Katzie Guy-Hamilton knows a thing or two about delicious food! Her career has spanned from Director of Food and Beverage of Equinox Fitness to Global Director and Ambassador for chocolate brand Max Brenner International, to running the celebrated pastry program at New York’s Ace Hotel.

A few years ago, after crazy amounts of work travel began to take a toll on her health, Katzie began her training as a Health Coach and started down the path to wellness by eating clean, but soon realized something essential was missing…dessert! Today, Katzie cooks and eats with an approach that balances healthful entrées with satisfying treats.

This Friday we welcome Katzie to the Harmony Juice Bar to chat with us about her holistic approach to food (and life), and to demonstrate a recipe from her debut book, Clean Enough: Get Back to Basics and Leave Room for Dessert. Healthy snacks, sweet treats, and delicious conversation with friends: what could be better?!

One of the sweetest things about this event collaboration is that Katzie is a long time visitor to Nosara and a good friend of the Harmony. We’re very happy she is back to spend some time with us, and we shared a few minutes chatting about her time in Nosara, her collaboration with the Harmony Healing Centre, and how it was part of her journey in creating Clean Enough.

I think everyone has a story about how they came to Nosara the first time, how did you discover it?

A long time ago, an important person in my life mentioned this place called Nosara that he thought I would love.  At that time in my life I was like Costa Rica? I want to go to St. Barts! Even though he kept telling me that Nosara would resonate with me, we didn’t go.

Fast forward to a late night chat with a friend who was going to Central America over the holidays and knew Monica from the Healing Centre. I was going through a work transition and she asked if I wanted to go have a respite in Nosara.  And I thought Nosara?  Ohhhhhh, Nosara! Seemed kismet, I booked my flight.

So what’d you think when you finally got here?

We were staying in Pelada, walking to Guiones along the beach after sunrise. I remember going to the Harmony and the moment we walked in, I just had this feeling that resonated with me. It was like, oh this is who I am – it’s a little bohemian, it’s a little luxury, it’s understated, and there’s a pulse here that’s thoughtful and intelligent. That’s when I met Monica over lunch…I totally remember that I got the spring rolls and while we were talking, we just saw something in each other.  I think she knew that I was going to do more than even I knew what I was going to do, if that makes sense? I knew she recognized that in me, and it started our friendship.

 We can all agree that Monica is amazing! And then you collaborated with her on a project at the Healing Centre?

Yes! During another visit, I was chatting with her and Heather Lundy, and we were just riffing off some thoughts I had about the wellness and retreat sphere in Nosara. I’m not an organized retreat person, I believe in self retreats. Whether it is a couple hours at home alone, a vacation by yourself, going away solo for the weekend…whatever it is, that moment to get away is so important.  And look, I don’t want someone to give me a green juice and tell me this is how I detox, I like to design my self retreats in a way that makes sense for me. So the conversation we had that day was the beginning of the customized health concierge and restoration week program at the Healing Centre.

I see that program as a great tool for people to drop a little deeper into the restorative potential that this area is known for. 

True, so many people come to Nosara to restore. People can be exhausted for so many reasons. You can be exhausted because you’re not eating properly, you could be overworked, under slept, and so on. The original concept to address this on the nutrition side was to help someone eat clean, nourish, and support vitality based on their needs. Eating clean means a lot of water, vibrant colors, things that don’t have a ton of oil, bread, dairy.  Then there’s eating to nourish. When you’re exhausted, you don’t need a juice cleanse, you need to be eating rice, stews, risottos, the things that are grounding and nourishing. Then there’s supporting vitality.  Some people want to take every surf lesson, every yoga lesson, do breathwork in the afternoon, run on the beach…that’s their vitality! They need energy for these activities and we looked at the foods that support that.  I have to say it’s really nice to see the program in the Healing Centre offerings. To hold space for somebody, be their health coach, help them regenerate, and also give them a lifelong tool of knowledge that lasts beyond their stay is a really cool thing.

You’ve had a really amazing career journey – how did you add author to your list of accomplishments?

