What's stopping you from cooking?

I wasn't a natural born chef. Far from it. In fact, cooking is something that came to me later in life and I think this is an important part of my story.

Growing up in Halifax I always had healthy, homemade meals with lots of variety (thanks mom!). Looking back, I'm so grateful for this, but truth be told cooking wasn't a requirement for much of my life because it was done for me.

When I was 24 I landed a job at the UN in Paris. I met people from all over the world and especially loved learning about food. Whether it was the French food culture, trying homemade empanadas from my Mexican colleague, or eating at a Lebanese restaurant for the first time. I was immersed in food culture yet my cooking skills consisted of opening boxed potage (veggie soup) or making sandwiches. However, like most people who spend any time in France I returned to Canada with a fascination with food.

Flash forward a bit, I moved to Ottawa to work for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Since it was clear I couldn't depend on my mom to feed me anymore I learned to cook. I started by trying to replicate the potage-style soups I ate in France. Over time I gained a little bit of confidence and began experimenting with more varied soups and stews and tried making smoothies with my Magic Bullet. I just continued to learn & expand my repertoire in an attempt to eat healthy and feel good. To be clear, I was 26 (!!!) when I started cooking & making food from scratch.

Now, well over a decade later I'm running a cooking and nutrition business! I'm formally trained as a chef, but truthfully I prefer simple, nutritious meals with lots of veggies. I learned so much in culinary school, but my greatest learnings have come from spending time in the kitchen, cooking regularly and teaching others how to cook.

Knowing how to make your own food is a life skill and it is one of the most impactful things you can do to transform and maintain your health and well-being. Some folks (like me) are late bloomers and that's okay. There's no right time to start cooking. Just make it a priority and get started.

If you need guidance or inspiration to start cooking more plant-based meals, visit my recipe index, check out my events page for upcoming events, or contact me to see how we can work together.