We had the good fortune of connecting with Katie Murwin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
The thought process was simple. We wanted to create something that didn’t exist for our family. An environment that supported kids and adults with special needs and in addition supported their families. We wanted to be the people that said “we get it”. We have faced your challenges and our children have faced the same thing as yours. We know how hard it is to raise of family of kids with diverse ways of learning. We wanted to be the people who said, “please try”, when someone said “I don’t think he/she can do it.” Social Cooking Groups both in person and now virtually, have been a shining example.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
It’s sort of funny. I would never call myself artistic, but in one area I am strong. I love food. I love everything about it! Growing it, shopping for it, cooking it, and teaching others about it. In this area I am creative. Before our kids were born, I managed restaurants and once we had our son and we knew immediately we would no longer have a typical life, we decided I would not go back to work. I would do everything to help our kids become strong people and help them work with the skills they were given and develop the skills that didn’t come naturally. Fast forward 20 years, well, we did it! Our daughter (diagnosed with apraxia and speech delays) has a Masters Degree in Psychology, our first son (diagnosed with moderate to severe autism at age 4) has a Bachelor of Arts and our youngest (diagnosed with sensory processing disorder) is a Sophomore in college and they are all relatively happy people. What I would tell my younger self is that most things will work out ok in the end and the things you struggle with the most won’t be the things that take you out. So don’t worry so much, it really doesn’t help. That is why we do what we do. Helping others and taking action is so much better than worrying. Sensory Cooking is all about being your best not being perfect. We are just trilled to give neuro-diverse learners a chance to try things and be the best version of themselves.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
There are so many great places! Where do I start? Well of course we would eat at some of my favorite places in my old and new neighborhoods! Jalapeno Inferno, Little Miss BBQ, Eggstacy, JJ’s Deli, and Coconuts. We have a camper in Pine/Strawberry so we would need to spend a day there and do a little hiking. We would pick up lunch at Wildflower Bakery and kayak on Goldwater Lake in Prescott. We would sit on the porch, at El Tovar and look out over the Grand Canyon and our family tradition includes always getting ice cream, when we walk the path by the canyon. We would horseback ride at MacDonald Ranch and visit the Desert Botanical Gardens, the Phoenix Zoo and what our family calls “the hole in the rock” also known as Papago Park. Then we would spend a night at Royal Palms with a little spa time! And then I think a night on our patio with homemade pizzas from my new pizza oven.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My Husband! Notice I say “we” most of the time. He makes me look so much better than I am. He has my back, always! We were high school sweet hearts and next year we will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary! He is the superstar. We have raised three amazing kiddos each with developmental delays to some degree and I don’t know how I would have ever done it without him. Today, my dad said to me, you two are lucky to have a love that most people don’t ever get and all you want to do is make things better for other people, We have been blessed to grow together in our beliefs over time.

Website: www.sensorycooking.net
Instagram: sensorycooking
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katherine-murwin-13488b70/
Twitter: @KidswAutismCan
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensoryCooking
Other: website: www.kidswithautismcan.org

Image Credits
Bret Edson, Nicholas Murwin

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