Mindful Eating at WDC: A Spiritual Journey
At the Won Dharma Center, eating is an expression of spiritual practice. Our meals are plant-based and lovingly prepared. Many ingredients come directly from our organic gardens. Practitioners are encouraged to eat mindfully, paying full attention to each bite, appreciating the flavors, textures, and the life that sustains the food. Meals are often taken in silence, allowing the mind to be present to cultivating gratitude for the Fourfold Grace: the grace of heaven and earth, parents, fellow beings, and laws.
Meet the Chefs
Jimmy Shin is the main chef at the Won Dharma Center in Claverack, NY. His journey began through Won Buddhism—a path grounded in humility and daily practice. Over the years, this path led him to become a chef. It is also leading him to become a Kyomunim (Won Buddhist minister). He is dedicated to inspiring hope and awakening the limitless potential within others.
Chef and artist Lexa Walsh has spent over 25 years nourishing creative communities at retreats and residencies. Her cooking draws inspiration from her travels around the world, the richness of farmers’ markets, and her naturally exuberant spirit. She moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Hudson Valley. In January 2024, she became part of the WDC team.
WDC Organic Garden
The Won Dharma Center’s organic garden is a communal effort lovingly tended by ministers and dedicated volunteers. Together they plant and harvest a variety of nutritious vegetables and herbs, including garlic. Additionally, practitioners have started a new community garden initiative, bringing members together to grow fresh produce with mindfulness and care. The gardens’ bounty supports the Center’s meals and retreats, offering wholesome food that nourishes both body and spirit.
WDC Cookbook $10
Filled with delicious, heart and health centered recipes inspired by our retreats, this beautiful cookbook brings the nourishing spirit of the Won Dharma Center into your home. Created by Retreat Chef Lexa Walsh and Pre-Minister/Chef Jimmy, each dish reflects the mindful, loving preparation that defines our retreat experience.
Nourish your body, uplift your spirit, and savor the joy of wholesome, conscious cooking.
Support WDC’s gardening and spiritually nourishing projects with a cookbook donation below, and receive a copy of our cookbook as a heartfelt thank you. If you’d like your cookbook mailed to you please email dharma@wondharma.org