natural gourmet institute

About Me

After graduating from UCLA, I started my career in television. Entertainment Tonight was my very first job out of college, and it was actually on a whim that I even applied for the job. I hadn’t ever really considered working in entertainment, but when I saw the job listing, I thought…’That looks like fun.’ I started at [read more]

Living Your Passion

Its a question you hear over and over again..'I want to follow my passion, but I don't know what to do'. I learned that sometimes all you have to do is...do it. [read more]

How Chocolate Changed My Life

Going to culinary school changed my life and opened my eyes to the potential for a different future. It was incredible! But I kind of expected that. What I didn't expect was what came after my classroom time was done. [read more]

My Journey to the Natural Gourmet Institute- Part Two

While I was in school, my life was a crazy mess. My husband was across the country in Los Angeles for weeks at a time, I had a full time babysitter for my children for the first time in my life, and I hadn’t been to school in 15 years. This was written about halfway through the Chef’s Training Program, when the initial burst of [read more]

My Journey to the Natural Gourmet Institute- Part One

After working on the Rachael Ray show for most of the first season, I had my first child and never went back to work. The first year was amazing, but after a couple of years, and a second child, I felt totally trapped. My husband was doing well. He had amazing experiences, and was meeting exciting people. Meanwhile I was home. Taking care of [read more]