Meet Michelle Smith

My professional career involves more than just being in the kitchen. I fell into my culinary career 30 years ago as a reason to travel abroad and see the world. I needed a practical trade that would allow me to earn as I explored and encountered new cultures, people and, of course, exotic local cuisines. The decision to go to culinary school launched me into a world was far beyond what I ever dreamed.

My work landed me in places all over the planet that offered snapshots of the local eating and culture. But more than that, I learned how food moves through the transient nature of humans. People bring their culture, cooking methods, and ingredients with them to stay connected to their origins whether they are traveling or have uprooted to a new place. The result is this beautiful fusion of new meets old. Australia is an extraordinary example of this fusion of old and new, and it’s where I truly began to appreciate food and its origin.

I chose eclectic locations to expand my culinary knowledge and skills. Cattle stations in the Australian outback, wineries in New Zealand, local pubs in Costa Rica, a cruise ship in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, ski towns in the northern Rockies, and myriads of simple trade situations where I worked for a week for room (or a spot to drop my tent), board and a bit of cash to get me to my next destination. My goal was to learn about food, how it was prepared and, in some cases, how the food and method got there.

I had the great honor to work with women from the “Old Country” who had transplanted their lives into a new land and have families who straddled the new and the old. I worked with internationals from lands I had to find on a map who prepared for me their favorite food from “home”. Italy, Greece, Turkey, Vietnam, Iran, Myanmar, India, Colombia, Brazil, Peru, South Africa to name a few…I encountered pockets within pockets of food culture everywhere I went.

These glorious human beings graciously shared their love of food and cooking secrets with me, usually only on a verbal level as they prepared it. Written recipes were a rarity, but the nostalgia and pride glowed as they explained the process and origin. What I learned was that food traveled in many ways and that I didn’t need to always go to a place to experience a new dish or ingredient to feel the connection to another culture. Food and culture flowed from their hearts. Their love of their origins reflected in the food itself.

From this, I developed my homestyle-fusion cooking agenda. Homestyle food reigns on this planet. I fuse all things learned from these connections and travels far and near into unique dishes made with love that are nourishing and life-giving. Food is medicine and it is needed more than ever in today’s world where our health has been slowly compromised by food of lifeless convenience.

I want to share these precious gifts of cooking from around the world forward to you from a place of love and healing. I want your culinary quality of life increased. I want to you to feel healthier and more vibrant. I want to support you as you discover a refreshed relationship with food that is both healing and joyful. Connecting with you, hearing you and learning about you as you lean into a new approach to food is the real joy for me. I love seeing you glow as you grow empowered in your kitchen. I’m here to support you along the way.

I want to help you design your dream position—where healthy eating feels effortless, delicious, and perfectly aligned with your unique needs and lifestyle.