Chef, mom, author, actress, and producer—Anna Getty is what you might call a Renaissance woman. Born in Berlin and raised vegetarian by a bohemian mother, Anna developed an early interest in food that was delicious, healthy, and environmentally sustainable, long before it became the mainstream trend. While working in a catering kitchen for two different chefs in her twenties, she delved into nearly every diet under the sun— Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian, Atkins, Ketogenic, Paleo, Gluten-Free, Nourishing Traditions,The Plant Paradox, Macrobiotic, The Body Ecology Diet, The Blood Type Diet, as well as Ayurvedic and Yogic cooking—the pursuit of which culminated in the release of her own cookbook, Anna Getty’s Easy Green Organic, through Chronicle books. Anna’s latest project, her blog, Amalgam Kitchen, documents her quest for tasty and beautiful grain-free, low-sugar, mostly plant-based, wholesome recipes for the whole family to enjoy, and includes tips and musings on food and life. Following her intuition, her gut (pun intended), and with a deep commitment to regenerative practices, Anna has developed a beautiful and much sought-after resource for those seeking holistic approaches to intestinal health and overall well-being.
We visited Anna on a beautiful day in January.
Photos KENDALL CONRAD
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Anna Getty wears a JACQUEMUS dress and the HEMISPHERE CUFF. And here is a similar rug to the BENI shown. More links below.
Where are you from?
I was born in Germany but have lived in California most of my life.
Where do you live now and what do you love most about it?
I live in Ojai, CA. I have lived in many places and Ojai is the first place I have felt truly at home. I know this sounds very Californian but my soul comes alive here. I feel at peace inside myself here. I love the community, nature, and the ability to have a lot of space and freedom here.
Anna wears an ISABEL MARANT blouse, the IMAAN HOOPS, CHAIN II RING, TOGGLE II CHAIN BRACELET, and THICK ROUNDED BANGLE.
Please share what you do.
I wear quite a few hats in my life, I am a mom to four kids, a chef, recipe developer, and food photographer. I also occasionally executive produce documentaries and am a philanthropist with my time and resources. I also love being a connecter, bringing people together to do projects. For example, last year I had the opportunity to connect Alice Waters' team for her new restaurant Lulu at The Hammer in Los Angeles, to organic and regenerative farmers and local artisans in the Ojai Valley.
Lifegoals?
I don’t really have big life goals that are outside of me and sometime in the future. I mean I do want to grow my business Amalgam Kitchen and bring it to some success, I would love to continue working on interesting projects.
"My life goals are mostly in my inner world of connecting to true joy, peace, love, and acceptance and living in the present moment. Those I guess are not really goals, more of intentions."
Favorite hobbies?
I love cooking and anything to do with food--taking a pickling workshop, or a foraging workshop, going to the farm stand and farmers’ markets, learning about food styling, eating at a great restaurant, etc. I have a vast growing cookbook collection and I can sit for hours gleaning inspiration from them, gardening and foraging cookbooks. I love hiking and foraging for wild plants (picking nettles, sage, and wild licorice) and making tea infusions. I do ecstatic dance, an opportunity to dance freely and move my body. I love to spend time with my husband, kids, and friends in nature, camping and being at the beach. I love entertaining when it is possible. I am also in the process of putting together a big garden with medicinal and culinary herbs, edible flowers and vegetables. I have a feeling I will be pretty engaged with that. I am really excited about it. I have an alchemist in me and will be making lots of concoctions, tinctures, home remedies, etc.
What inspires you?
Nature, photography and art inspire me, and my family and friends.
Anna wears a shirt from NILI LOTAN and JEANS along with The MAJA RING CUFF, THIN BAR BRACELET, and NABILA HOOPS.
When did you start your blog Amalgam Kitchen? Please tell me about it.
