The Back Story …

My journey towards all things Nourish began with a cancer scare on the heels of a lupus diagnosis in the early days of being a newlywed. Terrified and confused, I dove into learning what it meant to embody a healthy lifestyle.

I first became enamored with food in my early 20s when I lived in France and Greece. The freshness of everything—at the open markets of Paris, on the family farms of Corfu—was an epiphany to me, as was the way a meal became the centerpiece of the day rather than something to be consumed quickly, illicitly, with as little fat or pleasure as possible.

Yet I couldn’t shake the self-reproach instilled by coming of age during America’s low-fat craze. When I moved to wine country a decade later and was faced with the one-two punch health crisis, I realized that, despite having been on a “diet” for nearly two decades, I still weighed “twenty too many” and had no idea what healthy living really looked like.

So I set out to learn.

Over the next few years I sought out nutrition-focused assignments while exploring the bounty of my new home in California, which offered the perfect backdrop for learning about nourishing both body and soul. I began making regular trips to the farmers’ market and artisan purveyors, and even planted a garden of my own. The more connected I grew to food the more passionate I became about protecting its source.

At the same time, my research was unearthing a marvelous truth: the fruits and vegetables; oils; whole grains; and sustainably-sourced meat and fish that I had come to adore were exactly the foods I should be eating for both my health and my weight. I was finally free to partake in the pleasures of the table without being plagued by guilt (I was actually enjoying food more!) and, almost without effort, the pounds fell away for good. It’s been several years now, during which time I became a mom, and I feel better than I ever have.

My desire to help others learn to nourish themselves grew out of my own experience. On the surface, what I do helps people maintain a healthy body, a comfortable weight and an eco-clean conscience while getting more pleasure from food. On a deeper level, it shows people how to be fulfilled, content and connected with every meal, every bite.

Being NOURISHED changed my life–it SAVED my life. I hope it changes yours for the better too.