Roshni
MISE EN PAIX — “Putting in Peace”
About MEP
There’s something about being a New Yorker that encourages a stay-busy attitude to erupt from within. The city that never sleeps provides opportunities to stimulate your senses while simultaneously stealing bits and pieces of your mental peace. For the past few years, I have been working to improve my responses to stress, but have struggled with traditional forms of mindfulness. I would joke with family members that my “Type A” personality was actually an abbreviation for Type Anxious. The peace was always fleeting, so as I searched for reliable ways to calm my mind, I noticed the consistent joy that stemmed from cooking.
I discovered the French term “mise en place” after taking a cooking class with the Institute of Culinary Education. Mise en place (put in place) is a culinary phrase used in professional kitchens that encompasses the prep work involved with cooking, including setup, measuring, chopping, peeling, etc—more than a phrase, it’s a mindset and ritual for any recipe.
Mise En Paix (put in peace) was born as an homage to the traditional concept of mise en place and incorporates an approach of enjoying every step from ingredient selection, to preparation, and ultimately indulging in a meal. It focuses on stimulating all of your senses and taking a moment, however short, to find tranquility and appreciate the overall process. I hope that these recipes and this philosophy can inspire you to put it all together in peace.
Life is crazy. Cooking is messy. Let’s enjoy the process.