I launched my blog the week after the first lockdown began. I had already been developing the idea and website months before and I wasn’t sure about the timing, but my husband encouraged me to do it because he believed people would want to be eating healthfully and would want inspiration in the kitchen. It wasn’t easy with all the kids at home, but it was the right time after all. The goal with Amalgam Kitchen was to create a resource for recipes that were healthy, (anti-inflammatory, refined sugar free, gluten- and mostly grain-free and mostly plant-based), easy to make and beautiful to look at. When I make a dish, I want those eating it to already have their sense of seeing all fired up, and then to smell and taste. It's a full sensory experience. Another big reason I started this project was because one of my sons had been struggling with eczema for years and we'd had to eliminate a lot from his diet, and also because I'd been having my own struggles with blood sugar. Although I am not pre-diabetic, I can get very close, so I really try to keep sugar intake low and develop those kinds of recipes. I got into the low lectin Dr.Gundry way of eating, cutting out nightshades and other inflammatory foods. I didn’t realize the joint discomfort was caused by some of the foods I was eating. When I eliminated them, the pain went away, overnight. I want to encourage and support a lifestyle, where you and your whole family thrive.
In my 20’s, when I was pursuing my acting career, I needed a job that was flexible enough to allow me to go to auditions. I had the opportunity to work at two different catering companies and it was a huge education, I learned so much. One of my bosses was obsessed with organic ingredients. Later I learned more about nutrition, and I had a little food delivery service. I cooked for pregnant woman, postpartum women, and people with dietary restrictions and issues such as dairy intolerance or Celiac disease. I also love traveling, and a lot of different cultures and ways of eating have informed my cooking. Amalgam Kitchen is a blend of everything I have learned about cooking and food, though I am also beginning to include more lifestyle content.
What do you like most about your work?
I love the flexibility, the opportunities for creativity, working from home and connecting with people through food.
What’s up next for you?
My garden, growing Amalgam as a business, maybe getting some food photography or recipe testing work, and being involved in community projects.
Anna's Farmers' Market bounty.
I loved your film Fantastic Funghi! Will you be producing more films?
I have only executive produced films, meaning I have provided financial support and some creative support, but it is much less responsibility. That part of my life has come very organically. I don’t necessarily seek out projects, I learn about them and then see if the shoe fits. I was also an executive producer on Kiss the Ground, a film about regenerative farming, the PBS series Food Forward and some other smaller documentaries. I really love to support projects which, (surprise!) have to do with food, health, wellness, or healing.
When are you the happiest?
Being in nature with my family and being creative in the kitchen.
A volcanic MORTAR AND PESTLE works well for grinding up hazelnuts.
What are your favorite places that you have travelled to and where do you want to go next?
I have not travelled out of the country or off the mainland since COVID, but my favorite places include Paris, the Basque region of France and Spain, Portugal, Tuscany, Italy, Hawaii (Kauai specifically), India, Sweden, Copenhagen and here in the US, the Southwest (New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, Arizona). I have always wanted to go to Costa Rica, and Japan. Not sure what is happening this summer. Fingers are crossed for some European travels, if not we will road-trip stateside. Also, my daughter will be looking at colleges soon so we'll be traveling based on where she wants to go.
Honey and olive oil from Anna's farm in Tuscany.
“I don’t really have rules, they are made for breaking. My core values are integrity, compassion, humility, honesty, generosity, determination, kindness, courage and empathy.”
The DOUBLE RING I and SPIRAL III RING.
Please share your citrus salad recipe.
This salad highlights the season’s citrus, and we are lucky in California as we do get some citrus year-round. But now is the time. The bitter chicory complements the sweet, and the toasted hazelnuts add crunch. The sumac and the fennel pollen always make people ask me, “oh my gosh, what is IN that dressing?" The dressing is just some squeezes of lemon, olive and salt and pepper. But the sumac and fennel pollen add such unique flavors. Use micro-greens, sprouts, herbs, and edible flowers to make your dish stunning.
Be creative and experiment if you can’t get these ingredients.
Anna wears the SPIRAL III RING.
