Chef-turned mama with a passion for real food

the story behind healthy mama kris

Growing up in a small town on the coast of Rhode Island, my summers were filled with cracking crabs and enjoying fresh-cooked flounder with just a little lemon and butter. My dad's garden shone with juicy tomatoes and bright fresh snap peas (my favorite), green beans and zucchini- so I guess you could say fresh food was always a part of my life. But with two busy working parents, aside from those special summer moments, most of the food we ate was from a box or a bag. 

On the side of a mountain in southern Italy in 2007, I fell in love... with food.

I started exploring the world of food beyond the box as a teenager, as soon as my first friend got their license, driving a whole 20 minutes north to the local pan-asian restaurant for sushi and nime chow.

As a nutrition student in college, my knowledge of food expanded only as far as the labels on food- calories and fat grams, sugar and sodium. It wasn't until that beautiful summer spent in Calabria that I fell in love with food in a whole new way- fresh, real, whole food, food that came directly from farm to table- and started to appreciate that food is so much more than the label, food is nourishment- but it's also experience and love. 

A few weeks after that summer spent in Italy, I met my now-husband, (who happens to be Canadian) and less than two years after meeting, moved up to Toronto to attend culinary school and eventually- start a career in serving others nourishing, delicious food. 

After graduation, I worked as a kitchen manager for a small cooking school, teaching cooking classes and starting my private chef business. 

It was during that time I also discovered the power of food to heal- after dealing with over a decade of digestive issues and hormone imbalances, food was the main factor in helping me live a healthier life, free of digestive struggles and hormone symptoms. 

For many years I worked as a personal and private chef with a focus on healthy cooking, in catering and the occasional restaurant job (I even once worked as the head chef of a 200-foot tall ship) until weeks before giving birth to my now-10-year-old.

Soon after, Healthy Mama Kris was born. 




Though it's had many iterations over the past almost-ten years, the heart of Healthy Mama Kris has always been to combine my passion for real, whole food that nourishes with my culinary background, in a way that is manageable for the everyday home cook. I know firsthand as a busy mom of two that getting meals on the table can feel anything but simple- it's my goal to help change that narrative. I'm here to help you simplify real food cooking through uncomplicated meal planning, do-able meal prep and delicious, family-friendly whole food recipes. 

So grab an apron, and let's dive in! 

Now, Healthy Mama Kris serves as a space to help moms take the stress out of cooking for their family. 

I share doable, family-friendly real food recipes to nourish your body and delight your tastebuds.

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