Stephanie Rooker is rewriting what it means to eat well, one menu drop at a time. Kitchen Heartbeets in Bend, a weekly meal service is delivering dishes free from gluten, dairy, soy and inflammatory oils to Central Oregon doorsteps. She offers rotating menus full of organic meats, wild fish, local produce and serious flavor. “I don’t want people to worry about what’s in their food,” Rooker said. “I just want them to know it’s good.”
Before becoming a business owner, getting married and raising her two boys, Rooker spent four years teaching the first grade, a job she loved. While teaching, she simultaneously led a middle school cooking elective once a week. A student in her cooking class once asked if she’d gone to culinary school. She hadn’t—but the question was enough to encourage a reconnection to Rooker’s long-standing passion for food and wellness.
That summer, Rooker enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in San Francisco. She came prepared—she had already earned a certificate from the Institute for Culinary Nutrition while teaching. Her dual education opened the door to two distinct culinary perspectives: the refined techniques of classical French cuisine and the holistic approach of food consumed as medicine.
After culinary school, Rooker’s work in restaurants, corporate catering and as a personal chef—paired with her own health challenges related to diet—prompted her to explore the healing power of food more deeply. “I was my own guinea pig,” she said. That journey led her to a food philosophy grounded in joy: comfort food that fuels the body.
Naming Kitchen Heartbeets
The name Kitchen Heartbeets came from a personal chef client who once told her, “You’re bringing the heartbeat back into my kitchen,” while ‘beet’ felt like the perfect play on words—part nourishing vegetable, part kitchen rhythm, and all heart. Her business has continued to carry on as a soul-led project.
Now, Rooker integrates her education to make nourishing food accessible. “The thing that people bump up against isn’t that they don’t want to eat food that fuels their body, it’s getting it on the table,” Rooker said. Better yet, Rooker has made it her mission to meet nourishment and accessibility with a deeply enjoyable culinary experience. “People sometimes associate satisfying food with not being able to be healthy. I wanted to flip that on its head,” she said. “You can have both.”
Inspired by the seasons, Rooker will look to a single ingredient or even the weather when building a menu. She loves the exciting work of creating something new every week: “A lot of what motivates me is doing something I haven’t done.” Naturally, this makes the farmers markets her happy place, with their reliably seasonal and diverse offerings. A Kitchen Heartbeets menu may feature Indian-inspired cuisine rich with spices. Or a menu may begin with the mission to master a dish that is new to her repertoire, such as phở, leading to a Vietnamese theme for the week.
While she cooks to fuel the community, Rooker is most motivated by the team she’s assembled along the way. Rooker didn’t start Kitchen Heartbeets with friends; her employees joined her business specifically to amplify her mission. One assistant Rooker mentors told her that she “loves working toward something that feels bigger than us.” That declaration hit home. “Apparently,” said Rooker, “I’ve always been a teacher.”
Chimichurri Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups chopped cilantro, about 2 bunches
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped, about 1 bunch
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 small garlic cloves
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
In a food processor, add cilantro, parsley, salt, cumin, red pepper flakes and garlic. Pulse until finely chopped, scraping sides. Add red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar, pulsing to combine. While on low, slowly stream in olive oil until just incorporated. Don’t overblend! Use it on grilled steak, chicken, fish, and roasted vegetables, or anything that begs for a flavor upgrade.
Marry Me Chicken Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- 4 to 5 boneless chicken breasts
- ½ tablespoon dried basil, divided
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning, divided
- ½ tablespoon garlic powder or granules, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
SAUCE
- 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- 1 large sweet or yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tablespoon dried basil
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder or granules
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, well drained if in oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 36 ounces chicken stock
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- Fresh basil, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
Combine dried basil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt. Use half the mixture to coat chicken breasts.
Heat saucepan over medium-high heat and add oil. Add onions without stirring for one minute to caramelize, then stir for three to five minutes. After the onions have softened, stir in salt and a splash of chicken stock to deglaze. Stir in garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant. Add remaining basil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, yeast and ½ cup chicken stock. Simmer until seasons are incorporated. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste until fully blended. Add the remaining chicken stock, followed by the coconut milk. Simmer gently for three to four minutes, whisking occasionally to fully integrate.
In a separate pan, heat a little oil over medium-high, searing chicken for five minutes on each side until golden and internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. When done, pour sauce over chicken. Don’t skimp! Garnish with a handful of fresh basil. Serve hot with a favorite vegetable, a side of grains, crispy potatoes or a loaf of bread to soak up the sauce.
Tahini Citrus Bowl
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups dried quinoa
- 3 of each golden and red beets
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms, chopped
- ½ head purple cabbage, chopped
- 2 bunches of kale, chopped
- 1 ½ cups walnuts
- 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
- 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
CITRUS TAHINI DRESSING
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 orange, juiced and zested
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
QUICK PICKLED RED ONIONS
- 2 medium red onions, sliced thinly
- 2 cups red wine vinegar
- 2 cups water
- ½ teaspoon peppercorns
- 2 tablespoons salt
- ⅓ cup honey
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Wash and foil-wrap the red and golden beets separately, roasting them for 1 hour or until tender. Once cooled, rub the skins off with paper towels. Chop, season with salt and pepper and add a squeeze of lemon (optional). On a baking sheet, spread the mushrooms and cabbage, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes at the same 375 degrees. Massage kale with olive oil, salt and pepper. When the mushrooms are nearly done, push them to one side of the tray and add the kale. Cook for an additional five minutes.
Cook quinoa according to the package.
In a saucepan, combine the pickling ingredients, except the onions; bring to a simmer. Place onions in a jar and pour hot liquid over them. Let them cool and then refrigerate. Keeps for two weeks.
For the dressing, blend all ingredients except the chives in a blender until smooth. Lightly pulse in chives at the end. Refrigerate until ready to use.
TO ASSEMBLE
Start with the quinoa, then layer on roasted vegetables, beets and fresh herbs. Drizzle generously with citrus tahini dressing. Finish with walnuts and pickled onions.
