ABOUT

Many chefs will say, they were born knowing they wanted to cook. I on the other hand, took a rather circuitous path towards finding my career. Since the age of 16, I have been working in restaurants. All the while, attending school, college and eventually graduate school. I started my restaurant career in the front of the house; I bussed tables, hosted guests and served patrons. Some of my closest friends were those I met in the restaurant industry and I found myself drawn to the culture time and time again. I relished working with a team and found the unpredictability and excitement of restaurant life enticing. Though I would go on to become a Marriage and Family Therapist, the love of working in restaurants never abated. Eventually, I decided to make my love for restaurants and the kitchen a reality. 

I attended culinary school, earning the Julia Child’s Scholarship as well as a place on the President’s Honor Roll, and began quickly working my way up the totem pole. My experience includes: working in a cafeteria, a food truck, a bakery, a bistro, a fine-dining restaurant, a five-star hotel, catering, working as a personal chef, and teaching cooking classes through Cooking Matters, a non-profit organization. 

My food philosophy is simple, eat as clean as you can while eating what you love. I am more concerned with balance and portions, than I am with calories and deprivation. I can work with any client, independent of diets or allergens, together we can meet your food goals. Everyone should enjoy their food and I for one, feel it is my duty to make sure whatever your goals are, you look forward to all of your meals. With over 15 years’ experience in Health and Wellness, I look forward to lending my knowledge to meet your needs.

Now, the fun part. Everyone asks what do I eat? Well, the truth of the matter is I eat what I want, I just try to find the balance. Most of the time I succeed and when I don’t, I carry on without self-loathing, every day, every meal is an opportunity to begin again. I eat mostly organic, but just the other day I craved a McDonald’s burger, so I ate one. When I go to the movies, I usually get popcorn and Twizzlers. So yes, I live in the same world you do, where temptation, and time constraints sometimes lead us to make choices that aren’t always healthy, but I’m o.k with that, you only live once. Most days I have coffee for breakfast, a BIG salad for lunch and whatever I’m craving for dinner, be it pizza, hamburgers or fries. When I do eat items some consider less healthy, I choose the organic frozen pizza, the organic ground beef and so on….

I offer free 15-minute phone consultations to discuss your goals. Contact me and inquire away, after all, you have nothing to lose.

Eat well, Be well, Feel well

Lauren the Doughmamma