Meet the visionary culinary artists and somatic teachers guiding your journey toward presence and nutrition.
Nourish & Wander was founded in 2021 by wellness director Aria Vance and culinary curator Julian Sterling. Having spent years in fast-paced city environments—Aria managing stress-recovery programs and Julian directing Michelin-rated clean food kitchens—they realized that true revitalization required a deeper integration of lifestyle patterns.
They designed a framework where movement and nourishment are not treated as separate practices, but as a continuous cycle of restoration. A morning somatic flow prepares the nervous system to absorb nutrient-rich dishes, while mindful farm walks reconnect guests to the origins of what they eat.
Today, Nourish & Wander operates limited annual sessions in Italy, Japan, and Peru, ensuring each destination stays focused on slow food, sustainability, and authentic culture.
Traditional high-impact training triggers adrenaline and cortisol, keeping the body in a constant state of recovery deficit. Our approach relies on somatic movement therapy—a slow, introspective form of movement that focuses on nervous system down-regulation.
Led by Aria Vance, we conduct daily sessions aligning gentle structural alignment with myofascial release. By incorporating diaphragmatic breathing cycles and vagal nerve stimulation techniques, we transition guests from sympathetic stress to parasympathetic restoration. This biological state lowers blood pressure, enhances blood circulation to vital organs, and establishes the optimal intestinal environment for nutrient assimilation.
We view gastronomy as cellular communication. Our culinary director Julian Sterling designs gluten-free, anti-inflammatory menus that actively soothe gastrointestinal linings and reduce full-body cell swelling.
We strictly utilize cold-pressed organic fats, avoid processed sugars, and design menus around seasonal wild flora. We focus on low-temperature cooking, ancestral fermentation processes, and raw digestive enzyme retention. The result is nutrient-dense, Michelin-level plating that leaves guests feeling energetic, light, and restored.
Aria brings over a decade of yoga training from Mysore, India, combined with academic credentials in Somatic Psychology. Her sessions focus on calming the sympathetic nervous system through slow, deliberate breathwork and restoration movements.
Julian is a classically trained chef who transitioned from high-pressure kitchens to explore the biochemistry of food. He partners directly with local farmers at each retreat location to create anti-inflammatory menus that showcase seasonal regional flavors.
Eleanor handles the logistics and operations across our global destinations. With a background in luxury hospitality, she ensures every guest's individual lodging, dietary preferences, and travel needs are seamlessly managed.
We source all ingredients from farms located within 25 miles of our villas. We support small growers and pay fair-trade rates to respect local farming networks.
Every dietary concern and physical restriction is handled with premium, personalized menu planning. Our small group sizes guarantee individual support.
We coordinate our somatic movements with digestion science, utilizing structural techniques that promote nervous system calming and restorative tissue recovery.