I Was Meant to be a Chef

Thank you for the opportunity to present my services to you. My culinary journey began as a young child, from the time I spent with my Hungarian grandmother in her kitchen, learning the tools of the trade. She was my first teacher. She always said that you needed two main ingredients to make a good meal. First, you need the freshest ingredients to cook with, and second, you need to prepare your meals with a lot of love, and your food will taste even better. She was right.

Why am I a Personal Chef?
I have always been passionate about cooking and healthy eating, and I love to cook for others. My career began about 25 years ago when I started catering for small businesses, home parties and corporate events and even weddings. I loved the fast pace and excitement of each event, from planning to implementation. Then, while earning my bachelors degree at UC Santa Cruz, I cooked for people as a means to create extra income. It was a great experience and the beginning of a career that would mean much more to me later on in my life.

After several years of travelling abroad, and learning the cuisines of other cultures, I came back to live in the Bay Area and went to graduate school at UC Berkeley. It is here in the Bay Area, where I live with my husband, our two daughters and our cat, Cody. Being a chef in the Bay Area is a blessing with all the diversity of foods and cuisines we have at our fingertips.

The Healing Power of Food
In 2006, my second child was born. At age 2 she developed a severe skin disorder that was excruciatingly painful and difficult to treat. We took her to doctors and alternative health practitioners but it seemed that nothing worked. I decided to take matters into my own hands and change her diet to see if that would help. After months of eliminating different inflammatory foods, specifically gluten, she began to heal. Since then, she has not had any skin issues to date, and she is healthy and happy. This event has since changed the way I work with people, the way people eat, and shown me how diet can be a life changing experience.

Food, Diet, Health and Happiness
I’m absolutely convinced that the way we eat, dictates our physical and our emotional wellbeing. Simply said, healthy eating is essential to living a healthier lifestyle. It is important to know where ones food comes from. It’s easily said, but not so easy to come by. The food prepared in my kitchen is as locally sourced as possible, clean, Organic, sustainable, and seasonally selected. The ingredients are pure, simple and whole.

Professional Qualifications
Member of the U.S. Personal Chef Association (USPCA)
Graduate of the Culinary Business Academy (CBA)
Licensed and Insured in the City of Albany, CA
Completion of Alissa Cohen’s Level 1 Raw Food Certification Course
Owned and Operated Vegan Palace Catering (vegan catering)
La Casa Oaxaquena cooking school, Oaxaca, Mexico (Continuing Ed.)
Owned and Operated La Casa De Te’ cafe en Panajachel, Guatemala
UC Santa Cruz B.A. Community Studies and Spanish
UC Berkeley, 1994 graduate of Social Welfare (MSW)
LCSW licensed in 1997