My Journey to becoming the Holystic Foodie and Private Chef
- holysticfoodie
- Feb 7, 2024
- 5 min read
Saved by God and finally walking out my purpose with New Faith and Innate Passion
As a child, I had an innate passion for cooking and creating food for the people in my life that I love. I loved to make food, pretend like I was making food even if wasn't, and then present what I learned and created with everyone that I could.
For me, the enjoyment was in the food production and presentation! I learned everything I could from watching the Food Network back in the Emeril Lagasse and Jaque Torres days. The classic Iron Chef days! There literally was no show I did not watch--I was truly obsessed. Food Network in the 90's was everything!!! **What a dream to this day to do something with the Food Network and to be on a cooking show.....mark my words this will happen!
Anyway, back to the story, naturally, I dreamed of going to culinary school to be like the chefs I watched and learned from on TV. However, I did not end up going to culinary school and now I am ok with that. My parents wanted me to have a "college" experience and so I went to a university and majored in Restaurant Management. I had always dreamed of going to Johsnon and Whales or the Culinary Institute of America but the more I learned that education wasn't indicative of the culinary career I could make for myself, I let that dream go.
Instead, I learned through multiple jobs in professional kitchens and worked with some incredible chefs. I am really lucky to have had a lot of the experience I've had to this day. My first ever restaurant job was the one that really instilled my true love for bakeries and artisanship. I worked at a small bakery called Sugar Magnolia in college and went to work wide eyed and in love with my job daily. I learned from a carefree, hippie of a chef how incredibly primitive making bread can be. I also fell in love with the typical schedule of a baker--up before the sun and feeling accomplished by noon. The bakery was also a cafe that seated less than 30 at a time and you became friends with every single person to walk through the door. Regulars became family and it was really special. Working at Sugar Magnolia was honestly a highlight of my college experience and I look back feeling so blessed for that opportunity. For the amazing people I met, for the exposure to the craftsmanship that goes into artisan food preparation, and even the beauty i collaboration with other local artisans through food.
After college, I briefly interned for an event planner position because I wanted to get more involved with events. Writing this actually out now I see that didn't make sense with my passion at the time. But you live and learn, right? Anywho--it obviously was wrong because it didn't last for more than 3 months. That's a story for another day. What ended up happening was I followed my curiosity to see the world and resumed a baking job as a pastry assistant at the Jackson Lake Lodge in Moran, Wyoming. In the Natitonal Teton Park. A piece of my heart is there.
This was my entry into MASS PRODUCTION! Man, we were cranking out breads, pastries, and desserts by the thousands daily for 3 on site restaurants as well as off site catering. I started as a morning production worker and switched to plating desserts for the fine dining restaurant in the resort. I was happy with this switch because at the time I loved the fast pace of a busy restaurant line.
For 4 more years, I was a pastry assistant in resorts and fine dining restaurants all out west--on an adventure to see the world and not go home. During this time, I worked under talented chefs, gained most of my experience in plating desserts, and working at a fast pace in high stress situations. I would not trade any of this experience for the world! I learned so so much that culinary school just could not have taught me. My most life changing job was as the pastry assistant at Splendido at the Chateau in Beaver Creek, Colorado. I worked under 3 different pastry chefs that all taught me so much about pastry, bread, and character! When the time came for a new pastry chef to be hired--I was sure it would have been me. Well, I was wrong. My heart was crushed. I did not understand at the time, but looking back I am sure it was a good thing.
So I moved home again to Georgia, somewhat crushed but still on my path as a culinary professional. I took time out of restaurants, worked at a bike shop for the summer, and planned my next move. The next move was to Park City, UT to become a cake decorator at Whole Foods Market. This was also so transformative to my career in experience and skills.
I applie because in all of my experience as a pastry assistant, I never got to make cakes. I watched the pastry chefs over me make beautiful cakes but that was a skill I was lacking. Again, this was a very fast paced envrironment with inhumanly possible demands. For 3 years, I loved it! I thrived off of the comraderie with co-workers, connection with customers, creativity in designing cakes, and doing the impossible--pushing my productivity to the limits! I was here for 4 years but in my final year, I was pregnant and then had a baby. The company was bought out by Amazon and everything changed. Suddenly, the high demands got even higher and more unrealistic. The job was not what it once was and I had a baby to take care of now.
I don't want to skip the in betweens of my story but I feel it's getting a little long! After Whole Foods and with a 2 year old baby, I was in a low point of life. I had to move back home where I never though I would be in order to survive. I needed help and we needed support. So my daughter and I moved home with my family and here I have somewhat pursued my culinary dream on and off for the past 6 years with a hiatus in the middle to explore holistic health and fitness.
Because of all of this time, I am now so passionate about continuing my culinary career and living out my passion to cook for others but with a whole new outlook on food and nourishment than I've ever had before. This is how Holystic Foodie has now been born. I am reliving my childhood dreams but with the culmination of all of the life that has happened in between to make me who I am and what I love. I now place more importance on food as a source of true physical and spiritual nourishment than it ever had before.
As the Holystic Foodie, I cultivate food freely given to us by God and celebrate it with you in the meals I prepare. I plate everything with love, incredible thought, and ensure big, bold, bright flavors that undoubtedly elicit and emotional response of some sort! In December of 2023, I was baptized and reborn as a NEW Christian and servent of God. I live for Him now after nearly a decade of walking in opposition to Him. He called me back and I am forever grateful for his pursuit. My new Life puts the Holy in Holystic and...well foodie is pretty self explanatory. Food is my passion and my gift!
I hope now you know more about me and will invite me into your homes to create an unforgettable unique dining experience as the Private Chef I've been made to be! Food is meant to be shared, to be enjoyed, it is key to celebrations and special moments in life. Let me bring farm to table pure living and fine dining into your home as the Holystic Foodie!
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