I started a business!

I am not a typical Dietitian and Nutritionist. So, what is a typical Dietitian or Nutritionist? Many dietitians or nutritionists attend a 4 year college program with the outcome of working in a hospital or food service. My career as a nutritionist started with the desire to become a professional chef. I was not aware of the strong connection between food and nutrition until later. I was never a strong academic student and struggled with subjects like math and English. Classes in business, science, and chemistry were interesting and never considered them for careers beyond high school. When it came time to decide on a career, I enjoyed cooking and was something I could see myself doing as a professional chef in fine dining.

I attended culinary school to learn professional cooking skills necessary to succeed at a fine dining restaurant. The goal of formal training in culinary arts is to teach basic philosophy and classic methods for preparing foods scientifically and creatively. There was special attention to detail during instruction allowing students to develop a thorough applied understanding for artistic cuisine. Lab courses included many hours of learning and applying different cooking methods to master the core competencies of the program. Unlike academic college degree programs; culinary programs have a predetermined class schedule and offer no electives. Courses are designed to give you hands on experience. Academic courses are designed to teach technical skills in food service cost analysis, writing and leadership. There was very little writing and theoretical study involved. Chef's are not scholars and culinary school was a great place for someone who is not an academic learner. Leadership principals were ingrained in the lessons part of the kitchen atmosphere. Being able to work as a team and lead individuals to a common goal is critical to a successful restaurant operation and an important core value to a chef.

During my time in culinary school, I found the connection between food and nutrition highly interesting. nutrition science and food sensory analysis course. The eye-opening perspective of culinary nutrition is scientific as well as artistic, fascinated me. My focus shifted to learn more about food and nutrition.

Built upon the prerequisite of a culinary arts degree. Culinary nutrition is a didactic hands-on approach to the prevention and treatment of nutrition and diet-related chronic disease. The program provides specialized training, skills, and expertise for vegetarian diets, chronic disease management, competitive athletic diets, and holistic approaches to improving human health through food. The creative and diverse program allows graduates to work in a clinical, food science, education systems, and private health industries.

After completing a program in Culinary Nutrition, I realized in order to become a "Registered Dietitian" I would need complete another internship and pass a certification exam. Dietetic internships consist of performing rotations in hospital care units, public health, food service, and education over a 6 to 9 month time frame. The cost without living expenses can be equate to over ten thousand. The thought of taking on more debt to cover the cost of the internship was not appealing. Internships are highly competitive and are a full time commitment. Given the cost vs starting salary ratio of registered dietitians, I decided to take some time off before making any decisions to take on more student debt. 

My knowledge and experience in food and nutrition landed me a job at a Spa Resort in Las Vegas. Eager to exploring creative ways in healthy fine dining, Las Vegas, NV is home to numerous high-end award-winning restaurants and one of the best environments for newly trained chefs to develop their creativity. I moved from my home state of New Hampshire to Las Vegas. After dedicating several months at the Spa Resort. A rare opportunity came available at one of the world’s top-rated Michelin restaurants for modern French Cuisine. This offered me the chance to learn from some of the best professional chefs in the world.

Committing a year to learn at a Michelin restaurant would help elevate my knowledge and help further advance my career. My ambitions to advance would overpower any voice of common sense and work-life balance. A year ultimately felt like 10. The average workday ranged from 12 to 18 hours with limited days off. I rotated and learned each job and task in order to become well rounded and flexible. Ultimately, the physical demands of working in a fast pace environment caught up to me.  I decided to leave the restaurant industry to better my personal health. 

The contrast between the restaurant industry and health and wellness would require me to learn new skills and freshen up on what I had learned in college. The biggest challenge of finding a job to support student loan payments. I ultimately decided to become certified as a personal fitness trainer and established myself with a nationally recognized fitness company. The company leaders helped me see how to combine disciplines of culinary arts, nutrition, and fitness, to help individuals improve their health. In the personal training world, success is often measured by achieving goals and seeing tangible results. The business model was simple. If clients saw results and accomplished goals, there was a greater likelihood of continuing their investment in health and training services. Additionally, a positive training experience led to new client referrals and future business growth.

Exceptional trainers hold multiple certifications, basic knowledge of nutrition, business savvy, and the ability to inspire and motivate clients to reach goals. Since 2006, I have helped thousands of individuals; military (active, retired, and disabled); competitive athletes; and numerous families better their lives. My success as a health and fitness professional propelled me to achieve a graduate degree in Applied Nutrition, receive the advanced Board Certification Nutrition Specialists (CNS) credential and dietetic licensure in Maryland.

I've learned a lot from the clients I helped to improve their health over the years. There is no "one size, fits all" approach to leading a healthy life. Making improvements is about sustainable maintenance. My approach to healthy living makes a continuous realistic effort for practicing healthy behaviors. There are a lot of tools to help achieve your goals and make improvements. We work together to use these tools successfully. Over time, we reinforce your healthy lifestyle to ensure long term success.

@ChesapeakeHealthandNutrition