I’ve learned that the juiciest bits of life are rarely perfect. They’re the golden scraps at the bottom of the pan — the tender truths and messy moments that make us who we are.
My story is full of those bits — loss and resilience, food and dreams, spirit and humor. They’re what brought me here, and they’re what I now share with you.
Food as Medicine
The day I was born, a surgery left my intestine permanently damaged — and the door to illness swung wide open. My gut became both my challenge and my teacher. Cooking turned into my lifeline. It wasn’t about chasing a cure, but about keeping my body working, my spirit alive, and sometimes even finding joy in the mess.
More than 20 years ago, I became one of the pioneers of microbiome cooking, healing intestinal ulcerations by balancing bacteria. Since then, I’ve devoted my life to food that not only tastes good, but supports digestion, mood, and energy.
On our ranch and farm, I opened and ran The Pinewood Kitchen for seven years. It was a true farm-to-table restaurant — we raised the beef, pork, honey, produce, and even mushrooms that made their way onto the plates.
But Pinewood was more than a restaurant. It was an inclusive kitchen, one of the first in our county to embrace food allergies, dietary restrictions, and diverse needs. In a rural Southern community where “special diets” were often misunderstood, we built a table where everyone could sit, eat, and feel seen.
Neighbors, travelers, and strangers gathered there not just to eat, but to laugh, heal, and discover that food could be joyful, safe, and life-giving all at once.
Food, I learned, is medicine — and medicine is most powerful when it’s shared.