CITRUS SALAD
Makes 4-6 side salad servings. Preparation Time 20-25 minutes
Gather
2 small heads radicchio or chicory lettuce (you can also use gem lettuce). Separate, wash and rough tear the leaves
1 pink grapefruit (supreme slices, instructions and a video link below)
2 Cara Cara or blood oranges (supreme slices, instructions and video link below)
4-5 kumquats, thinly sliced
3 watermelon radishes, thinly sliced rounds
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced plus a small handful fennel fronds
1/4 cup toasted and roughly chopped hazelnuts
zest of 1 lemon and the the juice of 1/2 a lemon
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste and pepper to taste
a few pinches of fennel pollen (find online), a little goes a long way
a few pinches of sumac (a tangy spice you can find online), a little goes along way too
a handful edible flowers (go in your garden, rose petals will do) or microgreens, fresh herbs, or sprouts
Make
Here is a great video tutorial I found online to Supreme Citrus:
Otherwise follow along here.
Using a chef’s knife, cut off the ends of each side of the citrus.
Then stand your citrus upright on one end and use your knife to peel the skin off in sections, moving in the shape of the citrus from the top to the bottom all the way around. You are cutting off the pith as well. After the peel is off, carefully remove any white pithy areas. Then using a paring knife, slice the sections out between the membranes. Set the slices aside in a small bowl. You can also squeeze the juice that is left over from the pith and flesh into a small bowl to dress the salad later.
Place the chicory leaves flat, into a low-profile serving bowl, and then place the grapefruit and orange slices, organizing segments evenly over the chicory leaves. Then place the fennel slices and fronds evenly over the citrus and chicory. Sprinkle the kumquat slices, the watermelon slices and then the hazelnuts over the salad. Zest the lemon over the salad. Using your hand or a citrus juicer evenly squeeze the lemon juice and then add the reserved grapefruit and orange juice. Go easy on in this part though as you don’t want your salad to be soggy.
Evenly sprinkle the olive oil over everything. Salt and pepper and then add the fennel pollen and sumac and the garnishes. Enjoy the beauty of your creation before you toss the salad to serve, and behold the bursts of flavor.
Biggest luxury?
Weekly facials and massages and caviar each holiday season when we celebrate Christmas Eve and my husband’s birthday dinner, on the same day.
The dining room has a Noguchi lamp, here is a similar OPTION, and WISHBONE CHAIRS around the table.
What are some of your favorite books/audiobooks, and films/shows?
I am a big personal transformation, parenting and psychology book buff, and as I mentioned, cookbooks too. I also love to listen to books on Audible. I usually have one paper copy book going at the same time as two Audible books.
Here are some favorites:
The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
No Drama Discipline by Daniel Siegal, M.D
Parenting with Presence by Susan Stiffelman
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
Triggers by David Richo
The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
Vegan Japaneasy by Tim Anderson
Cook Beautiful by Athena Calderon
Sunday Suppers by Karen Mordechai
I love to listen to podcasts as well. Here are three I love:
Sounds True: Insights at the Edge (with Tami Simon)
The Doctor’s Farmacy (with Dr. Mark Hyman)
The Goop Podcast
My favorite shows include:
Ozark
Yellowstone
Sex Education
Outlander
Bridgerton
I have not been watching a lot of movies lately but here are some which come to mind:
Fantastic Funghi
Bruce Lee: Be Water
Dune
King Richard
Roman Holiday
Empire of the Sun
Anna on a Hans Wegner Flag Chair, a similar option HERE, wearing the HEMISPHERE RING and next to a collections of RINGS.
Female hero and why?
I don’t have one female hero, but I have always admired Georgia O’Keeffe, Amelia Earhart, Frida Kahlo, Julia Child, and Audrey Hepburn. Every one of these women was bold in her own way--creative, passionate, and courageous.
Anna wears a Vince DRESS, the ROUNDED EAR CUFF, GUADIX III, and ROCK II RING on a Slope Armed SOFA.
