Mise en Place

MISE EN PLACE

WHAT NURTURES THE NURTURER WITH ASHLEY BARE OF HEMMA HEMMA

By Sarah Sipple

Hemma Hemma may be new to Waldo, but Kansas City is no stranger to Chef/Owner Ashley Bare’s cooking. Hemma Hemma focuses on wholesome foods—to savor inhouse and on the go—but we wanted to find out what keeps Bare herself feeling whole and satisfied.

The Pitch: Tell us about Hemma Hemma’s origin.

Ashley Bare: I have a strong private chef background. After culinary school, I worked in restaurants for a hot minute. I realized that it wasn’t financially viable for me, living in New York City, so I got into private cheffing. I worked in a lot of people’s homes. It’s not that my childhood wasn’t great, but the notion of home has always been kind of something I’ve thought about. “Hemma” means “at home” in Swedish, and it has stuck with me. Just the notion of home, being in people’s homes, delivering to people’s homes—I want this place to feel like home to someone.

How are you cultivating a feeling of home here?

I really didn’t want it to feel like a sterile, corporate situation; I needed it to feel cozy, elevated, interesting, collected, if you will. But then also our food: Our dishes are chef-driven and may use some ingredients that you haven’t heard of, but they should be presented in a way that is familiar and a bit homestyle. I don’t like to say our food is healthy. It’s healthful—like very vegetable-forward—but approachable in a way that people will recognize.

What is the difference between healthy and nurturing?

I hate the word healthy. Because what does that mean? It’s so different for everyone. I think we should be eating nourishing foods that are whole, that are probably not processed, from scratch. Maybe other dishes remind you of this notion of home—they should be comforting. We need that sometimes.

From whom or what do you draw inspiration?

Travel is huge—I cook the globe. I’ve been to, like, 42 countries, and the world is such a huge inspiration for me. But on that note, I just love variety. I want to eat differently every day, so that’s what we’re doing here. Some might think it’s a lot to take on, but truthfully, it’s kind of easy because it’s innate.

What aspect of establishing this brick-and-mortar spot has stretched your creativity the most?

Well, interiors are a big interest of mine also. It’s been really fun, and I hope that people feel that when they come in because I really love looking around here.

It’s a philosophical thing, a historical thing, but there’s so much asked of women and not of men, and this is why I’m constantly impressed by women. Most of us are holding down full-time jobs while also responsible for most of the things in the home. We deserve more credit.

What’s your go-to for self-care?

I try to work out twice a week. I get massages here and there. And this sounds dumb, but my nail time is religious. It just makes me feel like a put-together human. Plus, it is a nice little alone moment. But truly, we spend a lot of time with our families, and we get together with our friends every at least two weeks. We all love each other a lot. So they really fill up our cups.