Brynn Jacoby Orban

Historically, food has been a valuable resource – one that both nourishes and fuels the body and one that brings communities together. Society’s unrealistic norms of what a body should look like, largely compounded today by social media, have led to diet-culture, disordered eating, and body image issues. There is a clear need for a space that prioritizes living a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

The Mill is a food-focused wellness center featuring a garden-to-table restaurant, cooking and nutrition classes as well as a health and wellness coaching clinic – all with the aim to celebrate food and community and to provide a holistic alternative to diet-culture and weight loss clinics.

Inspired by the transformative process of grain moving through a Mill, the site plan and architecture of the Mill will highlight spaces of learning – experiences that are transformative for its guests. By using the existing grids of the historic Mill and Barn, situated askew from each other in their idyllic forested, creekside setting, a shifted grid will be employed to highlight these spaces of growth.

The Mill will house the restaurant. As this space is not focused on learning, but rather the simple pleasure of enjoying good food and good company, it will feel simple and linear. An open kitchen will highlight a moment of shifting – an opportunity that allows restaurant-goers a glimpse into how their food is prepared. Both the cooking school, housed in a new building and the health coaching clinic, located in the barn, will emphasize the shifting grid – through the architecture, finishes, and views of the landscape. Each space will have a strong connection to nature – as the land provides a healing environment for those mending relationships with food and a place for release for those coming to escape the stresses of urban living.