My culinary history

Even though my career for the last 30 years has been as a physician, I have always had a passion for cooking.   I’ve consistently been the go-to chef for my family, enjoyed preparing food for our large family and friend gatherings, and have taken many cooking classes over the years.  When I retired from my job as a physician, I decided that I wanted to try to blend what I consider to be 2 complimentary arts; medical and culinary.

My first foray into learning how to combine the 2 occurred while I was a physician.  Through courses offered by Tulane University, I obtained certification as a Culinary Medicine Specialist.  I participated in both online nutrition classes and hands-on learning in a teaching kitchen.  Through this certification, I gained knowledge of the role of nutrition on  overall health, enhanced the quality of my patient counseling, learned culinary techniques useful for our  busy lifestyle, and improved my management of diet-related chronic diseases. 

After I retired, I further strengthened my culinary skills through the more traditional route of a formal culinary education and received my Culinary Arts degree at my local community college in 2021.  I do have a bit of professional culinary experience.  I worked as a pizza cook in high school and college, and more recently I was a prep chef during filming of season 4 of Steven Raichlen’s Project Fire. 

However, I believe that my professional experience as a physician is what sets me apart.  The combination of my medical background, insight on nutrition, and recent culinary training gives me a unique perspective on dietary planning.  I look forward to sharing my knowledge and passion for cooking with clients who need a medically necessary diet and also want to enjoy flavorful meals without the hassle of shopping, prepping, cooking and cleaning.