Mastering Plant-Based Cooking

It's About the Journey, Travel Well... 

The Beginning...

New York - 1985... I began my professional journey in New York City, as an editorial hairdresser in the beauty industry. Those early days proved to be an integral part of my foundation, catapulting me into my business endeavors and passions. In 1993 I moved to Santa Fe, NM, where I opened a natural hair salon and began to study the art and science of blending essential oils. Extensive training helped develop my natural affinity for alchemy and lead me to pioneer an organic hair and skincare line.

My efforts were acknowledged with “A World's Best Award” in Travel & Leisure Magazine, along with accolades in several other Conde Nast publications. To learn more about my 100% natural and organic skin and hair care products visit www.lrmodernalchemy.com.

“The connection of mixing compatible ingredients to create something beautiful and beneficial is what inspired me back to the kitchen, reawakening my love affair with food.“As a child, healthy, nutritious, whole food was part of my lineage. My father was a chef in several Italian restaurants in New York. My grandmother lived in the kitchen, feeding eleven children from old-world Italian recipes.   

Summers were spent in our Brooklyn garden; planting, growing, harvesting, and eating with the seasons. It was from these fertile beginnings that I learned the importance of using the freshest local ingredients, nurturing my appreciation of seasonal cooking.

Healthy, organic eating has always been my focus, so when I started experiencing chronic stomach pain, and headaches I wondered what was going on. I had a severe sensitivity to gluten. I completely stopped eating wheat, and within days my stomach aches disappeared. That was ten years ago.  From that revelation, it has become my mission and joy to share what I have learned.

Today, My purpose is to empower people to achieve optimal health and vitality, through food and lifestyle. I do this through my Podcast, cookbooks, and classes on healthy seasonal living. My commitment to wellness led me to study at The Institute For Integrative Nutrition. With this extensive training came a certification in Holistic Health Coaching. 

I happily teach seasonal, healthy, gluten, and grain-free cooking classes in an intimate setting at my home in Asheville, NC.  I work with clients as a holistic health coach, by empowering them to achieve their personal wellness  and life goals. I offer live and ‘virtual’ classes, via Zoom.

I have studied and researched over one hundred dietary theories. What I have concluded in this collective wisdom is… No two people are the same... “What nurtures my body, could be unfavorable to someone else”. This is known as bio-individuality. I develop every class I teach, as an individual unique and personal guide to health, designed specifically for their body, lifestyle, and goals.

Whether you are gluten sensitive or not, eating a wheat-free diet can be satisfying, delicious, and beneficial. My philosophy is simple, “Seek the freshest locally farmed, organically grown ingredients, cook with the seasons and most importantly cook with love."Making the choice and commitment to live a healthy lifestyle, can be life-changing, and begins the evolving journey… 

Wishing you a journey to continued good health and wellness... 

- Laurie R.