The Story of the Grateful Ginger

When I was a brand-new nurse, I accepted my first “real” job as a Registered Nurse at the Drumheller Health Centre in Southern Alberta. It was here that I met many people with whom I still feel grateful to call friends today. One of these people was a fiery redhead named Julie. She was a local gal with many community connections, a brilliant nurse, and someone who quickly became my friend and family for life. There is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t connect with her. Julie’s career in nursing has led her to some very inspiring heights in health change and health system transformation as a senior advisor and consultant for the province.

Although nursing will always have her heart, she is also the most amazing cook and passionately designs creations in the kitchen that she has shared with us. This past year, Julie published both her first cookbook and her first co-written peer reviewed journal article!

Thank you for sharing your scrumptious creations with us, Julie.

Find Julie’s recipes in the Wild Roots Kitchen–

The Story of the Grateful Ginger:

I grew up on Spruce Coulee Farm, our family’s grain farm tucked into the quiet rhythms of rural life in Alberta. Those years shaped everything I believe about food, keeping things simple, cooking with what the land provides, and nourishing our bodies with ingredients that are real, honest, and made from scratch.

Life led me away for a time while I studied nursing, a path that deepened my understanding of health, healing, and the power of caring for others. Eventually, love brought me home again. My husband Kevin and I returned to the farm to raise our children and continue the traditions that shaped me.

For as long as I can remember, the kitchen has been my heart’s home. It’s where creativity meets comfort, where a pot simmering on the stove can soothe a tired soul, and where feeding others feels like the purest form of love. As a nurse, I care for people in the most meaningful ways I know and cooking is simply an extension of that care.

The recipes I share are a small offering from my hands to yours: a blend of rural roots, simple ingredients, and recipes meant to nourish the people you love. My hope is that these meals find a place in your home and become part of your story, just as they are part of mine.

With gratitude,

The Grateful Ginger – Julie Robison