Hi, I’m Chef Joanna and I teach people how to cook to live a long, healthy life.
No matter what age you are right now, if you make some simple changes, it can add more quality years to your life.
People in the Blue Zones are outliving the average American by 10 years. (1)
These are the recipes I can teach you. The gateway to health is learning to cook AND enjoying the process. I can help you with that!
After 10 years of working in the restaurant industry, I’m more a food counselor than a chef. Unlike the Chopped contestants you’ll find on the Food Network, I’m about enjoying the process of cooking and making a home- not rushing it. I care about wellness. I care about living the best quality of life into my old age. I love good food, but also want to have a long, healthy life.
Studying centenarians around the world, we know more or less what helps a person reach a healthy 100. But mainstream America doesn’t promote these messages.
And all I want to do is share these longevity principles that are hidden from you so you can live your best quality of life right now.
I share these tips through cookbooks, online cooking courses and in-person cooking classes!
My Background
I received a Bachelor of Science in nutrition at Loyola Marymount. The year after, I went to Paris, France to attend culinary school. I graduated Le Cordon Bleu in Paris in 2010 and returned back to the US to work at various jobs in the food industry.
I worked with dieticians and developed recipes for over 10 years at the Four Seasons and Shape Up America!, and found much discontent with the Western view of nutrition. I think it was a dietician recommending “fat-free half and half” for a recipe that threw me over the edge.
I turned to books like The Blue Zones to uncover the simple secrets of living to a healthy 100. It has nothing to do with calorie counting or fat-free products.
What I found is not new: It’s about lifestyle and just eating more vegetables and whole, unprocessed foods.
Now I’m dedicating my time to teaching you those simple recipes to live to 100 and lifestyle tips too. I want to make you feel confident in the kitchen and add the ‘je ne sais quoi’ back into your life.
The kitchen is my haven and it can be yours too. Learn to dance and laugh again as we prepare meals in the kitchen together. To our journey to a healthy 100!
Keep on cooking,
Joanna
To subscribe for healthy recipes and travel tips, follow this link:
www.shapeupfridge.com
The three tenets we live and work by. . .
Building community
Our idea of community is one in which each guest accepts each other for the whole and perfect person they are. We hope to strengthen communities by sharing a love for food. We know that some of the best bonding happens over the dining table and we want to support those times. (We love doing Couples Classes to bond them closer together) We aim to give light to the farmers, chefs, home cooks, and diners for all they do in supporting our community. We want to facilitate new discussions about the ever evolving role of food and cooking in society so ultimately people can feel empowered about their food choices politically, socially, economically.
Eating well
Health is a major issue in today’s world. While we are not into dieting, we focus on living a conscious life. We want to support our community by offering healthy tips for eating a balanced diet. We also want to empower our guests to choose the most healthful, responsible foods that align with their mission. Sometimes this may mean growing your own food, or shopping at the local farmer’s market to get the most nutritious foods, or making a political stance on the monopolized food industries. That’s why we give the option to start our private cooking classes with a trip to the farmer’s market with the chef.
Adventure FUN
We promote exploration. We believe that exploring other cultures allows us to more deeply know ourselves. Exposing ourselves to new customs, traditions, and foods teaches us that however different we may seem, we all share a desire for connection and belonging.
We also promote living an active lifestyle to stay healthy, energized, and young at heart. When we take time to care for our body each day, and move it in ways that please us, we can do more things and live the life we want. We must take time to do some sort of exercise and some sort of mental clearing to live the healthiest life possible. We believe in Einstein’s words:
“Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the Great Mystery into which we were born”.
View the Vegan eCookbook that Joanna wrote, as well as others that she has assisted with.
If you’re interested in the first cookbook of my year-long trip, it is finally out! Order “Month in Marrakech: a food and travel memoir” by clicking on the link.
