After  I made this video, my heart was beating fast. I knew I needed to make this video, I knew I had to share my true-to-life kitchen experience. I began Whole and Healthy Kitchen exactly a year ago. And in the beginning I doubted if I was ready to start this project. I knew my kitchen wasn’t “perfect” and thought my camera wasn’t “good enough” but I did it any way. I chose not to wait for a better time or bigger kitchen, instead I jumped right on in and began to teach and learn that the Kitchen is indeed, first an inner domain.

Our kitchen is meant to be a place to bring people together and have shared experiences over food. I surely did this. I’ve had many people in my kitchen, and served hundreds of meals here and we all ate on our laps! (no kitchen table :)) But what I learned through this was exactly what this article says: “Are they coming to see me, or are they coming to see my home?” …and they are most definitely coming to see me. And you know what, no one ever cared that my house was small or they ate on their lap. They loved the good food and good company…and that’s what matters. I wanted to share this so that you know it does not matter what your home or kitchen looks like. Your place does not have to be “perfect” before you can welcome others and serve them there. Friends and Family want you to be you. When we are ourselves and living our lives with children, family and work, our place will not be spotless or picture perfect. And that is perfectly okay. We need to accept that its perfectly okay and let others in, if we don’t, we miss out on the great things, like quality time with friends and family over meals.

Father Jack defines scruffy hospitality this way:

Scruffy hospitality means you’re not waiting for everything in your house to be in order before you host and serve friends in your home. Scruffy hospitality means you hunger more for good conversation and serving a simple meal of what you have, not what you don’t have. Scruffy hospitality means you’re more interested in quality conversation than the impression your home or lawn makes. If we only share meals with friends when we’re excellent, we aren’t truly sharing life together.

I hope to inspire others into knowing that our kitchen does NOT have to be perfect. It literally just needs to BE. And then those whom you love will flock to it and you will have so many experiences that light everyone’s Soul on fire. These are the memories that we will cherish in our final days on earth. Its worth welcoming people now, right where you are, in the kitchen you have- big or small.

Check out this well articulated article on “Scruffy Hospitality”, that inspired the title of this blog:
https://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/blogs/in-priase-scruffy-hospitality