About The Chef
Greetings, I am Michelle.
Lover of cooking, food, and all things holistic health and natural living. I am the founder and chef behind Summit Lady Food. My love for cooking up delicious creations started as a youth in my mom’s kitchen and carried me thorough many restaurant cooking jobs as a young adult, where I learned a ton, and eventually found myself in culinary school; however at that time my lifestyle and diet was admittedly not the healthiest. That all changed when I began my healing journey upon moving to Santa Cruz, Ca in 2008. I was seeking a more holistic way of life and became certified as a Natural Chef & Nutrition Educator. My focus was to improve the health of my clients through modification of their diet, provided by me- their personal chef. I met my husband Brian and naturally birthed our two children, Zola and Abel. Summit Lady Food originated on our beautiful ridge line land up in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where we lived off the land, off grid, in a yurt. We grew all kinds of fruit trees and were dedicated to growing our own food. Taking care of two small children plus homesteading was a full time job, where I also had fun cooking with the seasons of the garden and getting creative in the kitchen with what the land was providing. I started my side hustle of selling raw, organic, vegan treats to people; but being a momma has always been my first priority. I became known as the ‘Summit Road Food Lady”. We still tend to our mountain homestead, but currently reside closer to town. We hope one day to have a wellness retreat center where people can come and receive the healing benefits of our sacred mountain land.
I am passionate about whole food cooking. I believe health begins with the quality of fuel that we put into our bodies; and continues with a truly healthy lifestyle, which incorporates practice to strengthen our bodies, mind and spirit. Daily movement, mediation and conscious living has proven this to be true. I love to be a part of my clients’ path to healing and I am excited to share my knowledge and love for food with YOU! I’m talking REAL food with REAL ingredients, none of the fake stuff. Not only do I love cooking, but I love feeding everyone nutritious and delicious meals that leave you feeling nourished and vibrant. It is so true that the food we eat is medicine to our bodies. I did not always eat well myself, but anyone at any point in their lives, can change their habits & diets. I consider myself an intuitive chef and eater. This means really listening to the cues our body gives us, tuning in and knowing what our body needs at that given moment. This can be achieved when fully committing to a whole food diet. When our bodies no longer eat processed, sugar-filled and artificially flavored foods; we start to CRAVE real fruits, vegetables, high quality proteins and ingredients from the earth. These REAL ingredients give us sustained energy, improve our mood, provide nutrients to supply for and potentiate healing reactions in our bodies. As a nutritional chef, I work with my clients to customize their dietary needs. There is no one diet that fits all. We all need different kinds of food depending on our individual needs.
I am grateful for you; for finding your way to this website and for initiating a potentially dramatic change in your own eating journey, as right now, in this moment, you have taken a step in the direction toward self-care and healing. It all starts from within and requires commitment to continue to move down this path of self love through the quality of fuel you feed yourself – mind, body, spirit. What is the quality of ingredients you are fueling all these areas right now? Can that be improved upon? It really only takes one step in this direction and your journey of healing has begun. It’s not about a quick fix with a fad diet or temporary healing retreat, rather a commitment to a way of living and being. We are all interconnected and our vibrational energy is directly impacted and impacts those around us. Let us all make the effort to raise our physical vibration with the consumption of clean, pure foods/medicine. We can create the life we want. When we feel good within, we shine it out to the world and the rest of us feel it. Other people will feel it and it can be a beautiful ripple effect. My hope is to provide nutritional knowledge, cooking services, and products that can help guide and heal, so that you can be your best self. Let us evolve beyond this SAD American diet, take back our food system, and thrive as the brightest versions of ourselves!