I’ve always wanted to write a book. I had a blog when I lived on the west coast called Dirt Cake, and Charlotte Druckman, an author and food writer, followed it. We connected and became friends, and she once told me in an email to hold on to the fact that I like to write because she thought I should write a book one day.  That stuck in the back of my mind for a long time…it was always there. Just before one of my visits to the Harmony, I had started writing about self care, which would turn into the chapter in Clean Enough called Your Universe Feeds You. After I had been at the Harmony for a few days (I usually turn into a limp noodle four days in, and that’s the best feeling known to man), I got into my flow state and had this light bulb go off in my head. I was in the hotel lobby on those couches and all of a sudden the concept for Clean Enough dawned on me.  And I’m not kidding you, a book started pouring out of me. Truthfully it all started to come together as I was sitting on the couches at the Harmony, somewhere in between a state of peace and joy.

Since you’ve spent a bit of time around our menus, I have to ask, what’s your favorite thing to eat at Harmony?

I’m obsessed with the banana nut smoothie at the Juice Bar!  I remember sitting under the rancho there when I had it for the very first time. It turned into a daily thing! I would get a coconut from the coconut cart every day, and then that smoothie.  I’d wait for it, and have it in the middle of afternoon, sipping it through that bamboo straw. It’s such a strong memory and I had to make my own version of it for Clean Enough. I made sure the photographer for the book shot it in one of those big shaker glasses with a bamboo straw!

I’m really glad that this place could be part of your creative process.

It was a dream to do something with the Harmony and to have the opportunity to honor that. I was really excited to name the section Harmony Bowls. Those recipes are all about being in harmony, having something that makes you feel good, and the notion of having some balance in your life.  I wanted to honor Harmony in the book because I started writing it there. I whole- heartedly believe in what I’m doing and I feel like the Harmony shares that philosophy in what it does. It makes me feel connected to something that matters.

Katzie Guy-Hamilton will be at the Juice Bar Friday March 15, starting at 6pm. She will demonstrate her garden pesto along with a fresh zucchini salad, and chat with the audience about eating with simplicity, in Harmony and with elegance. Check out her delicious pesto recipe below!

Garden Pesto

Makes 1 Cup

Prep Time: 15 minutes

½ teaspoon Lemon Zest

15 g (1T) Lemon Juice

5g (1 each) Garlic Clove

40g (1 cup packed) Basil Leaves

20g (½ cup packed) Parsley Leaves

20g  (½ cup packed) Mint Leaves

75g (1/3 cup) Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Himalayan Pink Salt

½ tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground

25g (¼ cup) Pine Nuts (toasted or raw depending on your preference)

1. Pile all the herbs on your cutting board with the clove of garlic and begin chopping.
2. At this point you can rough chop the herbs down and then transfer to a mortar and pestle with the nuts and lemon zest, salt and pepper and begin to mash with the oil, seasoning with the lemon juice at the end.
3. Alternatively, you can transfer the mixture to a food processor to pulse with the lemon juice and stream in the oil.
4. Alternatively, you can make a finer puree by using a Vitamix blender, streaming in the olive oil.
5. Finally, you can go ditch all these tools and finish by hand, chopping the herbs down with the garlic, nuts and lemon zest until very fine with the salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the lemon juice and olive oil as to not make a further mess of your cutting board.

Recipe from Clean Enough: Get Back to Basics and Leave Room for Dessert © Katzie Guy-Hamilton, 2019.

Photography © Brian Kennedy, 2019. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold. experimentpublishing.com

Kit Noble is a Nantucket based photographer currently living in Pelada.  Earlier this year he spent 2 months living and shooting around the Nosara area. The resulting body of work is his newest gallery show, OceanMinded. Printed on metal to withstand the humid Costa Rica climate, Kit’s photos capture the raw and dynamic beauty of Nosara. We sat down over a couple of green juices to chat about his life and work as we prepare for his exhibit on Thursday at the Juice Bar.

So how’d you get your start in photography?

As the story goes, I’ve been a photographer since I was 12, when I moved to Singapore with my mom and stepfather for 2 years. I was basically pulled away from school and my normal life, and thrown into another world, which I found fascinating and wanted to document.  Obviously there was no social media at the time, so I wanted to show my friends in the US where I lived. My parents said if I could pay for half the camera, they’d cover the rest, so I started a car washing business in their apartment building. (There were a lot of dirty cars.) Pretty soon I got my first SLR camera w/ interchangeable lenses and haven’t stopped taking photos since.

What kind of training did you go through?