How do you unwind or de-stress?
I meditate daily, sometimes twice a day. I love to do ecstatic dance as I mentioned. I love a nice warm bath with candles and music and then laying on my Infrared BioMat. I also try to sit in my armchair in my bedroom for ten minutes a day, no phone, no distractions and just contemplate. I love to climb into bed after the kids are down and watch a good show with my husband. Sometimes we binge watch. I love sitting by a fire, listening to good music, walks on the beach, or on the trails in Ojai.
The MACULATUS PENDANT.
When do you feel your best?
When I feel rested and connected to peace within myself.
Anna wears cream colored CORDS and a sweater from ISABEL MARANT. More links below.
Do you unplug from devices?
No phones in the bed at night or charging in the room. No phones for morning and dinner routine with the kids. I misplace my phone a lot, I think I have an unconscious desire to be fully unplugged from it.
Anna wears Vince SWEATER and SUEDE PANTS, the IMAAN HOOPS, the TOGGLE II CHAIN BRACELET and CHAIN II RING.
How do you take good care of yourself?
Skin and body care are very important to me. I wash my face daily and use serums and creams, usually twice a day. I love the brands ISUN, Priya Apothica, GARA Skincare, Tata Harper, Romilly Wilde and Luzern. I like natural but effective products. I put lotion on my body daily, do weekly face and hair masks, dry brush and take cold showers pretty regularly (sometimes I chicken out on the cold showers in winter). I am pretty serious about my supplement routine, and travel with a little duffle bag of supplements. I work out with a trainer on FT 2-3 times a week and take a hike 1-2 times a week, and my ecstatic dance once a week. My exercise routine is fluid and flexible depending on how busy I am or what is going on in my life. Sometimes I do yoga. Sleep hygiene and sleep are very important to me, but I am certain I don’t get enough regularly. I also do vitamin drips, ozone treatments, acupuncture, and osteopathy fairly regularly.
Anna wears an Enza Costa JUMPSUIT, the KOUTOUBIA RING, WIDE WRAP HOOPS, and RIBBON CHAIN II BRACELET. Find similar pillows HERE
What is your style credo?
I don’t really have one. I don’t have a uniform. I see the way I dress as an expression of my creativity and an extension of how I feel. I will wear flowing flowery dresses, power suits, vintage Levi’s with a men's button down, shorts and a tank top, sweats, and everything in between. Sometimes I want the way I dress to enhance my femininity and at other times I want to feel prepared for activities--i.e. low-key and cozy for camping etc. It really depends. I do like dressing up. It also depends on where I am, a city like Paris or New York versus the country, somewhere like Marin or Ojai. I always like when things feel timeless and comfortable.
Wild deer graze on the property.
Who is your style icon, and why?
I love the way French women dress. Sexy, effortless, and creative. Jane Birkin and her daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg, for their authentic chic. As well as Yves Saint Laurent muse Lou Lou de La Falaise for her bohemian cool, and I have always admired Lauren Hutton's style, and Kate Moss’s.
Anna wears LEVI'S ORIGINAL FIT JEANS and a shirt from HEIDI MERRICK .
What is your favorite KC item, and how do you like to style it?
I am in love with the Chocolate Suede Jewelry Roll. With plans to travel again (fingers crossed), this will be nicely stored in my carry-on. I just ordered the Double Ring I in polished brass and plan on styling it with jeans and t-shirts and Birkenstocks, as well as with neutral toned gauze summer dresses. Dying for the Nabila Hoops. They will be coming home to me very soon!
What do you like best about KC bags/jewelry?
I love the European sensibility, the simple elegance, and the dress up or down quality of KC's bags and jewelry. Everything goes with my style, from the organic yet elegant Oblique Long Hoop Earrings to wear with anything for summer, to the Girona II Shoulder and Crossbody Bag in Sahara Suede. I am a sucker for a suede, manageably sized crossbody handbag.
amalgamkitchen.com
@amalgamkitchen