48 | APRIL 29 • 2021 

HEALTH

I

t’s traditional therapy with a twist. By 
combining cooking with talk therapy, 
Culinary Art Therapy gives people a 
chance to boost their wellness through a 
fun and creative outlet. 
Founded by West Bloomfield-based 
therapist Julie Ohana, 42, Culinary Art 
Therapy was an idea she developed 
about 17 years ago while attending the 
Wurzweiler School of Social Work at 
Yeshiva University in New York City. She 
wrote about the unique approach in her 
master’s thesis, explaining how cooking 
can be healing and cathartic in the thera-
peutic process.
“I remember knowing that this is 
what I wanted to write about, and this 
was something I very much believed in,” 
Ohana explains. Shortly after graduating, 
her friend helped her put together a web-
site using the information from her the-
sis. But then Ohana got married, had two 
children and the idea was put on hold 
while she focused on her family. Three 
years ago, she decided to return to it.
“Now’s the time,” she recalls thinking. 
Her kids were older, and she had more 
space in her life to move forward with the 

idea of Culinary Art Therapy. As a life-
long cook, it’s something she didn’t forget 
about. “The time was right for me per-
sonally,” Ohana continues, “but the world 
was ready for this idea.”
She explains that we’ve become a cul-
ture centered around food, where looking 
at food on Instagram and Pinterest didn’t 
exist at the time of her thesis. “I think 
with the creation of these sites came an 
awareness and a desire for people to be 
able to consume this practice,” Ohana 
adds. “There’s inspiration everywhere, 
and inspiration is motivation but it’s also 
connection.”
Through food, she aims to help peo-
ple make connections with one another, 
themselves or the world around them. 
“I work with a wide range of people on 
a clinical basis and also people who are 
looking to participate in an activity that 
feels good, that brings people together,” 
Ohana explains of her approach to ther-
apy. “They’re working on life skills and 
different habits that are just good for 
you.”
Each session is tailor-made to a client’s 
needs and can be done individually or in 

a group. Ohana starts with a question-
naire similar to an intake form that asks 
people about their goals, intentions and 
of course, the type of food they enjoy 
most. She factors in allergies and other 
dietary needs when developing a course 
of action that combines cooking with 
therapy.
“I ask people about their memories, the 
foods they recall that they have a positive 

Culinary Art Therapy 
taps into cooking to 
make connections.

Therapy
 with a
Twist

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY
CONTRIBUTING WRITER

continued on page 50

Julie and her 
daughter in the 
kitchen

COURTESY OF JULIE OHANA

COURTESY OF JULIE OHANA