I was the high school yearbook photographer of course. When it came time for college, I decided to go to a 4 year fine arts school to study photography. After that I went to NYC for 5 years to learn the trade and apprentice, so I was traveling all over the world with these photographers, schlepping gear, setting up lighting and cameras in all these different countries, and I was like yes, this is it, this is what I want to do. So I spent my time learning my craft that way, and then started my own business.

What’s your favorite type of photography to do?

If I’m given a choice it would be portraits. I love working for magazines, and if someone is being featured in a magazine, they’ve probably done something interesting and they’re fun to photograph. I get to shoot people like artists, musicians, and business people at the top of their game.

Any advice you’d give to someone just starting out?

I was told from the beginning to be very specific in your photography direction because you can get really scattered. But if you want to be good at one thing and be sought after, you have to specialize in a certain area.

Who’s your most memorable subject?

It’s a little unfortunate, but for years it was Lance Armstrong. At the time, photographing him was the greatest day of my life, I was heavy into cycling and working for Bicycle Magazine. I was so happy to have the shot in my portfolio, and it’s still a great story for me…it’s just disappointing. I’m like dude, you ruined it for me! (laughs) But I’ve been able to shoot a lot of notables in different arenas.

Who are some of your influences?

Annie Leibovitz of course. Mark Seliger who shot for Rolling Stone and Vanity Fair. But there’s a bunch of people I keep an eye on, especially thanks to Instagram.  

Ah, what do you think about Instagram as a pro photographer?

I have a love hate relationship with Instagram. I find it inspiring.  I see some of these people, and I say, hey I can do that, and I get inspired.  And sometimes, maybe it’s just the mood I’m in, but it’s like, I’m just never going to be that good. And it kinda kicks you in the ass.  So I guess it kicks you in the ass both ways.

Instagram isn’t like Facebook for me, it’s for inspiration and to follow creative people, also outside of photography, who are thinking outside of the box and coming up with new ideas.  I do approach it like a portfolio. Whatever I put up there, I keep it at a certain photographic level.

Where are you in your career now?

Good question. Right now I am transitioning, not sure how quickly. The type of photography I’ve been doing has been really physical – traveling with a lot of gear, lighting, or doing location work.  I still enjoy that part of it, but when I’m 60, am I still gonna enjoy schlepping all this stuff around? So I thought about what’s an option for me, and I came up with fine art. I’ve enjoyed doing it in the past, but never tried to sell it. So 3 years ago I decided to shoot a lot, find a really good printer and framer, and get my stuff into galleries. That’s the primary reason I’m in Costa Rica now.  

How did you end up in Nosara?

I came to Nosara for the first time 6 years ago with some friends. A buddy of mine was Costa Rican, so we met up with him, toured the country, and then he dumped us in Nosara and we spent a week here.

Last year I was traveling around the world documenting the travels of a family that I am good friends with. (I was the one person they could think of with all of the following attributes: not married, no kids, no full time gig, and can take good pictures). We covered 11 countries in 11 months, and ended up in Nosara.  

I spent time here, got to know the community, and saw a need for artwork. Specifically for me, I saw the need for fine art photography.  There are all these beautiful houses with empty white walls everywhere. And you can’t really have art that’s on something like watercolor paper – in a year it’d be a throwaway. That’s why I started printing on metal, for this climate. You can throw your green juice at it and wipe it right off.

Are you planning on being in Nosara full time?

The idea is to spend 8 months in Nantucket, and 4 months in Nosara. I’m not looking to rent space for my work right now, so I’ve focused on doing pop-up spaces like the show at Harmony and Olo Alaia. So far things are working out well.

Do you surf?

Not yet (laughs) I wish I had a better answer. I’d like to learn. But at 5 or 6 in the morning when I have to be on a surfboard I’m taking photos. I’m trying to put a big portfolio together and that’s the time to shoot.

What do you like about Nosara, what do you connect to here?

Well, the initial attraction was how beautiful it is, I love a warm climate and I love the ocean.  But in addition to seeing the need for fine photography here, I sense this growing interest in developing a strong artist community, which has always intrigued me, and I’d love to be part of that.  So my number one answer for being down here is art.

Join us at the Harmony Juice Bar for an exhibition of Kit Noble’s photographs of Nosara on Thursday, December 13, 6-10pm.