Why I became a therapeutic chef:

I, like so many other nutritionists, started my journey with healing myself. In my case, I had a severe case of what general medical physicians call: Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Looking back, my earliest memory of the symptoms occurred when I was 7 years old, or so. The pain was daily, yet tolerable. Constipation, abdominal cramps, restless sleep, brain fog and more was the norm. I kept it a secret, relief didn’t occur to me. (see below for more details).

The symptoms came and went throughout my teens, 20s and 30s. In my 30s, I bought a juicer, did annual fasts (18 years now), did lots of research and made changes. What a relief! I was virtually pain free and feeling normal. I felt empowered, looking for and ready to take the next step. People noticed my changes, and I began to see their discomforts. They came to me and I could empathize with them. I happily shared my knowledge, they made changes and had results.

In my 40s, I decided to take my passion to the next level: professional training. I immersed myself in programs for nutrition, the culinary arts, emotional, mental and physical therapy, exercise and I got involved with my community. Living my passion excelled my personal and professional growth in many ways. I’m thrilled to feel success and want to pass this passion on with the attention and support that I receive(d).

What my work means to me:

To help others make their necessary changes gives me hope for a better future for all of us. Once we take care of ourselves, give ourselves the proper nurturing and nourishment, others will benefit: our family, friends, peers, community and then back to us. Let’s ignite the love – and faith – in food so that we choose our foods wisely. In this way, I see that a shift will occur: We’ll feel better, we’ll take better care of ourselves and our surroundings. People will notice and the shift will propagate.

The philosophies I follow are:

  • Be good to yourself: Eat for health (mindfully and consciously)
  • Food is medicine: You are what you eat, what you assimilate and what you don’t eliminate
  • Integral health care: Preventative, integrative, holistic, person-centered
  • Knowledge is power
  • Follow your passion: Do what you like and like what you do
  • Develop and nurture relationships and be involved in your community
  • Assess, attest, assert your purpose in life

My focus ….

….. is to bring food, herbs, spices, drinks to the forefront to heal the body. Our conversations while at the table and/or cooking will be:

  • Nutrition education
  • Food education
  • Cooking techniques
  • Menu planning
  • Diet direction: Cleansing, Building or Balancing
  • Likes/dislikes: sweet, salty, crunchy, soft, chewy, etc.
  • Heritage and traditions
  • Vegan, raw food, macrobiotic, omnivore, etc.

Where you’ll find me:

  • With individuals who want to make a change in their health through their eating and cooking habits
  • Providing food for employees: individual lunches, group luncheons, workshops
  • Doing cooking demos at homes, schools, restaurants
  • Cooking for vacation groups around the world
  • Recipe testing at home

My cooking style is:

  • Natural
  • Simple
  • Adventurous
  • Improvisational cooking
  • Using substitutions and alternative foods

I’m skilled in preparing vegan, macrobiotic and raw food meals, as well as accommodating the taste of omnivores.

I focus on using:

  • Unrefined, minimally processed foods
  • Organically, biodynamic, sustainable foods
  • Locally grown foods
  • Seasonal foods
  • Nutritionally-dense foods
  • Herbs
  • Spices

My areas of success are:

  • Restoring gut health
  • Anti-inflammation
  • Weight management
  • Endurance
  • Pantry, cupboard, fridge and freezer organization

Certifications and community involvement:

I received my Nutrition and Culinary Arts certifications at Bauman College(.org) in Berkeley, and am now a staff member of the College and for its bi-annual juice fast retreats.

Seminar certifications include:

“Functional Medicine” and “Nutritional Muscle testing”

In 1992, I completed a year-long course in clairvoyant readings and energetic healings at the Berkeley Psychic Institute (www.BerkeleyPsychic.org), and received a certification as an Associate Minister.

My zeal for educating others is also expressed with the Health Medicine Forum(.org), an educational foundation in Walnut Creek (www.HealthMedicine.org). I’m one of nine Board of Directors. We do health-related events for the public and for practitioners. This year we’ll expand our scope of influence by doing more than the speaking events, please go to our site for updates.

I’m also part of the Publications Committee of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals (www.NANP.org) and design its bi-annual trade journal and the annual conference syllabus.

Other memberships are with: The Orthomolecular Health Medicine Society (www.ohmSociety.com); and a local chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation (www.WestonAPrice.org).

In my previous profession I was a News Artist for the Contra Costa Times(.com) newspaper in Walnut Creek (18 years) and received regional awards for graphic design in news art journalism. I designed the Times’ Weather Page and was the Weather Page Editor for 7 years. (see Graphic Design page)

I was a sugar-holic. In the late ’60s, coming home from elementary school I binged on ice cream, cereal, toast with p ‘n j, kool-aid. And, that was consumed within an hour or so, daily. I had restless sleep and the next day, the brain fog didn’t lift until noon.

In my late teens and throughout my 20s I experienced a relief from constipation, due to, I’m sure, the liquids I consumed – alcohol, that is.

Turning 30 brought changes. In 1991, I started juicing and the changes happened rapidly. I began to think of nurishing myself with food. I saw the destructive nature of sugar, alcohol, lack of sleep. A whole new world opened up to me with Aurvedic and Macrobiotic cuisines and herbal tonics. I felt empowered, I felt relief. People noticed my changes and I quickly realized that I liked to talk about the information I was learning, the changes I was making.

In 1997, I stopped eating wheat. It was my own test. I realized that I felt terrible within a couple of hours after eating pizza, pasta, breads, etc. My severe cramps – that put me on the floor for several minutes – came after eating these foods. Those 3 weeks of being wheat-free were very telling. Since then I’ve managed to eat very small doses of wheat. At times, though, I would reach my threshold and experience the same old symptoms.