Bringing a state of zen to your
kitchen, cooking career and life.

Content made for chefs and hospitality workers looking to eliminate stress, overwhelm & ill-health to
live better, more successful & fulfilling lives.

Can’t sleep? Learn to relax with my free guided meditation.

Woman sleeping. Photo by kellysikkema on unsplash

If you lay in bed feeling wired, your mind racing, yet exhausted, after simmering in the kitchen for 10+ hours,
this is for you.

Unwind and finally get some well-deserved shut-eye with my
free 17-minute guided meditation
for busy chefs and hospitality-workers like you.

drA is a proud contributor to

Creative Dining Services Logo

Our content helps chefs and hospitality workers transition from stress and burnout to a calmer, healthier, and successful state by promoting a balanced lifestyle without sacrificing creativity, flavor, or profitability.

Achieve Balance &
Reduce Stress

Access mindfulness and meditation practices tailored for chefs to help reduce stress and achieve a balanced lifestyle.

Optimize Brain Health for Leadership

Gain the skills to enhance cognitive performance and mental well-being. Embrace passion for your career and compassion for your culinary team to become an impactful leader.

Boost Your Physical
Well-Being

Discover holistic wellness tools, nutrition advice and stress management strategies, to support your physical health.

Join a Supportive Community

Connect with a brigade of like-minded chefs and culinary pros to share experiences and find both inspiration and support from others also focused on well-being and mindfulness.

Who is drA?

Chef and content creator,
Werner Absenger, Ph.D., MS

Your Expert in Culinary Wellness and Mindful Living

I am Werner Absenger, Ph.D., MS — also known as drA — a trained chef and expert in human nutrition (master's degree) and mind-body medicine (doctorate) who helps chefs and hospitality professionals reduce stress, prevent burnout, and live healthier, more balanced lives.

Through my unique blend of scientific research and personal experience, I am dedicated to helping you bring a state of zen to your kitchen and beyond.

Learn more about me and the journey that led me here →

Win at life and cooking with a subscription to

drA’s Instructions for the Mindful Chef

The bread and butter of wernerabsenger.com is our content and community.

Here is a sampling of the options to come that will allow you to both gain access to exclusive members-only content and community benefits, as well as to support drA and the site.

  • A convenient monthly subscription providing access to:

    • Subscriber-only posts, full archive, commenting privileges

    • Dedicated live Q&As

  • An annual membership for those who prefer the simplicity and savings of making just one payment.

    Receive access to:

    • Subscriber-only posts, full archive, commenting privileges

    • Dedicated live Q&As

    • 20% cheaper than subscribing monthly

  • A premium annual membership for professional development providing even more access. Receive:

    • Subscriber-only posts, full archive, commenting privileges

    • Dedicated live Q&As

    • Exclusive small Q&As, group meditation and mindfulness instructions

  • A group subscription allows you to purchase in bulk for any group, organization, or company. You will be able to modify group membership at any time, and receive all benefits at a per person per year rate.

    Receive access to:

    • Subscriber-only posts, full archive, commenting privileges

    • Dedicated live Q&As

  • A free membership provides access to all public posts and email updates.

What Others Say

  • I've known Chef Werner for over 35 years, and we've had the pleasure of working together in a few great venues along the way. As I've followed both his Culinary and Teaching careers, it became clear that our Creative Dining Services Culinarians would benefit greatly from Werner's partnership in Chef Lab, our three-day Culinary Immersion Event designed for our high-profile Corporate Chefs and Sous Chefs. 

    Chef Werner's unique perspective on addressing the challenges our Culinary Leaders face today has been enlightening. Techniques for managing Stress & Mental Health, as well as Relaxation Techniques & Physical Wellness Tips are now vital components for maintaining balance for all of our CDS Culinarians in this hectic, demanding profession we all love.

    On behalf of Creative Dining Services, Thank You Chef!

    -- Jay Sharkey, Creative Dining Culinary Training Coordinator

  • I most value the opportunity to look inside myself for answers and not be embarrassed by my experiences. I would not have known how to do that without the evidence and I loved the step-by-step mediation that showed me how to do that.

    -- Zenobia P.

  • Effective and impressive. drA is obviously passionate about this material and incredibly knowledgeable about each subject.

    --Kyle G.

  • drA has organized a very good overview of mindful meditation, with components of basic knowledge, scientific information, his personal experience, practical applications, and practice sessions. It has been very helpful for me in both personal and professional realms. The knowledge will facilitate my ability to help better the people I take care of.

    --David A.

  • I am blown away not only by the material but the presentation!

    --Indira K.