Shadi Ramey discovered her passion for food at an early age growing up in a first-generation Persian household where the act of preparing food was always slow and always intuitive. She learned at an early age that real food takes hours to create and that the same reverence must be given to experiencing that food.

Shadi is a self-taught chef combining her interest in cultures from around the world with local, organic ingredients. She began cooking professionally in 2005 and continues honing her passion as a chef. Her culinary passion has led her to study the cuisine of Japan, Italy, France, Mexico and Nepal. Her M.A. degree in Cultural Anthropology led the foundation for her work as a culinary anthropologist, a field which she has been exploring for the past two decades. 

In 2008, Shadi began a journey to spread her culinary wings to include culinary herbalism, ayurveda and food as medicine. For the past decade she has been elevating her culinary skills to incorporate health, wellness and vitality. Shadi has studied with Vasant Lad from the Ayurvedic Institute and brings her knowledge of Ayurveda to her kitchen, her recipes and her events. 

Shadi started growing hemp on her small, organic micro-farm north of Boulder in 2015. It was then that she started spending time with hemp on a daily basis and experimenting with hemp food on a deep, immersive level. Her work with hemp food includes all edible parts of the plant; the leaves, flower, hemp seeds and hemp seed oil. In 2015 Shadi set out to make a hemp-based body cream that was good enough to eat and her hemp body care line, Satya Kama was born.

Shadi loves to nerd out on all things mycology. She has been cooking with mushrooms for the past twenty years. She is delighted to see mushrooms growing in the mainstream consciousness. She is doing several mushroom experiences in 2020 to include culinary immersions, 5-course farm-to-table events and she is taking a group to Sarlat France in January 2021 for the annual Truffle Festival. Shadi’s approach to culinary mushrooms is much like her other work as it stems from multicultural uses and flavors. Shadi is fascinated by the concept of terroir as it relates to culinary mushrooms and works to bring this to her guests through her culinary work. 

In the spirit of prasad, Shadi’s events are a testament to food as a spiritual experience. Her natural talent as an event manager, no doubt stemming from her Persian ancestry, has earned her the reputation of an excellent hostess of immersive culinary experiences, combining environments, unique flavors and plenty of conversation-starting dishes. Her high-end culinary skills and zero-waste approach to all of her events, workshops, classes and farm dinners make for memorable and impactful experiences.

Shadi does both savory and sweet, traditional and modern, and loves fusion-inspired food. Shadi has been a plant-based baker for over 20 years. 

She is an advocate for people, plants, regenerative farming and the intersection of plant-based cuisine, high-vibe food and vitality.  

Her first cookbook, Hemp Can Change the World was released on December 21, 2020. www.hempcanchangetheworld.com

Ramey graduated with a Masters of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from New Mexico State University in 2001. She did her field work in Nepal and wrote her thesis on sustainable development. Sustainability continues to be an integral part of her lifework as it relates to zero waste events, regenerative agriculture, mission-driven business and plant-based food. More information at  www.shadiramey.com