My Story…

Growing up I did not always have the best relationship with food. Food did not feel like my friend back then. I struggled with my weight well into my 20’s. After giving birth to my second child, I weighed over 200 lbs. That’s a lot of weight for my 5’4” frame! I began jogging to lose the weight which came off quickly. Soon I became an avid runner and started working out regularly. This was also a necessity as I was in the restaurant business, constantly surrounded by an abundance of delicious gourmet food. Especially the daily fresh baked bread and the endless supply of vanilla bean gelato. It was during those ten years working in restaurants that I gained a wealth of knowledge about food. Here is where my love affair with food blossomed.

After applying to the police department, I upped my workouts and began strength training as I needed to pass vigorous physical testing. Food played an important role in helping me to achieve this goal. Fast forward fifteen years, several on-duty injuries and the constant stress of the job I was back at it trying to implement the best diet plan to help in my recovery. I met many wonderful health professionals who helped me understand the importance my diet played in helping my body to heal. I started taking classes and slowly started eliminating all processed foods, sugar, dairy and gluten as these foods seemed to really exacerbate problems relating to inflammation. Over the years I tried green juicing, raw food diets, vegetarian, vegan, paleo and keto. Through much trial and error, I have finally settled into a whole food diet rich with organic seasonal produce, locally grown when possible, lots of greens, ethically sourced meats and fish, nuts and seeds. This is what works for me.

Food plays such an instrumental role in our health and well-being and is such a vital part of our daily lives. My personal relationship with food has come full circle. I am able to eat an amazing diet while enjoying the food I love. This helps me to maintain a healthy weight and to feel great. It took me years, changing past eating habits and a long journey of self-discovery to finally arrive at this place and to make my peace with food.

Eating and preparing healthy, delicious, and nutritious meals is a true passion of mine. Being a personal chef enables me to share this passion and my love of food with the families I serve. This brings me nothing but joy. Yes, I am still consumed with thoughts of food, but these days, it shows up in the form of endless grocery lists, meal planning and the preparation of weekly meals for my clients. This story is part of my inspiration for starting Wendy’s Joyful Kitchen.