Rachael West is a certified herbalist, Expert Forager, Wild Food Chef, and the author of "Wild Foraged", a guide to finding, identifying and cooking edible wild plants and mushrooms. For the last decade through her business Eating the Ozarks, she has lead foraging classes, in-person certification wild-inspired dinners, and food education programs that celebrate seasonal flavors.
Since 2017, Rachael has shared her love of wild foods on KOLR-10 on a segment “Eating the Ozarks”. She was featured as a wild food chef and educator at the 2023 Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in Washington, D.C. In 2024, she received the Marcel Bonetti Professionalism Award through food with her local American Culinary Federation for her work connecting people to nature.
Her unique cave and yurt dinners have been featured in 417 Magazine, Feast Magazine, Local Newspapers and Podcasts across the US. Whether she’s teaching in the forest, traveling, writing or cooking with foraged ingredients, Rachael’s mission is simple: to help people reconnect with the land one delicious wild bite at a time.
Melissa Sisk is a certified herbalist, Certified foraging educator, and co-founder of the Mid-MO Homestead Expo. A lifelong lover of plants and practical skills, she bridges the gap between old-world knowledge and modern learning systems, helping people turn curiosity into confidence in the field and kitchen.
Through her work on Foraging Academy, Melissa collaborates with wild food chef and educator Rachael West (Eating the Ozarks) to bring accessible, regionally rooted foraging education to a wider audience. She leads the course architecture and digital design systems that make complex ecological learning both approachable and equitable.
Beyond her screen, Melissa can usually be found tending her Missouri homestead, organizing community education events, or sharing recipes that connect food, family, and place. Her guiding belief is simple: learning to know your landscape is the first step toward belonging to it.
Rachael West is a certified herbalist, wild food chef, and the author of Wild Foraged, a guide to finding and cooking edible plants from the Ozarks and beyond. Through her business Eating the Ozarks, she leads foraging classes, wild-inspired dinners, and food education programs that celebrate local landscapes and seasonal flavors.
Since 2017, Rachael has shared her love of wild foods on KOLR-10’s “Eating the Ozarks” and was featured as a wild food chef and educator at the 2023 Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in Washington, D.C. In 2024, she received the Marcel Bonetti Professionalism Award for her work connecting people to nature through food.
Her unique cave and yurt dinners have been featured in 417 Magazine, Feast Magazine, and More. Whether she’s teaching in the woods or cooking over a campfire, Rachael’s mission is simple: to help people reconnect with the land- one bite at a time.
Rachael West is a certified herbalist, wild food chef, and the author of Wild Foraged, a guide to finding and cooking edible plants from the Ozarks and beyond. Through her business Eating the Ozarks, she leads foraging classes, wild-inspired dinners, and food education programs that celebrate local landscapes and seasonal flavors.
Since 2017, Rachael has shared her love of wild foods on KOLR-10’s “Eating the Ozarks” and was featured as a wild food chef and educator at the 2023 Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in Washington, D.C. In 2024, she received the Marcel Bonetti Professionalism Award for her work connecting people to nature through food.
Her unique cave and yurt dinners have been featured in 417 Magazine, Feast Magazine, and More. Whether she’s teaching in the woods or cooking over a campfire, Rachael’s mission is simple: to help people reconnect with the land- one bite at a time.
Melissa Sisk is a certified herbalist, foraging educator, and co-founder of the Mid-MO Homestead Expo. A lifelong lover of plants and practical skills, she bridges the gap between old-world knowledge and modern learning systems, helping people turn curiosity into confidence in the field and kitchen.
Through her work on Foraging Academy, Melissa collaborates with wild food chef and educator Rachael West (Eating the Ozarks) to bring accessible, regionally rooted foraging education to a wider audience. She leads the course architecture and digital design systems that make complex ecological learning both approachable and equitable.
Beyond her screen, Melissa can usually be found tending her Missouri homestead, organizing community education events, or sharing recipes that connect food, family, and place. Her guiding belief is simple: learning to know your landscape is the first step toward belonging to it.
Melissa Sisk is a certified herbalist, foraging educator, and co-founder of the Mid-MO Homestead Expo. A lifelong lover of plants and practical skills, she bridges the gap between old-world knowledge and modern learning systems, helping people turn curiosity into confidence in the field and kitchen.
Through her work on Foraging Academy, Melissa collaborates with wild food chef and educator Rachael West (Eating the Ozarks) to bring accessible, regionally rooted foraging education to a wider audience. She leads the course architecture and digital design systems that make complex ecological learning both approachable and equitable.
Beyond her screen, Melissa can usually be found tending her Missouri homestead, organizing community education events, or sharing recipes that connect food, family, and place. Her guiding belief is simple: learning to know your landscape is the first step toward belonging to it.
Meet Your Instructors
Meet Your Instructors
