The Blissful and Fit Chef No Longer
Since 2004 I’ve been a professional vegan chef, cooking instructor, educator and speaker. I became obsessed with fitness in 2013 then got my NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Women’s Fitness Specialist, TRX Suspension Trainer, 200-hour Certified Yoga Teacher and SPINNING instructor certifications because I thought I would have a career in fitness. Then decided to travel the world so that career didn’t fully manifest. I did however work online with women and write fitness programs for a few years, which was very rewarding.
My business pre-pandemic included healthy cooking classes, lectures and cooking demos, private instruction in people’s homes, consulting and corporate team building, personalized fitness programs and personal training along with public and private yoga classes.
Now I work remotely in freelance digital marketing and have a movement studio where I teach yoga and fitness classes. I have the highest quality of life I’ve ever had because of immigrating to Europe.
The Early Years
Healthful cooking wasn’t always my passion. I got a degree in fashion design from The University of Texas in 2002 then moved to Los Angeles to work in wardrobe for movies and television. Let me tell you, it was not working out so well. “Breaking into the biz” is as hard as they make it out to be. Thankfully, I befriended several vegans in LA, and was shown the PETA video, Meet Your Meat, by my dear friend Sue (who owned a vegan restaurant called Counter Culture in Austin). We made the decision to go vegan together. I had no idea then that teaching and cooking for others would become my true love in life. But after working for free in the crazy world of Hollywood and being totally unhappy, Sue suggested a culinary school in Austin to me that was mostly vegan called The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts. I took a trip to Austin to visit the school and I fell in love with the vibe and the people. I moved back the following month.
I wanted to help people and have a career that was compassionate. Leaving the world of fashion behind I dove straight into culinary school, which happened to be macrobiotic and gave me an understanding of optimal health that I couldn’t experience just being vegan. So what the heck is macrobiotics? Good question. It’s one of those cool things that is hard to explain in a sentence or two. People study it their whole lives and there’s a lot of Eastern philosophy and Chinese Medicine that goes into it. It’s pretty awesome actually and I feel blessed I was able to learn that stuff.
Since going to culinary school I have a more balanced approach to eating and do not follow strictly a macrobiotic diet. But I feel really lucky to have learned to cook in a whole foods way and I think it contributed to my good health.
The Journey Continued
Culinary school strengthened my knowledge of nutrition and diet, deepened my passion for food, and gave me the tools to truly help others. After graduating, I moved back to Los Angeles to follow my new dream of helping others find the balance and health benefits I was experiencing. This is where I got into raw foods. If you’ve heard of it, I’ve tried it! Every type of “vegan” diet I’ve experimented with over the last 17 years of being vegan. I’ve come to find that a balanced diet of mostly whole foods and treats is the best. I follow the 80/20 Rule and it hasn’t steered me wrong!
I joined the online world in 2008, where I started my first blog allowing me to share my knowledge, passion and delicious recipes with countless fans around the globe. When people want to make lasting impacts on their health and life they look for The Blissful (& Fit) Chef. I hope you take a visit to my blog. I have a very busy life and business so I’m not able to post every day, but what I do post is good quality stuff! Quality over quantity right?
Blissful Bites
Released in 2011, Blissful Bites: Vegan Meals That Nourish Mind, Body and Planet is Christy’s first cookbook.
After taking care of my dad during a cancer scare in 2011, I moved to Austin (in July 2012) for a couple of years, then back home to Dallas. (Unfortunately, I lost my father in June 2019). I was awarded “Most Inspiring Local Vegan Athlete” by the Austin vegan community in 2013, which inspired me to get my Personal Trainer Certificate. I’ve worked with hundreds of clients with personalized fitness programs as a certified personal trainer and yoga teacher. I decided to take a break from my business to travel the world from 2016 to 2018. That’s when my blog became more of a “travel blog”.
When I joined the online world in 2008, I was one of the first people to have a vegan recipe blog, which allowed me to share my knowledge, passion and delicious recipes with countless fans around the globe. Take a visit to my blog, which has over a decade’s worth of content. While it hasn’t been maintained or updated over the years, there’s plenty of good stuff to read from recipes, ramblings, workout plans and travel blogs. I haven’t been posting since before the pandemic but plan to start again soon!