In partnership with Potato Head
Foraging the Queen of Fruits & Feasting In The Rainforest
FED are a local chef collective that embraces local nature, and channels the ancestral wisdom of Bali’s waterfalls, mountains, and rainforests to build a better future.
A day with FED is a multi-sensory experience that invites you to connect with the environment through the lens of food. Slow down and tune into every bite, where each ingredient is a reminder of the delicate balance between humanity and nature.
Ethical food consultant and forager Dewa Ayu Made led the crew into the wild, sharing ancient Balinese philosophy that teaches how to live in harmony with the land. Unlike the conventional farming systems that have pushed food systems to the brink, nothing in this jungle is actively cultivated; nature is left to care for itself.
Locals work with the forest’s rhythms; they follow the cues of animals, picking fruits only with optimum ripeness. After a morning foraging the forest’s abundant ingredients, everyone hops on dirt bikes to journey deeper into the jungle, arriving at a hidden lagoon to cook side-by-side with FED.
In Bali, eating is ceremonial, so the kitchen is a spiritual place. With nothing but hot rocks to cook on, Dewa Ayu Made and the FED team transform foraged ingredients into a delicious lunch packed with flavour. The crew sit barefoot and cross-legged against the soundscape of the jungle to enjoy a feast foraged from the rainforest, with their own hands.
The jungle provides both the ingredients and the tools to eat it with—banana leaves for serving dishes, stones for cooking, a lagoon for rinsing hands.
After eating, what’s compostable was returned to the earth, and everything reusable is packed away to take with them—in keeping with FED’s strict ‘leave no trace’ ethos.
Bali’s environment is undoubtedly suffering the consequences of tourism today, but the past holds the clues of regeneration. The good people at FED are spotlighting the ancient philosophies discarded and muted by the global capitalistic race for more tourists, food and money.
For those unable to venture into the jungle, Potato Head’s numerous restaurants share FED’s vision to use only local ingredients and offer delicious food, without compromising on sustainably.
After a day with FED, you might think twice about what you eat, and how far it’s come to get to you.
