We know you single folks are busy. iList Paducah goes on that first date so you don't have to!November 14, 2010
Holly Heath
A personal chef and caterer who splits her time between Nashville and Paducah, Holly Heath is not only an amazing cook, she’s an iList Paducah advertiser! This week, we post a few questions to the super cutie of super healthy cuisine. Holly Heath, you cute, cute, cute, no doubt about it!
What is a personal chef?
A personal chef is someone like myself who loves to cook and has a desire to help others eat healthy meals, while giving them the time to do other things — things that they love. I prepare meals according to your specifications and package them for easy heating and cleanup.
How did you start your career as a personal chef?
Well, I actually started my career as a corporate accountant, working for some of the largest companies in the world. That is until I worked as a corporate accountant at Enron in Houston, and then went through the largest corporate collapse in US history. Going through that horrible experience really forced me to examine, then change the focus of, my life.
After going through an experience where so many people were hurt, I swore that I would spend the rest of my career doing work that would help people and make them happy. Around this time of flux, I won multiple scholorships to the prestigious CIA in New York. I knew then that this was my path. I took off for New York, studied hard and have worked a as personal chef for eight years now. First in Houston, then in Paducah and then in Nashville.
What brought you to Paducah?
After Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Texas, the cities both changes dramitically. A wave of crime and insane amounts of traffic changed both cities. My Mother was in Baton Rouge and I was in Houston. A few months earlier, my sister-in-law, Yolanda Heath, opened Heath Health Foods in Lone Oak and had really grown to love the city of Paducah. We came for a visit, and we both loved it as well. We both moved to Paducah four years ago and I have been working both here and in Nashville for three years now.
So you are not only a personal chef, you are also a caterer, a culinary teacher and a speaker?
Yes, I cater smaller events, generally up to 100 people. As with all of my cooking, I specialize in cooking healthy, but delicious meals. My goal in all of my cooking is to use clean, unprocessed foods. I also teach healthy cooking classes at Whole Foods and The Brentwood Library. And I do speaking engagements on food and health for local businesses and corporations.
Tell us all about your work of helping people eat better!
I truly love what I do! Not just because I get to cook everyday, but that I really get to help people save many hours each week and instead use those hours to do what THEY want to do. No shopping, no planning, no cleaning — I do it all so they don’t have to!
Who are your ideal clients?
My ideal clients are both busy families and single professionals. Families that have a packed schedule that find themselves resorting to a fast food meal because of time restrictions. They come to me looking for other options — a way to healthy meals full of variety without sacrificing their time. My single professional clients are busy building their careers, they want to eat healthy, but simply do not have the time to do so. Having a personal chef prepare their meals allows them to spend more hours at work, enabling them to reach their career goals while also staying healthy. Also, I specialize in cooking for special diets, so anyone with health concerns or needing a special diet would be an ideal client.
You and your “Cooking Parties” have been featured in the Paducah Sun. What is a Cooking Party?
My Cooking Parties are a fun, economical solution for your meals. They are similar in concept to “Super Suppers,” which a meal assembly service. What sets my cooking parties apart are twofold — my cooking parties are held in your home, and with your friends. And unlike other meal assembly services, I use all unprocessed foods, void of artificial colors, chemicals and preservatives. I do all of the shopping, the chopping, the planning and the cleanup and you and your friends all leave with up to 30 meals for about $6 each! You can have a healthy meal for the same cost as a fast food meal! I also include a cooking demonstration along with each of my parties. The parties are really great fun and so convienient!
You mentioned you teach Cooking Classes at Whole Foods, can you teach classes in clients homes as well?
Absolutely! I would love to teach classes more classes here in Paducah! I can teach classes at your home on a one on basis, or as a group. A group cooking class is great idea when you are hosting your next party — not only do you an your guests have a great time, but you learn some great new recipes and cooking techniques, and you get to eat as well! What could be better than that!
Tell was about cooking for special diets. You mentioned said you struggle with food allergies yourself?
Yes, I do! A few years ago I bacame increasinly lethargic along with other painful symptoms, and nothing I did seemed to help. Yolanda suggested that I try to eliminate gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, from my diet. I felt better immedietely and within days, felt like my old self again! I now try to be a resource for the gluten free community by teaching and creating great gluten free recipes.
And through your health stuggles you have been asked to speak at events?
Yes, through my own health struggles, I have found how food can make you sick, and thet food can make you well. Out of neccesity, I have had to study foods, especially prosessed foods, to learn where there is hidden gluten added. What I found is astonding! I have been asked to speak at multiple business groups regarding what I have have found. If the general public really knew what was in fast food they would stop eating it immeidately! Chemicals such as silicone are now being injected in to pizza cheese, simply so it will melt better. And windox (ammonia) is now injected into hamburger patties, so to kill any traces of e-coli bateria. And what is really sad is that this is all deamed legal by the FDA! We all think that the FDA is here to keep us safe, but sadly that is not the case! We each are responsible for our health — no one will do it for us!
We can tell you are very passionate about what you do!
Yes, absolutely! I truly want to help people!
How do people sign up for your services?
People can visit my website at http://www.atyourtablepcs.net and contact me for a complementary consultation. We can sit down together and figure out a plan to help you eat better. I am in Paducah multiple times each month and I can do everything from Personal Chef Services, Cooking Parties, Cooking Classes or Healthy Catering.
You mentioned that you were featured in the Paducah Sun....
Yes, I have also been featured on WPSD Channel 6 in Paducah, and in Nashville I have been featured on Fox17 Tennessee Morning Show, Newschannel 5’s Talk of the Town, the Tennessean and Brentwood Home Page. And now on iList Paducah!
So, you are single, what are you looking for in a date?
Yes, my love life has been on the back burner while trying to build my business. First and foremost, I am looking for a nice man I can cook for! Someone smart, kind, caring, giving, funny. Just a real nice person with a warm heart who takes care of himself. Someone who is goal-oriented and a hard worker, but can also sit back and enjoy himself at times. Someone who takes life seriously, but not too seriously. Someone who can laugh at himself when needed!
Cook on, Holly Heath! Cook on!
Holly Heath Fun Facts
Although I love creating gourmet meals, my favorite food is a hamburger and fries!- I started my career in 1995 with a finance degree. I left college thinking I would be a stockbroker!
- Everyone tells me I should apply for Top Chef, but I am just not a competitive person. I feel like everyone should win!
- For as much as I love to cook, I hate to bake! Cooking anything that requires a precise measurement is no fun to me at all!
- I am a huge dog lover. My furry child is Nutmeg, and she is a bit on the spoiled side.
- I am a Christian and pray daily.
- I strongly believe in karma, both good and bad.
- I am sadly addicted to all Bravo programming, especially The Real Housewives.
- I have lived in many exciting places including San Francisco and New York.
- I am originally from Baton Rouge, La., and grew up eating the best food in the world!
- I attended LSU and am still a huge fan!
- I had a college internship at Walt Disney World.
- My incredible marketing materials were all created by the amazing Nikki May!
