence in the kitchen. DM me if you’d like to find out more, or book in for one or a series of bespoke clinics in your own kitchen.

Teaming up with the irrepressible RJ and the Glen Avon Community Hub Team to develop a series of cooking classes for wor...
22/07/2026

Teaming up with the irrepressible RJ and the Glen Avon Community Hub Team to develop a series of cooking classes for working families to develop confidence and competence in the kitchen, leading to greater connection, conversation, creativity, hauora, and much, much more. Stay tuned for details!

16/07/2026

No food or cooking in this reel, but no questioning the nourishment for the soul that came from spending a few hours climbing around, up and through the whenua surrounding the sacred Taranaki Maunga, from Manganui Gorge adjacent to the Stratford Plateau, then following a track round to Wilkies Pools, a place (alongside Te Rere o Noke (Dawson Falls) that has high cultural and spiritual significance for Māori, considered places of healing connected to the cleansing power of the water that flows from the sacred mountain. Feeling blessed to journey through the pristine, ancient ngāhere, cross the Kapuni stream, and receive a reminder of what Aotearoa once was, (and still can be) and the grace, power and beauty of Papatuanuku (Mother Earth) 🙏🏻

Passing on some learnings in the form of a karakia to mark the first harvest of Matariki. Kai karakia being such a power...
15/07/2026

Passing on some learnings in the form of a karakia to mark the first harvest of Matariki. Kai karakia being such a powerful way to pause before a meal, express thanks and gratitude for what we are about to receive, incidentally, maximising our bodies’ capacity to receive deep nourishment. Click on link in bio to check out the article. Ngā mihi to Pukenga Psychology 🙏🏻

15/07/2026

Ooh la la! Béarnaise Sauce made from scratch, upon request of a Home Cooking Clinic client I prepared a meal@plan for, with this being one of the sauces we made to accompany a perfect pan-fried Steak. Surprisingly easy, though requiring a little care and attention and a little kitchen alchemy, pouring melted butter into an infused vinegar and egg yolk mixture. The result? Luscious, creamy, and versatile, used to pump up a few other dishes over the following days.

14/07/2026

Almond Flour, Yoghurt & Lemon cake, testing out a recipe for a light, zingy dessert contribution for a Matariki meal shared with compadre Johannes, my Wharekai partner while cooking for a recent Men’s Summit, who took care of the main course - serving up a traditional Hungarian dish which featured his signature Crackling Pork Roast alongside homemade sauerkraut and dumplings. No images of this dish were captured, though the memory still lingers. The jury is out on this cake though, as delicious as it was, there’s a few tweaks I plan to make before stating my version of a few recipes floating round the ‘net. Pinky promise, I’ll share it when I’ve nailed it down. Any tried and true recipes welcome. Mānawatia a Matariki!

A morning coffee at Kahu & Peka, a bit of nourishment courtesy of Te Ra and a text I’m digging into entitled ‘Māori Phil...
10/07/2026

A morning coffee at Kahu & Peka, a bit of nourishment courtesy of Te Ra and a text I’m digging into entitled ‘Māori Philosophy’ by Georgina Tuari Stewart. Postcard bookmark a work by Richard Lewer from his recent exhibition ‘Things I didn’t learn at school’ (or thereabouts) at the National Portrait gallery in Wellington. Mānawatia a Matariki ❤️

10/07/2026

Stage two of the Puy lentil, Bacon, and Veg soup. Chopping and prepping all the ingredients, then bringing it all together on the hob. I use a tried and tested process of building the soup gradually, to add depth of flavour while not taking more than 20 minutes to get underway. Once simmering it can be left to its own devices, only returning a little later to adjust seasoning, and add more stock for desired volume and consistency. This video shows the process from start to finish, where it’s plated up in a bowl served with croutons made with leftover sourdough.

09/07/2026

A versatile, easy to make, all-in-one winter soup I turn to often, Puy Lentil, Bacon and Veg Soup which can be enjoyed for a few days or frozen and reheated. Made with a batch of pre-made, frozen Chicken Stock which I have on hand for just such a purpose. In this video I walk you through the various ingredients, and offer a few cooking tips. Stay tuned for the next one where it all comes together.

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