Mindful March Interview with The Botanist Head Chef Scotty Mills

Head Chef Sendura Lim joined us for a conversation about Mindful March at The Botanist.

Sendura has been head chef at the Botanist for 6 months and boasts great experience and a strong passion for food.

We talked about all things mindfulness, food & Mindful March at The Botanist.

What does Mindful March mean to you?

Mindful March is a month where I can dive deeper to understand where I can make a difference in supporting a healthier and balance world. Healthy world equals healthy body and mind !

What do you love about Mindful March at The Botanist?

The Botanist has given me many ideas and reminder being mindful not only means in food production but also in how we manage our waste daily . It is a month where we can have more conversation with our suppliers and team member about sustainable items and the importance of connecting with local suppliers

What was the inspiration behind your Wholesome Meal Specials?

Using seasonal ingredients and minimal excess in production and preparations level, the specials also reintroduce the concept of vegetables have great benefits while have an excellent taste !

We know that mindfulness can also be in the form of mindful eating… What does mindful eating actually mean? And how can we practice it? 

Mindful eating meaning that we have a balanced diet between protein and fibres in daily meals. How we practice mindful eating is by consuming fish, meat & vegetables that is grown locally. Mindful eating also includes reducing food waste by finding ways to reuse food scraps as compost or stocks or animal food

Being a chef can be quite fast-paced and demanding, how do you manage to stay mindful whilst working? 

Practice mindfulness in daily life can start by making sure we minimise our waste either bio or recyclable items, this also means being watchful to minimise non recyclable items going into landfill. Managing mindfulness while at work means that we are managing our portion size and reducing mistakes or mishaps in service time, while on prepping our ingredients we find ways to use the excess ingredients for specials or other dishes .

What are some ways you practice mindfulness in your spare time? 

And to finish what is your favourite dish to cook here at the Botanist that brings you joy? 

Lamb dish will be on the top 3 dish to cook in The Botanist, it is a dish that screams spring and freshness to the max! The great used of herbs and utilising zucchini from flowering, growing and matured stage!

Experience Mindful March for yourself at the Botanist. With Wholesome Food Specials created by Sendura and so many other great initiatives… hurry before March ends!