A Thread about taste: Heal Goblin
The culinary artist is as creative with her clothes as she is with her food.
I know you’re all hungry for more Threads of Conversation, so I decided to bring you a short series about three chefs with excellent taste - in both food and fashion.
First up, Nil aka. culinary artist Heal Goblin. Nil is known for her inventive dishes made with seasonal ingredients which she forages herself. She’s baked cakes for Ashnikko, created goblin breads for the latest issue of Acne Paper and designed conceptual spreads for Threads favourite Marie Lueder. She’s the gorp gourmande, serving up a special flavour of utilitarian style which shows she’s as good at foraging for archival fashion as she is for her food. Let’s dig in to Nil’s Threads of Conversation.
Tell me about the dish you’ve chosen
It’s whipped yogurt topped with sautéed leeks and petit pois, garnished with mint, yarrow leaves, daisies, lemon zest, smoked sprats and Maldon smoked salt.
Tell me about the outfit you’ve matched it with.
I am wearing torn knotted cargo trousers from Comme des Garçons 2000s and an old Benetton top that my mom bought for me when I was 13. I am also wearing French garden clogs made out of hemp and rubber. I also want to talk about my jewellery because I love jewellery, and it’s big part of my outfit. I’m wearing a big antique brass grape god necklace, my dear friend Julia’s ring and a few other rings, too. I love rings.
Why did you pair this outfit with this meal?
They’re both comforting and simple, but have lots of thought behind them. For instance, I really like how basic a cargo trouser is. However, this one is asymmetrical - one leg is much baggier than the other, and creates an awkward silhouette, but I still find it flattering. I feel like there are correlations between the uniqueness of my dishes and this unique awkward silhouette.
The giant pockets on the trousers are because I always need a pocket to put foraged elements into. I also embellished both my outfit and my dish with jewellery and flowers respectively. I love adding these surprising small details.
How would you describe the food you make? What are you known for?
I am known for appreciating simple ingredients and using foraged elements in my cooking rituals.
The dish I have made is very comforting, soft and simple. It’s not complicated or intimidating. It’s a sweet and umami dish you can eat at any time of the day. I garnished it with foraged elements, which add to the flavour and give a farmhouse cottage-y feeling to the dish.
How would you describe your style?
I love functionality and avant-garde designs. I dress according to my emotional needs on the day, and the seasons. I love unconventional cuts with conventional colours and natural textures.
Do you see any connection between the creative process of cooking, and the creative process of styling yourself?
I believe they’re both precious tools for expressing yourself and helping you to be comfortable in your own skin. The process of dressing up starts with my emotional needs that day. So does my cooking. For instance, if I am feeling sexy, I look for small portions of dry food with punchy flavours and hot sauce, and style myself in a dynamic and aggressive outfit. If I feel like taking it easy, I wear oversized comfortable clothing and have liquid soft sweet food in big portions.
What do you usually wear in the kitchen?
I usually wear cotton clothes whilst cooking. You never know how hot it can get in the kitchen, especially if you’re working with an oven or stovetop.
Where do you get your ideas? For food and for outfits.
From nature mostly. I love living seasonally. Markets and fresh produce always excite me and spark new ideas. The colour of the season plays big role in my cooking and in my outfits.
What would your last meal on Earth be?
Tomato soup, grilled cheese and homemade thick cut fries on the side.
And what would you wear to eat it?
My boyfriend’s boxers and a tank top.
Threads of the week
An outtake from a shoot I did for Sprezza to accompany a story I wrote about my favourite menswear staples. I’m wearing a vintage tee, Levi’s 501s, chain belt and secondhand Acne Studios blazer. Pics by the lovely Lucy Swan.
Loose Threads
Moonlighting as a newsreader in my Miu Miu suit. Fun fact: the suit is from Miuccia’s menswear line, shuttered in 2009.
Forget star signs, I think this is probably a better barometer of character.
Gabriel Moses’ campaign for ACW X Nike is so good. It’s very rare that images can punch via Instagram, but these ones stopped me mid-scroll.
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