Where did you attend Culinary School?

The Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts.

I chose NGI for its nutrition program on top of the fact that they are known for being a culinary school for vegans and vegetarians. I am not vegan, but I wanted an education in plant based cooking with the option to cook meat, as long is it is as humanely sourced as possible.

I also took the Gerson Basics course to learn how to be a home set up support for anyone choosing to use the Gerson protocol.

And I studied the Ingham Method of Reflexology.

And am a 200hr eRYT (yoga teacher) and taught yoga and spin classes at West Point.

Where did you intern?

I lucked out with my internship.  I have always wanted to go to Canyon Ranch.  So, I said it out loud to an elderly lady at an Easter party.  

She said she had a nephew who was a chef there. I thought, oh how sweet...he's probably a sous Chef. She asked if I wanted her to give him a call. I said sure! Turned out it was Scott Uehlein, the head chef at Canyon Ranch International.

Canyon Ranch didn't have an intern program for chefs at the time, but Scott would do anything for his sweet aunt. I am eternally grateful to her.

If you haven't been to Canyon Ranch, please go. It really is a magical place and the talented chefs are all so kind and enjoy their jobs there.

What do you want your clients to know?

Desserts and breads are my favorite things to make.  I love turning unhealthy recipes into a much healthier and more tasty version.

Cleanliness is very important to me. My work space is very organized with strict sanitary practices so things run smoothly, without cross contamination or safety issues. I go above and beyond the recommended Serve Safe protocol.

Took a part time job at local florist just to learn more about flowers and to hone flower arrangement skills.





Share something personal about yourself.

When I was 25, my father was diagnosed with late stage leukemia after being misdiagnosed for 3 years.  We were all devastated.  He passed away 8 weeks after he was diagnosed.  My mother and I were frantic and kept thinking we had heard of some place that naturally healed people who were late stage.  This was before the internet.  

I was born on father's day. He was, and still is, my hero. He is why I have a desire to help people. He volunteered as an EMT and a fireman. He was like Superman to me, only cooler and funnier.

My father was also a mechanic. The doctors told us his type of leukemia was linked to the chemicals he used in the shop. There was a man across the hall from my father in the hospital who was also a mechanic with the same leukemia.

This drove me to learn more about nutrition and the effects chemicals have on our bodies. There is so much junk in food and the environment nowadays, even in foods that are supposed to be "good" for us.

I don't want anybody else to go through what my family went through. By choosing ingredients that are organic, sustainably produced and sourced, we all lower our chance for disease to find a home in our body. This can all be achieved without compromising flavor. Flavor is more intense and beautiful in unprocessed, organic foods that have been thoughtfully prepared.