Garo Feslian
Food & Experience Designer
I design the food and hospitality experience of nature-based retreats. That means shaping how people are welcomed, fed, and held across a program, not just what's on the menu.My work sits at the intersection of cooking, experience design, and operations. I've run kitchens, led big teams, and managed the day-to-day of a retreat estate, while staying close to the food and what it does for the people in the room.At the heart of it is a simple belief: the table and the fire beside it are tools for connection, care, and becoming present. Not spectacle.What I bringFood program design
Menus and meal rhythms that follow the logic of the retreat, shaped by what the season offers and what the land around you has to give.Ceremonial & nature-based contexts
Years of leading psilocybin ceremonies, holding space, and weaving holistic practices into the fabric of a retreat. Understanding what the body and mind need before, during, and after.Kitchen & hospitality operations
The behind-the-scenes work that makes everything feel effortless. Team coordination, logistics, and guest experience flow, so nothing breaks the spell.Communal cooking & food rituals
Cooking together as an act of connection, not a task to get through. When it's woven into the program, something shifts.
Selected Work
Fold Experiences
Co-Founder and Experience Lead
Design and delivery of nature-based retreats centred on food, communal gathering, and facilitated group process. Fold operates as a curated platform, building continuity among a community of participants, collaborators, and places beyond one-off events. Selected retreats include psychedelic experiences when appropriate and requested.
Yūgen Forest
Head chef and head of operations
Started as head chef, grew into leading operations across kitchen, garden, maintenance, and sales, with a team of 12. Retained full ownership of menu design and how food supported the retreat experience throughout. Farm-to-table cooking with seasonal and local produce, alongside the development of operational structures for retreats, guest experience, and long-term sustainability.
Contact
Based in Amsterdam · Working across EuropeI work with retreat venues, organisations, and teams who want food and hospitality to be a genuine part of the experience, not an afterthought. If that sounds like you, I'd love to hear about what you're building.[email protected]